Biochemical Screening and Determination of Bioactive Components of Commercially Cultured Pacific White Shrimp Penaeus vannamei

Background: Marine waste is an extraordinarily renewable aid for the restoration of several valued metabolites with potential biological applications. Objectives: The investigation is planned to detect the biochemical components present in the prawn shell waste by qualitative, quantitative methods, to assess the antioxidant potential, and also to find the bioactive compounds existing in the prawn shell waste by gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry (GC‑MS) analysis. Materials and Methods: Penaeus vannamei shell wastes are collected, cleaned, dried, and powdered well. The bioactive compounds present in crude ethyl acetate extract of P. vannamei shell was determined by qualitative, quantitative, and GC‑MS analysis. The free radical scavenging activity of the extract was studied by different in vitro antioxidant assays. Results: The bio‑compounds such as carbohydrates, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, and quinones show the positive result by qualitative analysis. The higher tannin content 49.2 ± 0.084 mg/g was observed in the ethyl acetate extract of P. vannamei shell and the flavonoid was found to be 5.994 ± 0.044 mg/g. The GC‑MS analysis of the P. vannamei shell shows the various numbers of bio‑compounds. Some of the identified compounds are Timonacic which has the powerful antioxidant property, Octadecane, 3ethyl5(2ethylbutyl) is a good antifungal agent, Acetamide possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory property. The results of the in vitro assays revealed that P. vannamei shell extract possess significant antioxidant activity. Conclusion: The present study suggests that the effective utilization of prawn shell waste enhances biomedical research field for the development of the natural drug for many chronic diseases with no side effects and at the same time can reduce environmental pollution.