Crustacean meal is bought for two things at once: protein and pigment. Formulators who evaluate it on protein alone tend to under-value it, and formulators who evaluate it on pigment alone tend to over-pay for it. This guide covers both, and the handling questions that decide whether either survives to the finished feed.
What astaxanthin does
Astaxanthin is a red-orange carotenoid. In aquaculture it is the compound responsible for the flesh colour of salmonids and the shell and flesh colour of farmed shrimp — colour that these species cannot synthesise themselves and must obtain from the diet. It also functions as an antioxidant. In the wild, cold-water crustaceans accumulate it through their own food chain, which is why their shells are strongly pigmented and why those shells have value as a raw material rather than as waste.
Our crustacean meal is produced from the exoskeletons of MSC-certified langostino, nylon shrimp and gamba processed at the same Coquimbo plant — the same certified raw material stream described in the cold-water sourcing guide.
Reading the proximate analysis
The published analysis for this product is a range, and ranges in a crustacean meal specification are honest rather than evasive: the meal is made from a natural raw material whose composition varies with species mix and season. Here is what each line means for a formulator.
| Parameter | Published range | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 32–38% | Meaningful protein contribution, but this is a pigment and palatability ingredient first and a protein source second |
| Ash | 30–49% | Shell-derived mineral, largely calcium carbonate. High ash is inherent to a shell meal and constrains inclusion rate |
| Fat | 1–6% | Low fat helps oxidative stability in storage |
| Moisture | 4–14% | Low moisture is what makes the 24-month shelf life achievable |
| Appearance | Orange powder | Colour intensity is a first-order visual indicator of pigment content |
Why the drying method is on the specification
Astaxanthin degrades with heat, oxygen and light. A meal that has been through a long, hot drying cycle can arrive with intact protein and badly depleted pigment — and the protein figure on the certificate will not show it. This product is flash dried in 6–10 seconds precisely to limit thermal exposure.
When you compare crustacean meal offers, compare the drying method as seriously as the analysis. "Dried" is not a specification. Ask for the method, the residence time and the temperature.
Storage and handling
The published conditions — dry, ventilated storage, away from chemicals and pests, in 500 kg polypropylene sacks, 24 months from production date — are the conditions the shelf life is stated against, not a description of a robust product. In practice:
- Keep it dark and cool. Pigment loss accelerates with light and temperature even when the meal remains microbiologically sound.
- Do not stack against exterior walls in humid climates. Moisture pickup in a hygroscopic meal undermines both flowability and shelf life.
- Use FIFO strictly. Because degradation is gradual and invisible on a protein assay, the only reliable control is stock rotation by production date.
- Sample on arrival for colour against a retained reference. Colour drift is the earliest available signal of pigment loss.
Questions to put to any crustacean meal supplier
- What species is the shell stream from, and is it a single-species or mixed input?
- What is the drying method, residence time and inlet temperature?
- What is the ash range, and is calcium reported separately?
- Is the raw material covered by a fishery certification, and by a chain-of-custody certificate that lets the claim travel with the meal?
- What is the production date on the sack, and how is it coded?
- What antioxidant treatment, if any, has been applied — and is it declared?
The certification questions matter more than they used to. A pigment ingredient that carries a defensible sustainability claim is worth more to a feed producer selling into certified aquaculture supply chains than one that does not, and the mechanics of how that claim travels are covered in reading an MSC certificate.
Products covered in this guide
Frequently asked
Is the astaxanthin in crustacean meal natural or synthetic?
It is natural and dietary — accumulated by the wild crustaceans through their own food chain, and retained in the shells that this meal is produced from. No pigment is added.
What inclusion rate should I use?
That is a formulation decision for your nutritionist and depends on your species, target colour and mineral budget. In practice the ash content of a shell-derived meal sets the ceiling before protein or pigment does.
Why is the analysis given as ranges instead of fixed figures?
Because the raw material is a natural shell stream whose composition varies with species mix and season. Lot-specific analysis is provided with the shipment.
How long does the pigment last in storage?
The stated shelf life is 24 months from production date under dry, ventilated storage away from heat and light. Pigment declines gradually rather than abruptly, so strict stock rotation by production date is the practical control.
More insights: Red vs yellow langostino: what actually changes for the buyer · Cold-water crustaceans: what the Humboldt Current changes · Nylon shrimp: a buyer's guide to Heterocarpus reedi