EXPERIMENTAL MODELS TO ACCELERATE INNOVATION IN PREVENTING/CORRECTING OFF-FLAVORS IN FARMED TROUT AND SALMON

Off-flavor--the presence of musty or earthy odors or flavors caused by geosmin (GSM) and 2- methylisoborneol (MIB)--is an issue for farmed fish. Off-flavors can reduce product value and/or increase production costs by necessitating operational changes or technologies to prevent or correct off-flavor.Studies have been conducted to assess strategies to address off-flavors, but experiments are generally conducted opportunistically with fish known or assumed to be off-flavor. In some cases, the starting tissue levels of GSM and MIB are too low to be practically relevant; in other cases, extremely wide variation in starting levels complicates interpretation and application. Hypothesis testing and innovation to address off-flavors in farmed fish is constrained by the absence of predictable experimental models. We propose to refine a prototype model of off-flavor we developed in Rainbow Trout (RBT) and extend this model to Atlantic Salmon (ATL). Using these models, we will assess dietary and water treatment-based strategies to address off-flavor in flow-through and recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) environments.Objective 1: Further develop and validate flow-through models of off-flavor in RBTObjective 2: Develop and validate RAS model of off-flavor in ATLObjective 3: Using these models, optimize purging strategies and assess emerging technologiesfor mitigation/correction of off-flavor in RBT and ATL