Additives are a joint description of compounds added to ingredients to improve quality, shelf life, colour, taste and freshness, including antioxidants and astaxantin.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids in marine ingredients and high oxidation rate of these pose a host of challenges during transportation, processing and applications of marine ingredients and feed resources.
Oxidation leads to reduced nutritional quality and loss of health promoting effects, something which justifies the use of stabilising antioxidants.
Five synthetic compounds are approved for this purpose: (EC No 1831/2003): ethoxyquin (EQ), butylated hydroxytoluen (BHT), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), octyl and propyl gallate.
The use of EQ was non problematic until persistent ethoxyquin dimers were quantified in farmed salmon.
No knowledge exists about what effect EQ dimers have on health, but there is an updated need to evaluate replacements for these.
Nofima Ingrediens has the competence to carry out complete evaluations of the effectiveness of synthetic and natural antioxidants in ingredients and foods related to fish and consumer health, including the development of suitable analytical methods.
Screening and documentation of health promoting effects of underlying, natural antioxidants in marine raw materials will be an important research field for Nofima Ingrediens with a view to raw material utilisation (link Total utilisation of marine raw materials) and the need to increase the value of by-products.
Relevant issues
- Use of synthetic and natural antioxidants in ingredients and feed
- Synergy effects of antioxidants and natural carotenoids (astaxantin)
- Screening of new bioactive components with antioxidant activity
- Complete evaluation of synthetic and natural antioxidants, including:
- Oxidation and heat development (spontaneous combustion, accelerated oxidation, storage)
- Transferring from feed to fish and animals
- Biological conversion of antioxidants
- Identification of oxidation products/metabolites of antioxidant
- Antioxidant/pro-oxidant toxicology in model organisms
- Health effects on fish and consumers
- Fillet quality (texture, colour and sensory testing methods)
