Abstract:

Antarctic krill are a group of perennial crustacean zooplankton that widespread in the Antarctic Ocean. They are characterized by large biological storage capacity, wide distribution, high nutritional value, and so on and therefore, provide an important new marine resource of proteins, which needs to be exploited and utilized. This article summarizes the major components (protein, lipids, etc.) and bioactive components (low-temperature enzymes, mycosporine-like amino acids astaxanthin and chitin) of Antarctic krill reported recently at home and abroad. In addition, its safety for consumption and application potential as a food resource is also discussed.

Key words: Antarctic krill, distribution, nutrients, active component, safety, application