Effects of feeding a pigmented or non-pigmented diet to Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, on flesh color and sexual maturity

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding pigmented feed (50 ppm astaxanthin) to diploid or triploid Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, on growth rate, color of fillets, and the variability of color within fillets. Arctic charr with an average weight of 419.9 g ± 83.3 g, including both diploid (n = 72) and triploid (n = 72) fish, were allotted to each treatment: 0, 3 or 6 months of pigmented feed before slaughter. Color assessment was made using a portable reflected light colorimeter in the CIE 1976 L* a* b* color system mode. Feeding a pigmented diet to Arctic charr delayed sexual maturity in male Arctic charr and to a certain extent in females, but also slightly reduced the rate of growth. With increasing time on the pigmented diet, color parameters of the flesh increased as well as the variability in color. Triploid fish had more intense color assessments for each dietary treatment than the diploid fish.

Share and Cite:

McNiven, M. , Richardson, G. and Pelletier, C. (2012) Effects of feeding a pigmented or non-pigmented diet to Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, on flesh color and sexual maturity. Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 2, 229-233. doi: 10.4236/ojas.2012.24032.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] Jobling, M., Tveiten, H. and Hatlen, B. (1998) Cultivation of Arctic char: An update. Aquaculture International, 6, 181-196. doi:10.1023/A:1009246509657
[2] Metusalach, J.A. and Brown, F.S. (1997) Effects of stocking density on color charac-teristics and deposition of carotenoids in cultured Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Food Chemistry, 59, 107-114. doi:10.1016/S0308-8146(96)00205-1
[3] Hardy, R.W., Torrissen, O.J. and Scott, T.M. (1990) Absorption and distribution of 14C-labelled canthaxanthin in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Aquaculture, 87, 331-340. doi:10.1016/0044-8486(90)90070-4
[4] Chaisson, M.A., Pelletier, C.S. and Benfey, T.J. (2009) Triploidy and full-sib family effects on survival and growth in juvenile Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Aquaculture, 289, 244-252. doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2009.01.010
[5] Johnston, G. (2002) Arctic char aquaculture. Fishing news books. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 272.
[6] Benfey, T.J. (2001) Use of sterile triploid Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) for aquaculture in New Brunswick, Canada. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 58, 525-529. doi:10.1006/jmsc.2000.1019
[7] Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) (1986) Colorimetry. 2nd Edition, Publication CIE No. 15.2. Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage, Vienna.
[8] SAS (2004) SAS/STAT user’s guide, version 9.1. SAS Institute Incorporated, Cary.
[9] Rajasingh, H., V?ge, D.I., Pavey, S.A. and Omholt, S.W. (2007) Why are salmonids pink? Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Science, 64, 1614-1627. doi:10.1139/f07-119
[10] Christiansen, R. and Torrissen. O.J. (1997) Effect of dietary astaxanthin supplementation on fertili-zation and egg survival in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Aquaculture, 153, 51-62. doi:10.1016/S0044-8486(97)00016-1
[11] Shahidi, F. and Metusalach, J.A. (1998) Carotenoid pigments in seafoods and aquaculture. Critical Reviews Food Science Nutrition, 38, 1-67. doi:10.1080/10408699891274165
[12] Evans, M.R. and Norris. K. (1996) The importance of carotenoids in signaling during aggressive interactions between male firemouth cichlids (Cichlasoma meeki). Behavior Ecology, 7, 1-6. doi:10.1093/beheco/7.1.1
[13] Foote, C.J., Brown, G.S. and Hawryshyn, C.W. (2004) Female color and male choice in sockeye salmon: Implications for the phenotypic convergence of anadromous and nonanadromous morphs. Animal Behavior, 67, 69-83. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.02.004
[14] Sylvia, G., Morrissey, M.T., Graham, T. and Garcia. S. (1995) Organoleptic qualities of farmed and wild salmon. Journal of Aquatic Food Production Technology, 4, 51-64. doi:10.1300/J030v04n01_04
[15] Sylvia, G., Morrissey, M.T., Graham, T. and Garcia, S. (1996) Changing trends in seafood markets: the case of farmed and wild salmon. Journal of Food Production Marketing, 3, 49-63. doi:10.1300/J038v03n02_05
[16] Ahmadi, M.R., Bazyar, A.A., Safi, S., Ytrest?yl, T. and Bjerkeng, B. (2006) Effects ofietary astaxanthin supplementation on reproductive characteristics of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Journal of Applied Ich-thyology, 22, 388-394. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0426.2006.00770.x
[17] Hatlen, B., Jobling, M. and Bjerkeng, B. (1998) Relationships between carotenoid concentration and color of fillets of Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.) fed astaxanthin. Aquaculture Research, 29, 191-202. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2109.1998.tb01124.x
[18] Jobling, M., J?rgensen, E.H., Arnesen, A.M. and Ring?. E. (1993) Feeding, growth and environmental requirements of Arctic charr: A review of aquaculture potential. Aquaculture International, 1, 20-46. doi:10.1007/BF00692662
[19] Hatlen, B., Arnesen, A.M. and Jobling, M. (1996) Muscle carotenoid concentrations in sexually maturing and immature Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.). Aquaculture Nutrition, 2, 207-212. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2095.1996.tb00061.x
[20] Bjerkeng, B., Johnsen, K., Mayer, I., Storebakken, T. and Olli, J.J. (1999) Influence of 11-ketotestosterone, 17β- estradiol and 3,5,3’-triiodo-thyronine on distribution and metabolism of carotenoids in Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, L. Fish Physiology, 125B, 295-404.
[21] Nickell, D.C. and Bromage, N.R. (1998) The effect of timing and duration of feeding astaxanthin on the development and variation of fillet color and efficiency of pigmentation in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Aquaculture, 169, 233-246. doi:10.1016/S0044-8486(98)00385-8

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.