ARTICLE 72 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE November 2024 QRILL AQUA MAY REDUCE THE SEVERITY OF MELANIN SPOTS QRILL Aqua, a meal made from Antarctic krill, is a rich source of EPA and DHA in a highly effective phospholipid form. This form ensures the uptake of the fatty acids in the digestive system and their deposition in cells membranes in the tissues, where they help balance the inflammatory process. In an internal trial by Aker BioMarine researchers found that higher EPA and DHA levels from krill meal in the feed had great impact on melanosis in the fillet. The trial showed that the addition of 7,5% of QRILL Aqua in a diet fed to Atlantic salmon from 1.2 kg to 3.2 kg completely eliminated the occurrence of dark spots in the fillet. These results align with previous studies with krill meal. The benefits of krill meal and the reasons behind its ability to reduce dark spots go beyond its high levels of EPA and DHA in phospholipid form. Krill meal also provides selenium and zinc in organic form, key minerals linked to melanosis reduction. Additionally, krill meal contains natural antioxidants like astaxanthin, vitamin E, and vitamin C, which are beneficial for reducing melanin spots. Including krill meal in the feed not only enhances palatability and increases feed intake and growth, it also supports the overall robustness of salmon and improves the final product quality. For salmon farmers, key drivers of cost-effectiveness are growth, health, and premium product quality. Adding QRILL Aqua to salmon diets can significantly contribute to these success factors and lead to better results, and thus play a role in the success of the farmer. References 1. Aquabench Melanosis Project. (2022, September 5). Melanosis Project Description. https:// aquabench.com/en/2022/09/05/melanosis-project/ 2. Mørkøre, T., Larsson, T., Jiménez-Guerrero, R., Moreno, H. M., Borderias, J., Ruyter, B. S., … & Bæverfjord, G. (2022). EX-spot: Mørke flekker i laksefilet. Årsak til dannelse og tiltak som hemmer utvikling. Nofima Rapportserie. 3. Bjørgen, et al. (2024). Deciphering the pathogenesis of melanized focal changes in the white skeletal muscle of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). 4. Lutfi, et al. (2023). Increasing dietary levels of the n-3 long-chain PUFA, EPA and DHA, improves the growth, welfare, robustness, and fillet quality of Atlantic salmon in sea cages. 5. Färber, J. (2017). Melanin spots in Atlantic salmon fillets – An investigation of the general problem, the frequency and the economic implication based on an online survey. 6. Bjørgen, et al. (2015). Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) in red and melanised foci in white muscle of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Veterinary Research, 46(1), 1-12. 7. Wakamatsu, K. (2023). Eumelanin Detection in Melanized Focal Changes but Not in Red Focal Changes on Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Fillets. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24, 16797. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242316797 About Marianne Nergård Marianne Nergård is a veterinarian from NMBU's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Norway, specializing in aquamedicine, and how nutrition affects health of salmon. She has previously worked in product development and technical sales with a global fish feed producer, and is now working with documentation and product support as product director in the QRILL Aqua department. Fillets with Distinct Dark Spots 13 Fillets with dark spots (%) Control QRILL Aqua 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 Figure 2
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