title: Astaxanthin and canthaxanthin (xanthophyll) as supplements in rainbow trout diet: in vivo assessment of residual levels and contributions to human health.
abstract: Many studies have demonstrated that xanthophylls, such as astaxanthin, have beneficial effects in human health, and their use in food supplements is thus encouraged. Moreover, such nutrients are frequently used in aquaculture to meet consumer demand for salmonoid flesh pigmentation. In this study different xanthophyll administration protocols were tested to verify pigmentation properties and safety of such mixtures of additives in trout diet. Residues of xanthophylls in muscle samples were determined by HPLC-MS/MS, reaching levels of 3.70 ± 0.04 mg/kg (astaxanthin) and 1.21 ± 0.06 mg/kg (canthaxanthin) during a 56 day administration period. On the basis of the average fish consumption in the human diet, the highest astaxanthin and canthaxanthin concentrations detected in trout fillets could result in weekly intakes of 1.63 and 0.53 mg, respectively, in humans; these values are not sufficient to achieve the positive effects described by many authors, but their residues could still represent an important source of carotenoids, alternative to the use of synthetic dietary supplements.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta , Via Bologna 148, 10154 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brizio
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benedetto
authors.forename: Marzia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Righetti
authors.forename: Marino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prearo
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gasco
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Squadrone
authors.forename: Maria Cesarina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Abete
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D016644:Canthaxanthin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss / Q000378:metabolism*; D017747:Seafood / Q000032:analysis*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D024341:Xanthophylls; D016644:Canthaxanthin; C005948:astaxanthine