Readily available sources of long-chain omega-3 oils: Is farmed Australian seafood a better source of the good oil than wild-caught seafood?

Seafood consumption enhances intake of omega-3 long-chain (≥C 20 ) polyunsaturated fatty acids (termed LC omega-3 oils). Humans biosynthesize only small amounts of LC-omega-3, so they are considered semi-essential nutrients in our diet. Concern has been raised that farmed fish now contain lower LC o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrients
Main Authors: Nichols, PD, Glencross, B, Petrie, JR, Singh, SP
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: M D P I AG 2014
Subjects:
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
Fisheries Sciences
Fish Physiology and Genetics
Atlantic salmon
Salmo salar
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu6031063
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24618601
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/118612
Description
Summary:Seafood consumption enhances intake of omega-3 long-chain (≥C 20 ) polyunsaturated fatty acids (termed LC omega-3 oils). Humans biosynthesize only small amounts of LC-omega-3, so they are considered semi-essential nutrients in our diet. Concern has been raised that farmed fish now contain lower LC omega-3 content than wild-harvested seafood due to the use of oil blending in diets fed to farmed fish. However, we observed that two major Australian farmed finfish species, Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) and barramundi ( Lates calcifer ), have higher oil and LC omega-3 content than the same or other species from the wild, and remain an excellent means to achieve substantial intake of LC omega-3 oils. Notwithstanding, LC omega-3 oil content has decreased in these two farmed species, due largely to replacing dietary fish oil with poultry oil. For Atlantic salmon, LC omega-3 content decreased ~30% between 2002 and 2013, and the omega-3/omega-6 ratio also decreased (>5:1 to <1:1). Australian consumers increasingly seek their LC omega-3 from supplements, therefore a range of supplement products were compared. The development and future application of oilseeds containing LC omega-3 oils and their incorporation in aquafeeds would allow these health-benefitting oils to be maximized in farmed Australian seafood. Such advances can assist with preventative health care, fisheries management, aquaculture nutrition, an innovative feed/food industry and ultimately towards improved consumer health.

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