Effect of dietary Astaxanthin sources supplementation on muscle pigmentation and lipid peroxidation in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Astaxanthin is one of the major carotenoids in aquatic animals including salmonid fishes and is the preferred pigments added to salmon feed. It's also a powerful antioxidant compared to other carotenoids and that may confer numerous health benefits. The aim of the present experiment was to investigate the effect of Astaxanthin deposition on the lipids peroxidation by studying the Malondialdeide (MDA) level in muscle of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The Astaxanthin concentrations in fish fed with a commercial sources as Lucantin (R) Pink (BASF Ludwigshafen, Germany) reached values to 5.76 +/- 0.18x10(-3) mg/g after 50 days feeding, while the MDA concentration decreased from 1.56x10(3) to 0.45x10(3)ng/g. The correlation between MDA and Astaxanthin concentrations decreased linearly and confirmed the antioxidant properties of the pigment by reducing the lipids peroxidation.