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. 2019 Apr 29;11(5):982.
doi: 10.3390/nu11050982.

Vitamin D in Wild and Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar)-What Do We Know?

Jette Jakobsen  1 , Cat Smith  2 , Anette Bysted  3 , Kevin D Cashman  4
Affiliations

Vitamin D in Wild and Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar)-What Do We Know?

Jette Jakobsen et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Salmon have been widely publicized as a good dietary source of vitamin D, but recent data points to large variation in vitamin D content and differences between wild and farmed salmon. We aimed to: (1) investigate the content of vitamin D in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in wild species caught in two different waters, (2) perform a 12-week feeding trial in farmed Salmo salar with 270-1440 µg vitamin D3/kg feed (4-20 times maximum level in the EU) and (3) conduct a review for the published data on the content of vitamin D in salmonids. Content of vitamin D3 in the fillet from wild salmon caught in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea was significantly different (p < 0.05), being 18.5 ± 4.6 µg/100 g and 9.4 ± 1.9 µg/100 g, respectively. In the farmed salmon the content ranged from 2.9 ± 0.7 µg vitamin D3/100 g to 9.5 ± 0.7 µg vitamin D3/100 g. Data from 2018 shows that farmed salmon contained 2.3-7.3 µg vitamin D3/100 g. Information on the content of vitamin D in wild and farmed salmonids is very limited, which calls for further research to ensure a sustainable production of salmon with adequate vitamin D.

Keywords: Salmo salar; aquaculture; farmed; salmon; salmonids; vitamin D; vitamin D3; wild.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest and the funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Fat content in fillet as a function of weight of the wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Fat in salmon from the Baltic Sea (○) and from the North Sea (x). (b) Vitamin D3 in fillet as a function of weight of the wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Vitamin D3 in salmon from the Baltic Sea (Δ) and the North Sea (▲). (c) 25(OH)D3 content of fillet as a function of the weight of the Salmo salar. 25(OH)D3 in salmon from the Baltic Sea (◊) and the North Sea (♦).
Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Fat content in fillet as a function of weight of the wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Fat in salmon from the Baltic Sea (○) and from the North Sea (x). (b) Vitamin D3 in fillet as a function of weight of the wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Vitamin D3 in salmon from the Baltic Sea (Δ) and the North Sea (▲). (c) 25(OH)D3 content of fillet as a function of the weight of the Salmo salar. 25(OH)D3 in salmon from the Baltic Sea (◊) and the North Sea (♦).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Growth performance shown as weight (x ± SD) in grams for farmed Salmo salar (n = 10) at baseline, week 4, 8 and 12, in the four feeding groups receiving vitamin D at the dietary level of 270 µg/kg (♦), 590 µg/kg (x), 890 µg/kg (Δ) and 1440 µg/kg (□).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean vitamin D3 (µg/100 g) in fillet of farmed Salmo salar (n = 5) at baseline, week 4, week 8 and week 12, in the four feeding groups receiving vitamin D, at the dietary level of 270 µg/kg (♦), 590 µg/kg (x), 890 µg/kg (Δ) and 1440 µg/kg (□). Error bars representing the SD around the means.
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