Many people love sucking on shrimp heads, but they worry about heavy metal residues in their organs. However, experts say this isn’t a concern unless the shrimp is caught in polluted waters. While sucking on the shrimp heads may involve the stomach, it won’t involve ingesting excrement.

Shrimp can be found everywhere, from a bowl of seafood noodles costing a few hundred yuan to hot pot and Chinese cuisine costing hundreds of yuan. The chewy, springy meat is a real draw. But for many, the shrimp heads are their true delight.

Can you eat shrimp head?

The shrimp head is where the entire shrimp’s organs reside. When sucking on the shrimp head, will you also ingest the shrimp’s excrement? Experts say that shrimp digest quickly, and the products of digestion are excreted through the gut. Therefore, sucking on the shrimp head won’t involve ingesting excrement, only animal fragments that haven’t yet been digested.

The shrimp head (cephalothorax) contains the brain, digestive organs, hepatopancreas, and gonads. The hepatopancreas and gonads are considered by gourmets to be the essence of the shrimp head’s flavor. However, these organs also contain the highest concentrations of metal ions in the entire shrimp.

As long as the waters are clean, shrimp heads should be free of heavy metals.

Most marine organisms contain heavy metals. Crustaceans, for example, contain iron, copper, zinc, and arsenic ions, with the highest concentrations found in the hepatopancreas and gonads, and the lowest in muscle tissue.

But there’s no need to worry too much. Shrimp have a relatively short lifespan, and these metal ions mostly originate in the waters where they live, not through bioaccumulation caused by the food chain. Therefore, as long as they aren’t caught in polluted waters, there’s unlikely to be a problem.

Do shrimp heads contain excrement?

The shrimp head is where the shrimp’s organs are concentrated. When you suck on the shrimp head, you’re usually consuming the gonads and hepatopancreas. Excrement is primarily concentrated in the dorsal intestinal glands, so you won’t ingest the shrimp’s feces.

Since the shrimp head also contains the shrimp’s digestive organs, could this mean that you’re also ingesting the shrimp’s excrement during the sucking process? Shrimp digest quickly, often leaving an empty stomach or small, uncooked crustacean fragments awaiting digestion. Digested waste products are primarily concentrated in the gut, located on the dorsal side of the abdominal segment. Removing the gut will prevent the ingestion of shrimp feces.

Pay attention to the shrimp’s gills.

The gills are particularly important, as the shrimp’s blood flows through them. Therefore, if stored poorly, they can quickly spoil, making them uncomfortable for those with sensitive stomachs. Those who suck on the shrimp head usually avoid this part.

Does a blackened shrimp head mean it’s not fresh?

There’s also a popular online rumor that a blackened shrimp head means it’s not fresh. Because shrimp organs are concentrated in the head, the internal organs undergo autolysis after being removed from water due to numerous enzymes, causing the head to turn black easily. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s inedible; storage conditions still matter. If you smell a fishy odor, definitely avoid it.