Dried salted shrimps are made from raw shrimps, which are cooked and dried under direct sunlight. The
preparation and storage include treatments and conditions that can promote oxidative changes in different
components. The aim of this study was to monitor the formation of major cholesterol oxidation products
and the changes in the astaxanthin content and fatty acid profile in dried salted shrimp during
cooking, sun drying and storage. During sun drying, most of the astaxanthin (75%) was degraded in
cooked shrimp, while cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) showed a dramatic increase (8.6-fold), reaching
a total concentration of 372.9 ± 16.3 lg/g of lipids. Further storage favoured both astaxanthin degradation
(83%) and COPs formation (886.6 ± 97.9 lg/g of lipids after 90 days of storage). The high
degradation of astaxanthin and the elevated formation of COPs during sun drying and storage indicate
the necessity to re-evaluate the processing and storage conditions of salted dried shrimp