February 7, 2006

Norwegian researchers discover natural antioxidants for fish feed
 

Natural antioxidants in fish oil and fishmeal may be as good as synthetic ones in preserving the quality of fish feed, according to studies by the Norwegian research institute Fiskeriforskning.

Synthetic additives are used in the production of fish feed to prevent the feed from oxidising and losing quality.

One of the synthetic antioxidants tested is ethoxiquin, which is prohibited for use in foodstuffs in the EU, Japan and Canada.

There is no indication that use of legal quantities of synthetic antioxidants is dangerous for humans, said Senior Scientist Jan Pettersen who carried out the study. However, there are enough alternative natural compounds that can be used in the production of fish feed, he said. European consumers are shunning synthetic additives in favour of natural alternatives.

The tests show that the various antioxidants work differently according to the products they are used on. For example, the tests showed that ethoxyquin is effective in stopping the oxidation in fishmeal, but has little effect on fish oil.

The report stresses that further tests are necessary to assess how nutritive value in feed is affected by use of the antioxidants and whether there are health-related problems associated with these additives. The project is financed by Coop Naturaplan Fund in Germany.