Salmon is a popular food. Classified as an oily fish, salmon is considered to be healthy due to the fish's high protein, high omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content. Salmon is also a source of cholesterol, with a range of 23â€"214 mg/100 g depending on the species. According to reports in the journal Science, however, farmed salmon may contain high levels of dioxins. PCB levels may be up to eight times higher in farmed salmon than in wild salmon, but still far below levels considered dangerous. Nonetheless, according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the benefits of eating even farmed salmon far outweigh any risks imposed by contaminants.
Colour
Salmon - flesh is generally orange to red, although there are some examples of white-fleshed wild salmon. The natural colour of salmon results from carotenoid pigments, largely astaxanthin but also canthaxanthin, in the flesh. Wild salmon get these carotenoids from eating krill and other tiny shellfish. Because consumers have shown a reluctance to purchase white-fleshed salmon, astaxanthin (E161j), and very minutely canthaxanthin (E161g), are added as artificial colourants to the feed of farmed salmon, because prepared diets do not naturally contain these pigments.
In most cases, the astaxanthin is made chemically; alternatively it is extracted from shrimp flour. Another possibility is the use of dried red yeast or microalgae, which provide the same pigment. However, synthetic mixtures are the least expensive option. Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant that stimulates the development of healthy fish nervous systems and enhances the fish's fertility and growth rate. Canthaxanthin may have negative effects on the human eye, accumulating in the retina at high levels of consumption.
Today, the concentration of carotenoids (mainly canthaxanthin and astaxanthin) exceeds 8Â mg/kg of flesh, and all fish producers try to reach a level that represents a value of 16 on the "Roche Colour Card", a colour card used to show how pink the fish will appear at specific doses. This scale is specific for measuring the pink colour due to astaxanthin and is not for the orange hue obtained with canthaxanthin. The development of processing and storage operations, which can be detrimental on canthaxanthin flesh concentration, has led to an increased quantity of pigments added to the diet to compensate for the degrading effects of the processing. In wild fish, carotenoid levels of up to 25Â mg are present, but levels of canthaxanthin are, in contrast, minor.
Products
The vast majority of Atlantic salmon available on the world market are farmed (almost 99%), whereas the majority of Pacific salmon are wild caught (greater than 80%).
Canned salmon in the U.S. is usually wild Pacific catch, though some farmed salmon is available in canned form. Smoked salmon is another popular preparation method, and can either be hot or cold smoked. Lox can refer either to cold smoked salmon or to salmon cured in a brine solution (also called gravlax). Traditional canned salmon includes some skin (which is harmless) and bone (which adds calcium). Skinless and boneless canned salmon is also available.
Raw salmon flesh may contain Anisakis nematodes, marine parasites that cause Anisakiasis. Before the availability of refrigeration, Japan did not consume raw salmon. Salmon and salmon roe have only recently come into use in making sashimi (raw fish) and sushi, with the introduction of parasite-free Norwegian salmon in the late 1980s.
Ordinary types of cooked salmon contain 500â€"1500 mg DHA and 300â€"1000 mg EPA (two similar species of fatty acids) per 100 grams
Unlike most common farmed fish, Salmon bones are not easy to notice in the mouth because they are usually quite thin and not tough.
Salmon dishes
Labelling of genetically modified salmon
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration does not require labelling of genetically engineered salmon. However, in December 2015, members of the Alaska congressional delegation were able to insert language in a major spending bill that temporarily banned the sale of modified salmon until the FDA promulgated labeling guidelines.
See also
- Salmon cannery
Notes
Further reading
External links
- Plea for the Wanderer, an NFB documentary on West Coast salmon
- Canned Salmon Recipes by Alaska Packers' Association, 1900 e-book with colour illustrations, available from Internet Archive
- Epicurean.com Salmon Recipes Collected recipes using Salmon at epicurean.com
- Salmon-omics: Effect of Pacific Decadal Oscillation on Alaskan Chinook Harvests and Market Price Kevin Ho, Columbia University, 2005.
