Pigmentation of gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata (L. 1875), using Chlorella vulgaris (Chlorophyta, Volvocales) microalga

By L. Gouveia, G. Choubert, N. Pereira, J. Santinha, J. Empis, E. Gomes. 2002

110 citations recorded by the source corpus.

A feeding experiment was conducted over 9 weeks with seven groups of 30 (fish per group) unpigmented gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata (L. 1875) (initial mean weight = 145.2 ± 12.3 g). Three experimental diets were prepared by adding to a basal diet free of carotenoid (final pigment content of around 40 mg per kg feed): (i) a biomass of the carotenogenic Chlorella vulgaris (Chlorophyta, Volvocales); (ii) a synthetic astaxanthin; and (iii) a mixture (1:1) of microalgal biomass and synthetic astaxanthin. At 3-week intervals, five fish were sampled from each tank for total carotenoids analysis in skin and muscle. The carotenoid pigments (total amount = 0.4%) identified in the carotenogenic alga were lutein (0.3%), β-carotene (1.2%), canthaxanthin (36.2%), astaxanthin, free and esterified forms (55.0%), and other pigments (7.3%). Carotenoid pigments were significantly deposited in the four skin zones studied during the feeding trial: the forefront between the eyes, the opercule, along the dorsal fin and in the abdominal area. In the muscle, regardless of the astaxanthin source, the amount of carotenoids measured was very low (less than 1 mg kg−1) and differences not significant. Moreover, no muscle pigmentation was evident, and there was no variation in the amount of carotenoid analysed in skin tissue, through the trial, for each treatment. It was concluded that supplementing the feed with C. vulgaris would be an acceptable practice in aquaculture to improve the market appeal of the gilthead seabream.

Subfields: Aquatic Science, Biochemistry, Physiology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/c464b2fc8a1d03faca213c6fa02fe6ff5a84486c

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In Aquatic Science

1. David Huyben
2. B. Glencross
3. J. Schrama
4. L. Félix-Valenzuela
5. I. Higuera‐Ciapara
6. F. Goycoolea
7. C. Parrish
8. G. Allan

In Biochemistry

1. L. Félix-Valenzuela
2. I. Higuera‐Ciapara
3. David Huyben
4. J. Schrama
5. B. Glencross
6. F. Goycoolea

In Physiology

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5. Rosamond L. Naylor
6. Dane H. Klinger

Citations in the corpus

• Effects of dietary supplementation of carotenoids on survival, growth, pigmentation, and antioxidant capacity of characins, Hyphessobrycon callistus (2006, unknown): “…Chlorella vulgaris is as efficient as synthetic pigments in the pigmentation of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Gouveia et al., 1996), gilthead seabream Sparus aurata (Gouveia et al., 2002), koi carp Cyprinus carpio and gold fish Carassius auratus (Gouveia et al., 2003; Gouveia and Rema, 2005).”
• Astaxanthin: A Review of its Chemistry and Applications (2006, background): “In general, the microbial sources of carotenoids are comparable to synthetic sources as far as pigmentation is concerned (Choubert and Heinrich, 1993; Gouveia et al., 1996, 2002; Bowen et al., 2002; Gomes et al., 2002).”
• The Application of Single-Cell Ingredients in Aquaculture Feeds—A Review (2020, background): “Microalgae Chlorophyta Trebouxiophyceae Chlorella vulgaris SCP [50] Chlorophyceae Haematococcus pluvialis Bioactive [51] Heterokonta Labyrinthulomycetes Schizochytrium sp.”