A Comparative Analysis of the Nutritional Quality of Salmon Species in Canada among Different Production Methods and Regions

Abstract

Nutritional information of fresh seafood, including salmon, is not commonly available to the public, which can lead to misconceptions. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional content of salmon fillets, comparing: (1) Canadian salmon, both wild (pink, chinook, and sockeye) and farmed (Atlantic salmon); (2) Canadian farmed Atlantic salmon grown in ocean net pens or land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS); and (3) farmed Atlantic salmon raised in Canada compared with Scotland, Chile, and Ireland. Samples were purchased from retail stores in Canada and analyzed for moisture, crude protein, total lipid, fatty acids, amino acids, cholesterol, mercury, and color. The greatest differences in nutritional content were between species, rather than if it was wild or farmed. Compared to salmon raised in net pens, salmon raised in RAS had three times more eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per serving (0.7/100 g vs. 2.3/100 g, respectively), twice as much omega-3s (14% vs. 30%) and redder in color (24.7 vs. 30.1) but higher in saturated fats (18% vs. 24%). Scottish salmon had over double the amount of EPA + DHA per 100 g (1.6 g) than salmon from Canada (0.70 g), Chile (0.66 g), and Ireland (0.61 g). While nutritional content differed among salmon types, each type can provide dietary essential nutrients that can benefit consumers.