Farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) is a good source of long chain omega‐3 fatty acids

Abstract

Summary The limited amount of fish oils available has resulted in an increased use of vegetable oils in the feed for farmed fish, such as Atlantic salmon. The aim of this study was to evaluate how this has affected the fatty acid (FA) composition of farmed Atlantic salmon and to compare the FA composition of 20 farmed Atlantic salmon with that of 20 wild Atlantic salmon caught in the sea. Fillet fat of farmed salmon was about 12%, which is twice that found in wild salmon. The FA composition of the farmed salmon confirmed a substantial inclusion of vegetable oils in the feed, but the total amount of long chain n‐3 FA present in the fillets of farmed salmon was higher than in the wild fish. A standard portion of farmed Atlantic salmon fillet (200 g) provides approximately 2 g of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is four times higher than the minimum daily intakes recommended by the UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and the World Health Organisation.

Sustainability aspects and nutritional composition of fish: evaluation of wild and cultivated fish species consumed in the Netherlands

“…In our study, salmon is the only species that is wild-caught and cultivated. Cultivated salmon contained considerably more total fat and n-3 LC-PUFA than wild salmon, which is also found by others (Jensen et al 2012;Strobel et al 2012). According to Jensen et al (2012) the fatty acid composition of fatty fish, such as salmon, may be largely determined by the fatty acid composition of the fish feed.…”

Chemical Characterization of Lipophilic Constituents in the Skin of Migratory Adult Sea Lamprey from the Great Lakes Region

“…The fatty acid composition in fish oil from common fish species with high economical values such as mackerel ( Rastrilliger kanagurta) , [58] salmon ( Salmo salar L ), [59] sardines ( Sardinella Brasiliensis ), [60] Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua L ) [61] and anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus L) [62] have been reported. Although data on total lipids from whole fish is not available, salmon ( Salmo salar L ) [59] fillet reportedly contain about 7% of total lipids to its body weight.…”

“…Although data on total lipids from whole fish is not available, salmon ( Salmo salar L ) [59] fillet reportedly contain about 7% of total lipids to its body weight. The relative amount of fatty acids in the fish oil from these fishes was comprised of SFAs, MUFAs and PUSAs at 23.2%, 45.6% and 26.2%, respectively, and identical to the lipids characterized in sea lamprey.…”

“…The FA composition in fish was depended on the FA content of the feed and environmental factors. Studies on total fatty acid content in wild and farm raised salmon [59] indicated that fish diet can alter the fatty acid composition significantly. The total lipids in the farm raised salmon was found to be 12% of its body weight while wild salmon contained only 6% of total lipids.…”

Reduced n-3 long chain fatty acid levels in feed for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) do not reduce growth, robustness or product quality through an entire full scale commercial production cycle in seawater

“…Currently, farmed salmon is a good source of n-3 LC-PUFA, as a 150 g portion of farmed salmon fillet provides about 1.5 g EPA + DHA (Jensen et al, 2012). This is six times the daily dose of 250 mg recommended by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, 2009), while others recommend 500 mg per day (ISSFAL, 2004).…”