Evaluating the effects of different levels of astaxanthin pigment on skin color and tissue texture of Parrotfish (Cichlasoma synspilum ♀ × Cichlasoma citrinellum ♂) using RGB and Lab techniques

Color is the most important characteristic of the ornamental fish. The use of pigments for changing the color of skin and carcasses has become more prominent in recent years. In the present study, the effects of astaxanthin pigment on skin color and tissue of parrotfish were studied using RGB and Lab techniques. Sixty parrotfish (with the average weight of 26.5±1.87 g) were distributed in different 50-liter volumetric aquariums (30×40×60 cm) and five dietary treatments with 3 replications for each treatment were considered. Treatments including the control (non-pigmented diet) and diets containing 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 1.5% of astaxanthin were prepared. After eight weeks of feeding fish with various treatments, four fish were taken from each treatment and their back muscles were used for the preparation of identical fillets. RGB and Lab techniques were used for the evaluation of the color of skin and muscle of fish. The results showed that change of color in the carcass texture in terms of the L component in all fish fed with the diets containing pigments were significantly decreased as compared to that of the control group (P