The natural choice for perfect colour and healthier salmon
As the aquaculture industry changes to produce healthier and higher quality fish to keep up with the standards of consumers, increasing focus is placed on natural additives. Panaferd®-AX is an all-natural additive used for colour and health benefits in salmonids and crustaceans.
Panaferd® includes a wide array of nutrients and super-antioxidants that provide the fish with additional health benefits along with colouring properties from a diverse spectrum of red carotenoids - ultimately forming a powerful combination to help diversify the quality of salmonid production.
Panaferd® is derived from a strain of the microorganism Paracoccus carotinifaciens that is found in the seabed and brought to large scale production using fermentation technology. In nature this microorganism is consumed by zooplankton which are eaten by crustaceans and other small fish that salmonids consume. This is how the fish obtain their orange colour.
The nutrient and carotenoid content of Panaferd® includes several key components for the health and colour of fish. The profile of nutrients and super antioxidants of Panaferd® includes macronutrients, micronutrients, and eight varieties of red carotenoids. The spectrum of carotenoids includes a key red carotenoid, astaxanthin, but also includes powerful pigmenting carotenoids such as adonirubin, canthaxanthin, and adonixanthin that also provide colour to the flesh of the fish.
Panaferd® is one of the very few sources of rare carotenoids like adonirubin and adonixanthin which together form a complex spectrum of antioxidants that surpasses the power of other commonly known antioxidants such as Vitamin C. The main benefits of these rare carotenoids are that they aid the conservation and quality of the flesh while also increasing immune defences and reproductive benefits.
The key difference between Panaferd® and other commonly used astaxanthin alternatives such as synthetic petroleum-based derivatives is that Panaferd® contains the identical SS isomeric form of astaxanthin found in wild salmon. Synthetically derived astaxanthin contains a racemic mixture of SS, RS, and RR isomers that are not found in nature. Essentially, the form of astaxanthin in Panaferd® is the closest producers can get to wild salmon quality colour.
Additional differences with synthetic alternatives are that those alternatives only include one carotenoid - astaxanthin - whereas Panaferd® contains a spectrum of red carotenoids. Furthermore, Panaferd® is approved for EU Organic standards and premium production which is not the case for synthetic astaxanthin.
For producers of farmed salmonids such as salmon and trout, a key benefit achieved by using Panaferd® in their feed process is the added value and differentiation in their marketing strategy and labelling. As consumers switch to more natural and sustainable products, brands will become more competitive in the market. For example, Whole Foods® Market currently gives priority to salmon producers who abide by all-natural and sustainable production strategies. Rising competition with recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) farms also threatens the production of farmed salmon with their premium strategies.
With more than 10 years in the market, Panaferd® provides a point of differentiation for brands and farmers alike to succeed in an increasingly competitive market and provide the healthiest and highest quality product for consumers.
For more information visit www.panaferd.com.
