Carotenoid pigments in seafoods and aquaculture

Color plays a major role in the overall acceptability of food products. It is considered one of man's basic experiences that a particular foodstuff has to be of a distinct color in order to be edible. The color of a seafood is the first characteristic noted by the consumer and is directly related to the subsequent acceptance or rejection of it. Carotenoids contribute to the yellow, orange, and red colors of the skin, shell, or exoskeleton of aquatic animals. Indeed, they are the most widespread pigments found in nature, as they occur in bacteria, yeasts, mold, all green plants, and many animals, and therefore various functions have been attributed to them. From anthropocentric consideration, the most significant aspect of carotenoids is the color they impart to our food and environment. In animals, the carotenoids are also associated with reproductive organs and hence the hatching success and survival of alevins.