Salmon fillet pigments

A new research project by Nofima investigates whether farmed salmon fillets have become brighter in the past ten years.
The researchers of this project will ask about the pigments of salmon fillet from the fish farming industry.

The color of the salmon fillet is one of the most important criteria, and the fish with a light color is placed in a lower grade, as a result, it brings financial loss to the farmer. “If we can find the root causes of poor pigmentation in commercially produced salmon, the industry can work on improving production in a targeted way,” Nofima senior researcher Taryn Yterswill told the media.
Both in terms of geography and time, there are not many documents available regarding the extent and prevalence of poor color receptivity (fish). For this reason, Nofima launched the “scientific mapping of color receptivity” project. The project will continue until 2024 and is funded by the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF).
It is widely believed that the color quality of Norwegian salmon fillets has declined over the past ten years. However, while the level of pigment astaxanthin in fillet decreased, the level of astaxanthin in salmon feed increased during its growth stage in the sea.

“During the same period that the discoloration problem arose, the composition of the feed also changed, because of the salmon lice problem, larger albacore fish were introduced into land farms,” ​​Yterstwil explains. These changes can affect color acceptability. Therefore, it is important to obtain information about the production conditions and we can determine the possible reasons for the unfavorable color acceptance.”

The researchers will collect data from commercial manufacturing facilities where records exist, as well as from different regions and countries, to get details on the extent of the problem and the evolution in color acceptability.
Interviews and surveys from the industry can reflect quality data and objective experiences. Relying on such information, researchers will be able to determine cause and effect relationships and provide recommendations for improving color sensitivity.
Nofima also invited interested parties to participate in open seminars on color acceptability during the implementation of this project.
“We hope this project will help to increase the expertise in color acceptability in the industry and how different methods of measuring salmon fillet color can give different answers,” Yterstwil said.