caviar production of eggs of living sturgeon

Caviar from living Sturgeon

The Egg´ ocentric World

of Caviar

First years of experience of caviar

production according to the AWI patents

Angela Köhler & Alexander Ziegler

Foto Paul Bomke , AWI

The AWI process respects the biology of the egg

by making use of the

intrinsic biology of the mature egg

Egg activation by natural signalling molecules from the outside

to trigger the egg for work

with the aim:

• to stabilise the membrane

• keeping all lipids (oil), proteins and enzymes

• to keep its unaltered nature

The AWI Patent

Z.R.I

Z.R.E

A.L.

O.L.

* *

*

*

Tyrosin localisation in untreated ovulated eggs copyright Angela Köhler AWI [email protected]

TEM

Z.R.I

Z.R.E

A.L.

O.L.

*

* *

Tyrosin localisation in Ca-treated ovulated eggs copyright Angela Köhler AWI [email protected]

TEM

TEM TEM

A.L. A.L.

Z.R.E Z.R.E

Z.R.I Z.R.I

A B

A) Untreated ovulated egg

Cross section,H&E stain

B) Calcium treated ovulated

egg. Cross section,H&E stain

Membrane stabilisation Calcium-induced egg activation

1

2 3

1 2

3

3

2 2

1 1

A B

C D

A) Stage III of maturation ready

for conventional caviar

production in a cryostat

section stained with

hematoxylene and eosin and

B) Same stage III of maturation

as in A) stained with Hoechst

123 DNA stain to visualize the

nuclei of the dense layer of

surrounding Theca and Follicle

cells.

C) Conventional purchased

salted caviar with 3 membane

layers (stage III)

D) Ovulated caviar with 2

membrane layers due to loss of

Granulosa- and Theca cells.

Conv. caviar & ovulated caviar

www.vivacecaviar.de

Values for the customer

Caviar from living sturgeon

• Absolutely clean eggs guarantee a long shelf life

(minimum nine months)

• Therefore, no preservatives such as Borax are needed

• Low salt content, malossol salted (3.8 %)

• Eggs are regular in size, increasing with every harvest

• Clean marine scent and taste!

• An explosion of taste with the snap of "pearl"

• Also perfect for buffets and all warm dishes

• Halal

Sturgeon Species

Acipenser baerii

Acipenser gueldenstaedtii

Acipenser ruthenus

Acipenser stellatus

Data presented on Acipenser baerii,

the Siberian Sturgeon

Fish Size and Egg Size

egg size body weight (kg)

0 0 - 5 5 - 8 8 - 11 11 - 14 14 - 17 17 - 20

0 - 2,0 1%

2,0 - 2,2 1%

2,2 - 2,4 1%

2,4 - 2,6 16% 7% 4% 2%

2,6 - 2,8 53% 49% 42% 40% 22% 25%

2,8 - 3,0 26% 38% 44% 36% 52% 25%

3,0 - 3,2 1% 6% 9% 17% 7% 38%

3,2 - 3,4 1% 3% 11%

3,4 - 3,6 2% 7% 13%

The correlation is weak but significant: fish above 14 kg

don‘t show egg sizes below 2.6 mm, but they show egg

sizes above 3.2 mm.

50 g tins

Fish Size and Egg Size

What happens to a mature egg ?

The History of Mature Eggs

It is released from the protecting

tissue of the mother into the body

cavity.

All the surrounding and nurturing

tissue remains in the fish.

The clean eggs can be easily

stripped without harming the fish. Scanning Electron Microscopy Copyright INRA Cauty-Jalabert

Control A 13

copyright Angela Köhler AWI [email protected]

Clean Eggs

caviar grain stage III ovulated sturgeon egg stage V

Scanning electron microscopy

- devoid of follicle cells and blood vessels-

Advantages for customers

Product by conventional producer Product from ovulated eggs

Product from ovulated eggs

Values for the producer

Caviar from living sturgeon

• Stock contains only productive females

• Low amount of yearly restocking

• Lower costs for feed and all other materials & staff

per kg caviar

• Caviar yield increase with age of fish (body weight)

