Is the reduction of marine ingredients in salmon feeds the cause of poor fillet pigmentation?

Offentlig prosjektsammendrag

There has been a general decline in fillet pigmentation levels in the salmon industry over the last few years despite the fact that the amount of pigment included in the diet has been the same, if not higher, during that period. One of the hypothesis for this pigment decrease was that astaxanthin, main pigment used in salmon feeds, could act as an antioxidant in stress situations, instead of being stored in the fillet. However, recent research conducted by public institutions has also pointed the global reduction driven to comply with sustainability targets, of certain components from marine ingredients used in salmon feeds, could be the cause of this decline. This project will try to elucidate whether, that hypothesis could be validated, using current commercial formulations and testing alternatives to those marine components keeping the sustainability of our feeds.