Andrew Strak (abstrak@accesswave.ca)
Tue, 25 Jan 2000 06:35:58 -0400
I understand your point, Jan. Some speciemen are quite large, though and I
would be more inclined to believe that the food source for Haddock must be
some crustaceans in this case( as off coast of Japan in similar cases
involving other finfish species) or the worms as per Peter's posting. But I
do not contest the notion that the primary source of carotenoids would be
some algae indeed.
Andrew
----- Original Message -----
From: J. (Jan) A.M. Verhoeven <jan.verhoeven@foodfocus.nl>
To: Andrew Strak <abstrak@accesswave.ca>
Cc: seafood <seafood@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2000 3:43 AM
Subject: Re: Haddock Flesh Discolouration
> My point was that the fish might have ingested carotene containing
> natural algae.
>
> Jan
>
> On 24 Jan 00, at 20:07, Andrew Strak wrote:
>
> > The issue is that nobody would buy yellow haddock fillets. And even
> > the regulatory bodies would object to the colour. Therefore that kind
> > of discolouration is considered at present a defect and loss to the
> > processor.
> >
> > Andrew Strak
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: J. (Jan) A.M. Verhoeven <jan.verhoeven@foodfocus.nl>
> > To: <phowgate@rsc.co.uk>; 'Seafood List' <seafood@ucdavis.edu>;
> > <abstrak@accesswave.ca>
> > Sent: Monday, January 24, 2000 6:56 PM
> > Subject: Re: Haddock Flesh Discolouration
> >
> >
> > >
> > > Hello,
> > >
> > > I am in the process of compiling a publication about permitted food
> > > color additives and came across the following. Maybe it is of help:
> > >
> > > In the EU, like in USA, carotenes are permitted as food colors:
> > > E-no. 160a(i): mixtures of carotenes. One of the permitted mixtures
> > > is derived from algae, i.c. Dunaliella salina. These mixtures
> > > contain (according to the "annex" of the legislation covering the
> > > purity of the permitted colors): alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein,
> > > zeaxanthin and beta-criptoxanthin.
> > >
> > > Zeaxanthin occurs in the publication mentioned by Andrew Strak.
> > >
> > > Best regards,
> > >
> > > Jan
> > > visit my restyled site (also in English):
> > > http://www.foodfocus.nl
> > >
> > >
> > > On 23 Jan 00, at 20:54, Andrew Strak wrote:
> > >
> > > > Peter,
> > > >
> > > > Thank you for your insight. The fish was from the Barents Sea
> > > > (unknown exact location, though). In the meantime I have come
> > > > across one old paper by E.G. Bligh and W.J. Dyer 'Orange-red Flesh
> > > > in Cod and Haddock" - J.Fish.Res.Bd. Canada, 16(4), 1959 not
> > > > probably listed in any database anymore. Astaxanthin and
> > > > zeaxanthin in the proportion of 2:1 were found to be responsible
> > > > for the pigmentation of the flesh of Cod. Zeaxanthin was the only
> > > > pigment detected in the flesh of a similarly pigmented haddock.
> > > > Therefore concerning the carotenoid identification you are
> > > > probably right on the point. What strange is that the colour
> > > > intensity seems to be increasing with the time in frozen storage.
> > > > And the incidence of the number of fish affected by the phenomenum
> > > > in this case is also pretty high (5%), unlike your experience or
> > > > reported by Blight and Dyer. Apparently there must some cargo ship
> > > > carrying corn went down recently :-).
> > > >
> > > > Andrew Strak
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: howgate <phowgate@rsc.co.uk>
> > > > To: <abstrak@accesswave.ca>; 'Seafood List' <seafood@ucdavis.edu>
> > > > Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2000 5:36 PM Subject: Re: Haddock Flesh
> > > > Discolouration
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > Andrew
> > > > >
> > > > > On 21 January you showed two pictures of haddock, one
> > > > > discoloured. I
> > > > assume
> > > > > you were referring to the bright yellow fillet.
> > > > >
> > > > > Carotenoids can be taken up from the diet of animals and can
> > > > > colour the flesh. A common example, in the USA at least, is the
> > > > > yellow colour of corn-fed chickens. I assume this is due to the
> > > > > carotenoid, zeaxanthin,
> > > > that
> > > > > imparts the yellow colour to corn. Nearer to home, the pink
> > > > > colour of salmon, in the wild, is due predominately to the
> > > > > carotenoid astaxanthin, and other carotenoids in minor amounts,
> > > > > from crustacea in the diet. I can only write from experience of
> > > > > haddock landed in Britain. I have come across light pink
> > > > > colouration in haddock, and in cod, which is assumed to come
> > > > > from crustacea in the diet, but I have not come across the
> > > > > yellow colour shown in your picture. A number of carotenoids
> > > > > other than the pink astaxanthin and canthaxanthin are found in
> > > > > marine animals. Polychaete
> > > > worms
> > > > > are sources of a variety of carotenoids and, as I recollect, are
> > > > > described in: Simpson K.L. Katayama T. Chichester C.O., 1981,
> > > > > Carotenoids in fish feeds. In: Carotenoids as Colorants and
> > > > > Vitamin A Precursors, J.C. Bauernfeind, ed., Academic press, New
> > > > > York, pp 463-534. I write
> > > > 'recollect'
> > > > > because I do not have a copy of this chapter, but I consulted
> > > > > the book in one of the academic libraries in Aberdeen and I no
> > > > > longer live in that city). Chemical analysis - not too difficult
> > > > > - will be able to identify if the colour is a carotenoid, and
> > > > > its nature.
> > > > >
> > > > > Let me put forward as a hypothesis that the haddock in question
> > > > > have been feeding on polychaete worms that contain a yellow
> > > > > carotenoid. If you know the catching ground of the haddock, you
> > > > > might be able to confirm from a marine laboratory if polychaete
> > > > > worms are likely to be an item of the haddock diet. Unless they
> > > > > had been feeding on corn!
> > > > >
> > > > > Given the known free-radical scavenging properties of
> > > > > carotenoids, and the benefits to health of carotenoids in the
> > > > > diet, the yellow colour should perhaps be seen as a benefit, not
> > > > > a defect.
> > > > >
> > > > > Peter Howgate
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ____________________________________________
> > > Ing. J.(Jan) A.M. Verhoeven, director of:
> > > Foodfocus, consultancy- & service bureau food: technology and
> > > quality
> > assurance
> > > De Volder 32, NL-5283 ZD BOXTEL, The Netherlands
> > > tel +31 411 67 56 39 fax +31 411 67 11 56
> > > E-mail info@foodfocus.nl
> > > http://www.foodfocus.nl
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
> ____________________________________________
> Ing. J.(Jan) A.M. Verhoeven, director of:
> Foodfocus, consultancy- & service bureau food: technology and quality
assurance
> De Volder 32, NL-5283 ZD BOXTEL, The Netherlands
> tel +31 411 67 56 39 fax +31 411 67 11 56
> E-mail info@foodfocus.nl
> http://www.foodfocus.nl
>
>
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