• Long shelf life of 9 months and more

• Future? Breeding on the basis of caviar quality

Fast Workflow: 10 fish in 90 minutes

with a staff of 7

Minutes 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65

Fish Side

Fish 1 Handle Strip 3 team members

Fish 2 Handle Strip fish side

Fish 3 Handle Strip

Fish 4 Handle Strip

Fish 5 Handle Strip

Fish 6 Handle Strip

Fish 7 Handle Strip

Fish 8 Handle Strip

Fish 9 Handle Strip

Fish 10 Handle Strip

Caviar Side

Fish 1 Treat Salt Pack

Fish 2 Treat Salt


Fish 4 Treat Salt



Fish 7 Team Members 1 Treat Salt Pack

Fish 8 Caviar Side 2 Treat

Fish 9 interacting 3 Treat

Fish 10 4 Treat

Pack

Pack

Wash

Wash

Wash

Wash

Wash

Wash

Wash

Wash

Wash

Wash

Photo: Paul Blomke, AWI

Slow Start in Spring 2014

Example

• Over 1,100 sturgeons (A. baerii) were stripped in 31

production days, i.e. 36 fish per day

• Total weight of fish was 9,500 kg, caviar yield was 12%, i.e.

1,100 kg

• Maximum yield was 30% of body weight

• 67 individuals (6%) of these 1,100 fish died, thereof 42

individuals (4%) in the first two weeks after stripping, mostly

because of too much fat.

In routine production 60 fish per day (8h) with

90 to 100 kg caviar harvest per day is possible

Fish Size and Caviar Yield

caviar yield (g) body weight (kg)

0 0 - 5 5 - 8 8 - 11 11 - 14 14 - 17 17 - 20

0 – 300 3 8 5 0 0 0

300 – 600 52 80 35 3 3 0

600 – 900 10 159 82 19 1 1

900 – 1200 1 92 101 25 1 0

1200 – 1500 0 42 80 26 6 0

1500 – 1800 0 5 45 16 7 3

1800 – 2100 0 0 11 12 1 0

2100 – 2400 0 1 1 7 1 1

2400 – 2700 0 0 2 2 2 0

2700 - 3000 0 0 0 0 0 1

Numbers of fish in certain size classes and the distribution of their respective

caviar yields (9.5 t of sturgeon)

Future ?

Benefit for the Producer cont.

Aquaculture farm: Conventional New

Harvest by killing Harvest by stripping

10 y old fish living sturgeons

Age classes no. of fish no. of fish

Annual No

0 - 1 year mixed 3470 restocking 0 restocking

1 - 2 years mixed 3123 0

2 - 3 years female 1405 0

3 - 4 years female 1335 0

5 years female 1268 0





10 years female 981 Annual 0

11 years female 0 harvest 1900

12 years female 0 1805 Annual

13 years female 0 1715 harvest


15 years female 0

Structure of a stock of

100t of sturgeons:

A conventional farmer, who kills the

fish for harvest at the age of 10, has

to restock every year to replace the

dead sturgeons. He has to keep or

buy many unproductive fish in the

age from 0 to 9 years.

A new farmer, who does not kill the

fish for harvest, does not have to

restock and has an aging fish

population that is 100% productive.

He produces 4 to 7 times as much

caviar with less fish feed.

Summer scenario

Winter Scenario

Membrane Filtration System

Caviar Laboratory

Caviar from living sturgeon ?

• To produce caviar from living sturgeons is economically

the best way for producers

• Benefit becomes evident after the second year of caviar

production without killing, even in RAS

• Successful economy of caviar production may help to

protect sturgeon wild stocks

• There are many ways to process ovulated eggs

depending on customer´s preference of texture & taste

& markets

FAO adopted the process of using ovulated eggs in the

Code of Practice of Caviar 2016 (circulation of final draft)

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

Dr. Peter Steinbach, Consultant

Wermsdorfer Fisch, G. Stähler; R.Pistor

Rhönforelle, Peter Groß

Forellenzucht Erzgebirge, Uwe Reuter

AWI, Meeno Mathes, Ute Marx,

Sieglinde Bahns

Foto Paul Bomke , AWI)

caviar production of eggs of living sturgeon

Food