The Effects of Different Carotenoid Sources on Skin Pigmentation of Goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different carotenoid sources on goldfish (Carassius auratus) skin pigmentation. The value of goldfish depends on the intensity of the skin color. In the red variety of goldfish, an orange-red hue is desirable. Juvenile goldfish were fed one of five diets for five months to determine the effects of carotenoids on skin pigmentation, growth, feed efficiency, and survival: (1) astaxanthin (carophyll pink at 75 mg/kg), (2) canthaxanthin (carophyll red at 75 mg/kg), (3) Gammarus spp. (75 mg/kg), (4) Oleoresin paprika (180 mg/kg), and (5) an unsupplemented control. Growth and feed efficiency did not significantly differ among groups. Initial and final samples of head skin were measured by colorimetric analysis for lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness (b*), hue (Hº ab), and chroma (C ab *). The best red color (a* and Hº ab) was obtained with the astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, and paprika diets.

Can canthaxanthin intensify the colour of the blood swordtail Xiphophorus helleri?

“…The increase in pigments in the diet does not always provide changes in productive performance. On evaluating the addition of astaxanthin (75 mg kg −1 diet) compared to canthaxanthin (75 mg kg −1 diet) in goldfish, no differences in performance were observed after 144 days for any of the additives (Yeşilayer et al ., 2011). The addition of 6% Clitoria ternatea to the swordtail diet for 40 days did not significantly influence the weight gain or length of the fish (Julia et al ., 2019).…”

“…The supplementation with astaxanthin (80 mg kg −1 ) in the diet of common carp of the Nishikigoi variety promoted an increase in a * and a reduction in L * (Nguyen et al ., 2014). The use of canthaxanthin also provided similar variation in these parameters (Yeşilayer et al ., 2011). However, in the present study, no significant difference was observed for these parameters in the swordtail.…”

“…Less well studied for ornamental fish, canthaxanthin may be another alternative as a carotenoid (Nurhadi et al ., 2019). Canthaxanthin may be more efficient in the pigmentation of ornamental fish than astaxanthin (Yeşilayer et al ., 2011). On the other hand, the dosage of carotenoids must be adjusted to the species and to the desired pigmentation increment.…”

Effects of carotenoid supplementation on colour, growth and physiological function of the endemic dwarf chameleon fish (Badis badis)

“…In a similar line, Abdollahi et al (2019) reported improved skin pigmentation (especially redness value) in Xiphophorus maculatus-fed carotenoid-enriched Artemia. In other instances, improved redness in important ornamental fishes, viz., Koi carp (Sun et al, 2012), clownfish (Ramamoorthy et al, 2010), Labidochromis caeruleus (Yılmaz & Ergün, 2011), C. auratus (Yeşilayer et al, 2011) and…”

Effect on pigmentation, growth and liver histopathology of red pepper (Capsicum annuum) added in different ratios to jewel cichlid (Hemichromis guttatus) diet

“…In addition, there is increasing consumer awareness about environmental impacts and safety of synthetic pigments. Therefore, natural compounds supplementation containing carotenoid is needed to enhance colour performance (Ebeneezar et al, 2020; Gouveia et al, 1996, 2003; Gupta et al, 2007; Unver & Hamzacebi, 2020; Yeşilayer et al, 2011).…”