Aller Aqua, with Italian Palma d’Oro (Gloria Maris group) and Sardegna Porto Conte Ricerche, has recently concluded a study to test the effect of Aller Aqua Blue Organic Ex feed on sea bream pigmentation.
Gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) is one of the most widely consumed European fish species and consequently an important resource for aquaculture and coastal fisheries in Mediterranean countries. The external appearance of sea bream, including skin coloration, is undoubtedly the first marketable index driving buyer's and consumer's preference. While wild sea bream exhibits a more vivid pigmentation, in particular a characteristic yellow band along the eye inter-orbital line and a yellow or orange mark near the operculum, farmed specimens generally present either a pale grayish or a darker skin. Cultured sea bream is generally deprived of natural sources of dyes (pigments) when fed standard commercial diets. Therefore, it is of considerable interest developing and optimizing specific functional diets containing either natural pigments or alternative additives that would finally improve skin coloration.
Two groups of sea bream were cultured in different rearing conditions, RAS system at the Porto Conte Ricerche and offshore cage at the Palma d’Oro farm. The team analyzed the pigmentation of five different anatomical regions.
Aller Aqua Blue Organic Ex functional diet improved skin color in sea bream raised in different farming conditions, both in offshore sea cages and in a recirculating aquaculture indoor system, over two months feeding trial. Researchers said that this effect can be mainly ascribed to the feed since no correlations were found to the rearing system and genetic breed of the two fish populations.
Aller Aqua is a fish feed company for freshwater and saltwater aquaculture for more than 50 years, with factories in Denmark, Poland, Germany, Egypt, China and Zambia, and exporting products to more than 60 countries worldwide.
Porto Conte Ricerche is a subsidiary controlled by Sardegna Ricerche and manages the Tramariglio (Alghero) Centre of the Science and Technology Park of Sardinia. For over 15 years, the Research Centre has been developing and delivering high-tech services to companies engaged in the innovation of their production systems through industrial research and experimental development activities.
Palma d'Oro belongs to Gloria Maris group produces, on a classified and protected site in the Gulf of Asinara in the uncontaminated sea of Sardinia, approximately 400 tons of organic gilthead sea bream, sea bass and meagre Label Rouge per year.
