One of the challenges the Chilean salmon industry is currently facing is melanosis, a problem of great importance for the salmon's final quality. An important feature for fillet classification in processing plants is color and melanosis stains reduce the quality of premium products. According to Chilean statistics and Aquabench, it corresponds to 30% of the total degradation of fillets in Atlantic salmon. Fillets with large stains or dark spots are classified as lower quality products in processing plants, while removing smaller stains requires additional work, leading to productive inefficiencies. Skretting found that nutrition is one of the relevant factors for the prevention and reduction of this problem.
“The quality of the fillet involves several attributes, such as color and texture, among others, and of course, its nutritional quality. The appearance of the fillet is key for the definition of the final product and the dark stains that melanosis produces, as well as the degradation of its texture due to the inflammation that affects it, create a tremendous challenge as an industry. As melanosis is multifactorial, therefore, more difficult to prevent specifically by addressing each cause, we have verified through field tests and under intensive culture conditions that nutrition is decisive for its prevention. Specifically, our Quality Support Pack reduces the prevalence of melanosis by up to 26%, specifically fillet stains, and this is thanks to the 100% natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatories it contains,” said Marcelo Oyarzún, product manager for fish quality at Skretting Chile.
Skretting Chile validated the diet together with one of its main clients. “With this pack, we improved the color expression of the fillets, in addition to reducing the prevalence of melanosis improving the severity score by 21%. It also has a potential impact on texture. In the test group, we recorded a 24% increase in toughness and a 12% increase in fillet firmness. The new MyProtec Quality Support Pack is directly associated with final quality. Not only does it provide support in optimizing the feeding strategy but it also reduces the prevalence of melanosis and improves the texture of the fillet, thus increasing the percentage of our clients’ premium final product,” Oyarzún said. “The use of a nutritional pack specifically designed to improve the final salmon quality, under an adequate monitoring program, allows identifying aspects that can be improved, obtaining successful results in the final culture stages and inside the processing plant.”
These results, validated in real conditions, are an alternative within Skretting innovative MyProtec concept. The company has the most complete version of this pack available, called Quality Support, which is already being validated by its customers, with constant monitoring and excellent results for the prevention and treatment of melanosis.
Check out the full report here (in Spanish).
