Quality changes when replacing NaCl with KCl in shrimp head paste

Abstract Traditional shrimp paste was produced by Litopenaeus vannamei head as a low-priced by-product instead of the tradition raw material. Partial replacement of sodium chloride with potassium chloride at 0%, 30% and 50% was done to reduce risk of hypertension. The reduction of aw and increment of pH, total volatile bases nitrogen (TVB-N), trimethylamine (TMA), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and degree of hydrolysis (DH) were found in all treatments. After fermentation for 90 d, total viable count (TVC) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) decreased, with no pathogenic microorganisms found. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) Inhibition (%) of shrimp head was close to captopril at 2.17 ng/mL but lower than shrimp head paste and captopril at 4.35 ng/mL. Sensory score of all treatments were lower than that of commercial shrimp paste. Partial replacement of sodium chloride with potassium chloride at 50% can be done in shrimp head paste but further study required to improve consumer acceptability.