Chapter 6 - Caviar: processing, composition, safety, and sensory attributes

Abstract

Caviar, the processed roes obtained from sturgeon species, is an expensive and luxurious delicacy with dedicated consumers from all around the world. Caviar is only produced from the gonads of Acipenseridae, especially from the Caspian Sea. Sturgeons became known as endangered species because overfishing operations for caviar production and governments set strict regulations against their catch, sturgeon farming mainly for the production of caviar began to be practiced. Therefore, production from farmed sturgeon has been increasing in several regions such as the US, Europe, Russia, Middle East, and several Asian countries. Caviar trade is considered a profitable business but not all the caviar traded is authentic, which necessitates the development of accurate techniques for authentication of caviar products. The present chapter provides an overview of various considerations of this business that covers caviar processing and composition as well as a discussion of attributes related to its safety and sensory. Furthermore, global issues such as illicit markets and traceability are elucidated, and future prospects are summarized.