New methods allow production of premium caviar from live sturgeon
The AWI licences out patented methods to sturgeon farmers and caviar producers for caviar production without killing the sturgeons. After several years of extensive research, considerable progress has been made which are now patented by AWI. The new approaches improve the caviar quality and have a strong impact on the logistics in caviar trade.
Natural metabolic processes during the activation of fish eggs serve as a model for the new methods. The spawning season in spring is simulated in recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) and the mature eggs are gently massaged out of the live female fish so that the valuable fish remain alive for many generations. Consequently, the production costs of caviar are reduced extensively because the fish do not have to be raised for years for each new egg harvest. Only mature live eggs can be used for the AWI process. This caviar contains all the unaltered natural components, including the valuable oils as flavour carriers.
The caviar obtained with this process has many advantages, not only for the environment or the producer but also for the caviar quality and, thus for sellers and the consumer. You can find more information on this below.
These new methods are also applicable to all relevant fish and crustacean species and are patented in the relevant countries.
Harvesting the eggs is safe for the fish and can be repeated several times. This significantly reduces caviar production costs because the fish do not have to be raised and fed for years for each new egg harvest. Egg size and quantity per harvest increase with the age of the females. The new method also makes it possible to stabilise particularly large eggs, for example from Huso huso, the beluga sturgeon.
For the quality of the caviar:
As the caviar is absolutely clean, no preservatives (e.g. borax etc.) or pasteurisation are required, only salting at low concentrations below 3.8%, malossol. The perfect appearance of the product is unaffected, as gonad- and blood cells remain inside the fish gonad when the mature eggs are released into the belly of the fish and stripped out by soft massage. The cleanliness of the mature eggs avoids any fishy flavour as it is known from conventional caviar
The Caviar is particularly characterised by:
Beautiful appearance due to its shine and colour
The mature eggs are characterised by a uniform grain size and round shape
A stable egg envelope protects the egg and prevents liquid from escaping
Grain textures can be modulated during the production process - pearl or silk
The healthy, valuable ingredients are preserved unchanged
The preservation of the oils and amino acids as flavour carriers results in the depth of flavour
For wholesalers, retailers and logistics:
AWI caviar has a long shelf life of up to 9 months (salted malossol, stored at minus 2 - 4 °C), or 2 years (frozen at minus 18 - 20 °C) and thaws slowly in the refrigerator without losing quality.
The AWI method enables a paradigm shift in caviar logistics through deep-freeze storage and maintenance of the cold chain. This guarantees easy and safe transport by lorry or plane as well as storage in supermarkets, restaurants and private consumers, enabling better management of caviar stocks through year-round product availability.
For high-end catering:
Now, Chefs can use caviar in warm creations and a new world of caviar fine dining is open. The caviar can be also served or on buffets without ice or at large dining events with hundreds of guests - always maintaining the integrity of the caviar grain and perfect flavour even at room temperature for many hours.
For the end consumer:
Constant availability of premium caviar for private consumption in your home freezer.
In recent years, Angela Köhler's AWI research has identified the relevant signalling molecules and ions for the treatment of naturally released mature living sturgeon eggs. In the innovative processes, signalling messenger substances in very low natural concentrations activate the egg´s own metabolism. A machinery of enzymes stabilises the outer layers of the egg envelope within minutes without altering their liquid interior and natural contents.
After the metabolic stabilisation of the egg surface, the clean eggs are ready for caviar processing: salting, maturation, packaging and storage.
These complex biological processes have been tested and were scaled up to industrial level for quick and easy application by our licensees' staff.
The process requires controlled conditions in the caviar production facility and staff training to guarantee excellent caviar quality.
Sturgeons have lived on our planet for more than 200 million years. Today, there are 27 species of sturgeon living in rivers, lakes and on the coasts of Eurasia and North America. Sturgeons are long-lived, slow-growing and late-maturing fish that can reach an age of 60 to 120 years, depending on the species.
Most sturgeon species are dramatically threatened by overfishing and poaching, loss of habitat due to dam construction and pollution. If this trend continues, some of the Caspian sturgeon populations in particular will be wiped out within a few years. As the large-scale restocking programmes with juvenile sturgeon are only successful in some countries, wild catches are not permitted in most areas of the world. Consequently, the trade in sturgeon products is strictly controlled by the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Accordingly, caviar production from wild caviar has declined massively in recent decades; today, almost all legal caviar is produced in sturgeon aquacultures.
Most caviar from aquacultures is still harvested conventionally by slaughter. Only immature eggs can be used for this caviar production. Immature eggs are still held in the ovary by a capsule of gonadal cells, which are firmly attached to the egg surface and make it stable enough for caviar production. Although sturgeons grow faster in aquaculture than in the wild, they still need a long time of at least 8 to 10 years or more until they are mature and caviar can be harvested for the first and only time. Unfortunately, immature eggs cannot be used for the parallel production of fertilised eggs and small sturgeons.
Looking at the history and previous attempts at non-mortal caviar production, the following difficulties were encountered, which could not be solved to the satisfaction of producers and consumers in the past: Contact with water caused the mature released eggs to stick together. The subsequent addition of salt caused the eggs to burst, resulting in an amorphous mass without the characteristic caviar structure.
The methods used to date include heat treatment or pasteurisation to stabilise the eggs and are often combined with chemicals as preservatives and firming agents such as borax to further harden the soft sturgeon eggs. These methods lead to detrimental changes in the texture of the eggs due to the heat denaturation of valuable proteins and liquids with loss of flavour and therefore have limited acceptance among chefs and end customers.
Thanks to the partnership with Peter Groß, managing director and owner of the Rhönforelle fish farm, AKAZIE can offer AWI licence holders practical training from harvesting the eggs and applying the AWI method through to maturing, quality control and packaging. Rhönforelle's caviar facilities have all the specialised equipment required for straightforward application of the AWI method for high-yield production. The Rhönforelle team is known for its expertise in sturgeon propagation and the production and worldwide distribution of fertilised sturgeon eggs, fingerlings and juveniles of Acipenser baerii, A. gueldenstaedtii and Huso huso, the beluga sturgeon, as well as fingerlings of various species. The aquaculture facility is easily accessible due to its proximity to Frankfurt Airport.
