ISSN:
1365-2109
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Notes:
Two experiments were conducted with Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801). The first was aimed at determining the dietary level of astaxanthin that improved skin redness (CIE a*values) of farm-reared snapper. Farmed snapper (ca. 600 g) fed a commercial diet without carotenoids were moved to indoor tanks and fed the same diet supplemented with 0, 36 or 72 mg astaxanthin kg−1 (unesterified form as Carophyll Pink™) for nine weeks. Skin redness (CIE a* values) continued to decrease over time in fish fed the diet without astaxanthin. Snapper fed the diet containing 72 mg astaxanthin kg−1 were significantly more red than fish fed the diet with 36 mg astaxanthin kg−1 three weeks after feeding, but skin redness was similar in both groups of fish after 6 and 9 weeks. The second experiment was designed to investigate the interactive effects of dietary astaxanthin source (unesterified form as Carophyll Pink™ or esterified form as NatuRose™; 60 mg astaxanthin kg−1) and degree of shading (0%, 50% and 95% shading from incident radiation) on skin colour (CIE L*a*b*) and skin and fillet astaxanthin content of farmed snapper (ca. 800 g) held in 1 m3 floating cages. After 116 days, there were no significant interactions between dietary treatment and degree of shading for L*, a* or b* skin colour values or the concentration of astaxanthin in the skin. Negligible amounts of astaxanthin were recovered from fillet samples. The addition of shade covers significantly increased skin lightness (L*), possibly by reducing the effect of melanism in the skin, but there was no difference between the lightness of fish held under either 50% or 95% shade cover (P〉0.05).
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2109.2004.01038.x
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