RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CAROTENOID CONCENTRATION AND COLOR OF FILLETS OF ARCTIC CHARR, SALVELINUS-ALPINUS (L.), FED ASTAXANTHIN

The relationships between fillet colour (CIE L a* b* and CIE L* C* H degrees(ab)) and carotenoid concentration were investigated using samp les taken from Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.), of different age s and sizes, which were held under a variety of rearing conditions, Re lationships between colour parameters and carotenoid concentrations we re nonlinear, Increasing carotenoid concentrations led to increased re dness (a), yellowness (b*) and chroma (C*), and decreased lightness ( L) and hue angle (H degrees(ab)) Redness was the colour parameter mos t highly correlated with carotenoid concentration of the Arctic charr fillets, For a given redness value, yellowness was higher in sexually mature than in immature Arctic charr, This was possibly a result of ma ture fish having higher proportions of idoxanthin in the fillet than i mmatures. Alternatively, the differences in yellowness may have been a consequence of differences in proximate composition of fillets of mat ure and immature charr, There were also differences in yellowness in f illets from Svalbard and Hammerfest charr. Svalbard fish having the mo st yellow fillets, Fish from the two strains did not differ in relativ e proportions of fillet carotenoids, indicating that differences in co lour were mediated through differences in other chemical properties.