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Mar 21, 2003 Have you had a salmon fillet lately? If you have, you may well have had a farmed fish and not know it. A farmed fish is one that is raised in captivity, in a mass production operaton. The growing demand for salmon combined with the decrease in population of the wild salmon is making fish farms a popular way for food vendors to sell more fish and keep the cost low. One interesting problem with farmed salmon (and trout) is something not many are aware of - the flesh of the fish is actually white, not the hearty reddish/orange found in a wild salmon. Salmon farmers have gotten around this problem in the past by changing the dietary intake of the fish. By changing what the fish eats, a salmon farming company can change the color of the fish’s flesh back to a more natural looking appearance. Historically salmon farmers have used artificial food additives to cause this change in the fish. There has been some concern on what goes into the fish diet as it in turn ends up being consumed by the consumer. In effect, the end result will be with the human consumer. Fortunately, during the past few years a few companies have come up with a process that uses naturally occurring food items to feed the fish that enables them to get their healthy reddish/orange hue in the flesh. An online web site notes that “Astaxanthin from the yeast Phaffia rhodozyma is a natural source of astaxanthin. It is manufactured by natural fermentation in a carefully monitored environment using a proprietary technology developed by Igene. The result is a product high in astaxanthin.” This week a major player in the production arena jumped into the natural food feed game. Tate & Lyle PLC joined forces with Igene Biotechnology, an American company that produces the natural fish feed, to produce large quantities of the fish food for the growing demand of natural based sources. The joint venture will be producing AstaXin, which is a natural source of the pigment astaxanthin. What exactly is astaxanthin? It is a naturally occurring nutrient which forms the color in farmed fish. The word natural occurs when describing this type of food and can be comforting to those surprised of find they are eating farmed salmon instead of the wild type. The best news about astaxanthin is that it is very healthy – not only for the fish, but also for the person who eats the fish. Igene Biotechnology notes “Astaxanthin has proven to be an extremely potent natural antioxidant. Studies have shown that astaxanthin's antioxidant activity may be as high as hundred times stronger than that of vitamin E. The primary use of astaxanthin today is as a colorant and antioxidant in the fish feed industry. However due to it's powerful antioxidant qualities, interest in the use of astaxanthin for its beneficial health effects in humans has continued to grow. Tate & Lyle are investing $25 million into the joint production venture, which is scheduled to begin commercial production starting in 2004. Igene is already producing and selling commercial fish feed which contains astaxanthin and has been doing so for some time. The market for this type of fish feed is beginning to take off. Igene Biotechnology has positioned itself well to be a main player for years to come. Salmon is not the only fish where astaxanthin is included in the feed to successfully color the flesh through natural dietary means. Trout are another fish that is farmed and which needs coloring for its flesh. Astaxanthin works well for the trout as it does for the salmon. Farmed fish are going to be more and more prevalent in the dining markets globally. Trout farming has really taken off in the past few years. The new style of using astaxanthin feed fish is better than the artificially colored fish from chemical means. The astaxanthin feed fish contain benefits in the area of antioxidants where the chemically colored fish do not. The next time you dine out and decide to have fish, particularly salmon or trout, you might want to ask if the fish has been colored naturally or via chemicals. And be glad that the growing use of natural coloring is on the rise. About the author: Dwayne Hines currently has 12 books selling in major bookstores and writes for major magazines such as Physical and FitnessRX. Email Dwayne Hines: dhines@3dinet.com ------------ Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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