Muscle Pigmentation and Plasma Concentrations of Astaxanthin in Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, and Atlantic Salmon in Response to Different Dietary Levels of Astaxanthin

Abstract

Abstract Pigmentation development was studied in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, chinook salmon O. tshawvytscha, and Atlantic salmon Salmo salar fed similar practical diets supplemented with 40, 70, or 100 mg astaxanthin/kg of diet. The initial mean body weights of the respective species were 158, 198, and 191 g. The rainbow trout were reared in freshwater at 6.0–11.3°C, the chinook salmon in seawater at 8.8–14.4°C, and the Atlantic salmon in seawater at 7.1–12.7°C. The response of flesh pigmentation to dietary pigment was most rapid in rainbow trout and slowest in Atlantic salmon. Chinook salmon showed the greatest variation in response to the different dietary concentrations of astaxanthin, followed by rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon. In both rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, pigmentation was most intense in the distal section and decreased anteriorly. In chinook salmon, pigmentation was most intense in the midsection, followed by the anterior section and then the distal section. Postprandial plas...