Sashimi derived from yellowtail fed a diet containing a novel fishmeal replacement has passed a consumer taste test with flying colours.

The trial was conducted by KnipBio, a Massachusetts-based biotechnology company, along with its collaborator Kampachi Farms, and involved samples of yellowtail (Seriola rivoliana) that had been fed diets containing up to 7.5% of the microbe-derived KnipBio Meal (KBM). The trial was conducted at the Food Innovation Center at Oregon State University.

Dr Larry Feinberg, CEO of KnipBio, explained: “As we move forward in our efforts to develop KBM into a premium substitute for fishmeal, it’s vitally important that fish raised on a diet containing KnipBio Meal have the same taste and texture profile as their counterparts fed fishmeal-based diets. To ensure this is indeed the case we devised the most rigorous test we could – a side-by-side comparison of Cabo Kampachi sashimi.”

The scientists at Oregon State’s Food Innovation Center recruited more than 70 adults who regularly eat sashimi to be the subjects. A triangular test methodology was used, where each subject was given a plate containing two pieces of Cabo Kampachi sashimi from fish raised on KnipBio Meal, and a control sashimi piece that had been fed a standard diet. The testers were asked to identify which piece was different in terms of taste, colour, and texture. The results indicated that the group was statistically unable to discern any difference between the KBM-fed samples and the control fishmeal-fed sample.

Feinberg added: “With premium sashimi, there’s no hiding even small differences in taste or texture. These exciting results therefore make us confident that KBM can serve as a suitable replacement for fishmeal.\"

Source: The Fish Site // Original Article