Dyed salmon
Foodies have been talking about the recent episode of the ABC Four Corners program Big Fish investigating the salmon farming industry in Tasmania.
What jolted everyone were the revelations that farmed fish are being fed a synthetic pigment in order to achieve the kind of pink colour everyone expects from salmon flesh.
They learned that it’s coloured orange by a steady diet of pellets containing the synthetic additive astaxanthin.
Without the synthetic version of astaxanthin, the fish would be grey or off-white in colour.
Australia's biggest producer of farmed salmon, Tassal claims on its website that astaxanthin is more than just a pigment.
“It is closely related to beta-carotene (the precursor of vitamin A), and plays a role in the fishes’ immune system and acts as a powerful antioxidant, promoting the good health of the fish,’’ the company says.
“The carotenoids astaxanthin are added to the diets of farmed salmon to ensure our salmon are healthy and have all the nutrients they require and also that the flesh has the rich colour that our consumers seek.
“Whilst astaxanthin is synthesised it must be stressed that this is a pure version of what is eaten by wild salmon, this is why we refer to it as nature-identical. The vast majority of farmed salmon around the world are fed diets with nature-identical astaxanthin.
“Given its health benefits in salmon feed, it is poor practice to make feeds for this species without astaxanthin, and it is not natural for salmon to be depleted of this nutrient. Salmon are not naturally white fleshed and thus farmed salmon are not naturally white fleshed.
“Astaxanthin is approved for addition to the diet of farmed salmon and trout globally and approved in Australia. Astaxanthin has been declared safe for the human consumer by the exacting standards of the European Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP).”
Still, it’s left foodies rattled. "It seems to be a clear case of farmers seeking to fish for a price premium by appealing to our appetite for pink salmon," consumer group Choice's Tom Godfrey told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Clearly many consumers would want to know if there's something fishy with their salmon."
by Leon Gettler, November 16th 2016
