News
Champagne and Caviar
Due to over fishing natural sturgeon stocks have plummeted and sturgeon farms are largely taking over the supply of caviar. Producing high quality farmed caviar is not an easy process as there are many variables. The most important of which are sturgeon type, farming method and feed. Only if you get it right female sturgeon can give a large amount of high quality caviar. In the wild nature sees to this but in a farm the management has to create beneficial conditions and choose the correct feed type. Recirculation provides the opportunity for temperature controlled conditions guiding the gravid females into a cold period imitating winter where the eggs ripen. After this period the caviar can be harvested. However, it is the period before cooling down the fish that the foundation is laid for high quality caviar. The female's body reserves are used to build and develop the egg mass which eventually can reach some 15% of the body weight. This is quite a constraint to the fish where in a relatively short time proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals are mobilised from the fish's tissues to be laid down in the eggs. As a result the female's condition deteriorates and their meat can become soft in texture post spawning.
In this crucial period nutrition can make all the difference for the amount and quality of the caviar and for the survival and condition of the females and the quality of their meat. In nature there is an abundant food supply rich in proteins before and after spawning to give the fish what they need. In captivity the new Coppens SteCo Caviar is the nutritional solution for this period. SteCo CAVIAR is formulated for sturgeons that are selected for caviar production. It promotes egg development and a high gonadosomatic index in sturgeon from the onset of maturity. Ample amounts of long chain omega-3 fatty acids result in healthy and tasty caviar. SteCo Caviar also keeps the females in good condition and helps them to recondition after spawning. SteCo CAVIAR is suitable for all sturgeon species and provides the nutritional answer to sustainable farmed caviar production.