Oxidative stability of carotenoid pigments and polyunsaturated fatty acids in microparticulate diets containing krill oil for nutrition of marine fish larvae Original Research Article

Stability of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and astaxanthin pigments in a aqueous suspension of krill oil/chitosan microcapsules was studied. Physically stable and homogeneous microcapsules were obtained with chitosan of different molecular weight. PUFAs were stable during the first 15 days of the study retaining over 95% of the eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid originally present in the oil. Astaxanthin and its ethers were not as stable as the PUFAs, however low molecular weight chitosan showed a better protective effect than high molecular weight chitosan. The potential application of this microparticulate system for PUFAs and liposoluble vitamin supplementation of processed human food and aquafeed is discussed.