Why are carotenoids added to the feed of salmon?
There are two reasons that animal nutritionists and aquaculturists cite for adding carotenoids to salmon feeds. Carotenoids are a natural part of the salmon diet in the wild, so these substances are added to mimic that natural diet as closely as possible. The second reason is for the general health of the fish – Astaxanthin has been demonstrated to be an essential nutrient for salmon. Fry from female salmon fed carotenoid-free diets die unless they are fed diets containing astaxanthin.
