The cholesterol value for several species of shrimp from several different geographical locations was determined. The overall average for all the samples was 152 rt 15 mg/lOOg of edible portion of shrimp. Two samples of Pundulus borealis, Gloucester prawns and Canadian prawns, accounted for the low (136 mg/lOOg) and the high (186 mgl 1OOg) limits, respectively, of the range of cholesterol. All shrimp were low in fat at about 1%. Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids were present at about 30% of the total fatty acids, providing about 0.2Og/lOOg in the edible portion. INTRODUCTIONTWO REPORTS issued by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (1987) have reconfirmed that modification in dietary cholesterol intake can, in many individuals, reduce blood cholesterol. These reports have prompted health care professionals and consumers to search the literature for the information necessary to make dietary assessments.Definitive dietary fat information on shrimp is lacking in the literature. Considerable data spanning a wide range of values have been generated on the cholesterol content of shrimp. The information has been summarized in an extensive literature review of nutritional data through 1975 by Sidwell (1981) and for the years 1976-1984 in a literature review by Krzynowek and Murphy (1987). Exler (1987) and Dudek et al. (1982) report information on shrimp after various methods of cooking. For raw shrimp, the cholesterol values range from 80.7 mg/ 1OOg (Punwar and Derse, 1978) for an unspecified species of shrimp (not stated, but assumed raw) to a high of 226 mg/ 1OOg (Kritchevsky et al., 1967) for an unspecified species of, once again not stated, but assumed raw shrimp. A range of values, such as this, is not conducive to menu planning around a low cholesterol regime of 300 mg/day for a man and 225 mg/day for a woman.Concomitant with the decreased ingestion of cholesterol for health conscious individuals came the increased consumption of seafood for the .prevention and amelioration of certain diseases, more specifically cardiovascular diseases (Simopoulos et al., 1986;Lands, 1986;Kinsella, 1987;Nettleton, 1985Nettleton, , 1987. Seafood is the richest source of a'group of polyunsaturated fatty acids called omega-3 (o-3) fatty acids. The low incidence of cardiovascular disease among populations of people who consume large quantities of seafood has been attributed to this group of omega-3 fatty acids. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the most abundant of these omega-3 fatty acids.Several species of Pemeus shrimp and two geographically distinct samples of Pundulus borealis were analyzed for total cholesterol to provide cholesterol data for shrimp and to determine any species differences. Some of the samples were analyzed to ascertain their fatty acid contribution to the human diet.

Maine sardines harvested June, July, October, and November were analyzed for moisture, ash, fat, cholesterol, and fatty acids either as whole fish, raw dressed, steam precooked, and after canning in soy oil, menhaden oil, or in the liquid exuded after steam precooking (cookout liquid). Fat content ranged from 5% for juvenile herring sampled June and October to 11% in maturing herring harvested prior to the spawning season in July. All canning liquids contributed to elevated fat content in the finished product. Herring packed in soy oil or cookout liquid had about 90 mg cholesterol/lOOg samples. Herring packed in menhaden oil had 100–115 mg cholesterol/100g. Herring packed in either of the two fish oil solutions contained significantly more ω3 fatty acids and had a greater ratio of ω3:ω6 than those packed in soy oil.

The practical application of previously published thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) methods to polyphosphate detection in seafood was determined. Exogenous polyphosphates are distinguishable from naturally occurring phosphates by using TLC; their detection can be enhanced by sampling techniques. Polyphosphates will eventually hydrolyze to monophosphates and make detection virtually impossible. Hydrolysis and therefore, nondetection, is accelerated by certain commercial practices. Results indicate that TLC detection of added phosphates can be used as an inspection tool for fresh products and for frozen products stored about 1 year.