Abstract:To investigate the effects of hot air drying temperatures on the quality of Antarctic krill （Euphausia superba），samples were subjected to hot air drying at different temperatures （45，55，65，75，85 ℃）. The rehydration rate，free amino acid composition，total lipid content，astaxanthin content，fatty acid composition，acid value，peroxide value，and thiobarbituric acid value of the dried Antarctic krill were measured as evaluation indicators. A radar chart analysis was subsequently used to comprehensively assess the effects of different hot air drying temperatures on the quality attributes of Antarctic krill. The results showed that the different hot air drying temperature treatments significantly affected the quality of Antarctic krill （P＜0.05）. Specifically，Antarctic krill dried at55 ℃ showed the highest rehydration rate，while the Antarctic krill dried at 65 ℃ exhibited the highest astaxanthin content，along with the lowest acid value and thiobarbituric acid value. Moreover，Antarctic krill dried at 85 ℃ had the highest total free amino acid content and the lowest peroxide value. No significant differences were observed in the total lipid content and polyunsaturated fatty acid content among the treatment groups （P＞0.05）. The results of radar chart analysis indicated that the priority order of hot air drying temperatures for Antarctic krill was 65 ℃＞85 ℃＞45 ℃＞55 ℃＞75 ℃. In summary，when using hot air drying to process Antarctic krill，65 ℃ should be preferentially chosen as the drying temperature for ensuring better product quality.