Presentation on worldwide AWI patents for Caviar production from living sturgeon at the International Sturgeon Meeting, 1rst to 5th of June in Krasnodar, Russia.

1. Caviar from living Sturgeon

2. The Egg´ ocentric World
of Caviar
First years of experience of caviar
production according to the AWI patents
Angela Köhler & Alexander Ziegler
Foto Paul Bomke , AWI

3. The AWI process respects the biology of the egg
by making use of the
intrinsic biology of the mature egg
Egg activation by natural signalling molecules from the outside
to trigger the egg for work
with the aim:
• to stabilise the membrane
• keeping all lipids (oil), proteins and enzymes
• to keep its unaltered nature
The AWI Patent

4. Z.R.I
Z.R.E
A.L.
O.L.
*
*
*
*
Tyrosin localisation in untreated ovulated eggs
copyright Angela Köhler AWI angela.koehler@awi.de
TEM

5. Z.R.I
Z.R.E
A.L.
O.L.
*
*
*
Tyrosin localisation in Ca-treated ovulated eggs
copyright Angela Köhler AWI angela.koehler@awi.de
TEM

6. TEMTEM
A.L. A.L.
Z.R.EZ.R.E
Z.R.IZ.R.I
A B
A) Untreated ovulated egg
Cross section,H&E stain
B) Calcium treated ovulated
egg. Cross section,H&E stain
Membrane stabilisation
Calcium-induced egg activation

7. 1
2
3
1
2
3
3
2
2
1
1
A B
C D
A) Stage III of maturation ready
for conventional caviar
production in a cryostat
section stained with
hematoxylene and eosin and
B) Same stage III of maturation
as in A) stained with Hoechst
123 DNA stain to visualize the
nuclei of the dense layer of
surrounding Theca and Follicle
cells.
C) Conventional purchased
salted caviar with 3 membane
layers (stage III)
D) Ovulated caviar with 2
membrane layers due to loss of
Granulosa- and Theca cells.
Conv. caviar & ovulated caviar
www.vivacecaviar.de

8. Values for the customer
Caviar from living sturgeon
• Absolutely clean eggs guarantee a long shelf life
(minimum nine months)
• Therefore, no preservatives such as Borax are needed
• Low salt content, malossol salted (3.8 %)
• Eggs are regular in size, increasing with every harvest
• Clean marine scent and taste!
• An explosion of taste with the snap of "pearl"
• Also perfect for buffets and all warm dishes
• Halal

9. Sturgeon Species
Acipenser baerii
Acipenser gueldenstaedtii
Acipenser ruthenus
Acipenser stellatus
Data presented on Acipenser baerii,
the Siberian Sturgeon

10. Fish Size and Egg Size
egg size body weight (kg)
0 0 - 5 5 - 8 8 - 11 11 - 14 14 - 17 17 - 20
0 - 2,0 1%
2,0 - 2,2 1%
2,2 - 2,4 1%
2,4 - 2,6 16% 7% 4% 2%
2,6 - 2,8 53% 49% 42% 40% 22% 25%
2,8 - 3,0 26% 38% 44% 36% 52% 25%
3,0 - 3,2 1% 6% 9% 17% 7% 38%
3,2 - 3,4 1% 3% 11%
3,4 - 3,6 2% 7% 13%
The correlation is weak but significant: fish above 14 kg
don‘t show egg sizes below 2.6 mm, but they show egg
sizes above 3.2 mm.

11. 50 g tins
Fish Size and Egg Size

12. What happens to a mature egg ?
The History of Mature Eggs
It is released from the protecting
tissue of the mother into the body
cavity.
All the surrounding and nurturing
tissue remains in the fish.
The clean eggs can be easily
stripped without harming the fish. Scanning Electron Microscopy
Copyright INRA Cauty-Jalabert

13. Control A 13
copyright Angela Köhler AWI angela.koehler@awi.de
Clean Eggs
caviar grain stage III ovulated sturgeon egg stage V
Scanning electron microscopy
- devoid of follicle cells and blood vessels-

14. Advantages for customers
Product by conventional producer Product from ovulated eggsProduct from ovulated eggs

15. Values for the producer
Caviar from living sturgeon
• Stock contains only productive females
• Low amount of yearly restocking
• Lower costs for feed and all other materials & staff
per kg caviar
• Caviar yield increase with age of fish (body weight)
• Long shelf life of 9 months and more
• Future? Breeding on the basis of caviar quality

16. Fast Workflow: 10 fish in 90 minutes
with a staff of 7
Minutes 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65
Fish Side
Fish 1 Handle Strip 3 team members
Fish 2 Handle Strip fish side
Fish 3 Handle Strip
Fish 4 Handle Strip
Fish 5 Handle Strip
Fish 6 Handle Strip
Fish 7 Handle Strip
Fish 8 Handle Strip
Fish 9 Handle Strip
Fish 10 Handle Strip
Caviar Side
Fish 1 Treat Salt Pack
Fish 2 Treat Salt
Fish 3 Treat Salt Pack
Fish 4 Treat Salt
Fish 5 Treat Salt Pack
Fish 6 Treat Salt Pack
Fish 7 Team Members 1 Treat Salt Pack
Fish 8 Caviar Side 2 Treat
Fish 9 interacting 3 Treat
Fish 10 4 Treat
Pack
Pack
Wash
Wash
Wash
Wash
Wash
Wash
Wash
Wash
Wash
Wash
Photo: Paul Blomke, AWI

17. Slow Start in Spring 2014
Example
• Over 1,100 sturgeons (A. baerii) were stripped in 31
production days, i.e. 36 fish per day
• Total weight of fish was 9,500 kg, caviar yield was 12%, i.e.
1,100 kg
• Maximum yield was 30% of body weight
• 67 individuals (6%) of these 1,100 fish died, thereof 42
individuals (4%) in the first two weeks after stripping, mostly
because of too much fat.
In routine production 60 fish per day (8h) with
90 to 100 kg caviar harvest per day is possible

18. Fish Size and Caviar Yield
caviar yield (g) body weight (kg)
0 0 - 5 5 - 8 8 - 11 11 - 14 14 - 17 17 - 20
0 – 300 3 8 5 0 0 0
300 – 600 52 80 35 3 3 0
600 – 900 10 159 82 19 1 1
900 – 1200 1 92 101 25 1 0
1200 – 1500 0 42 80 26 6 0
1500 – 1800 0 5 45 16 7 3
1800 – 2100 0 0 11 12 1 0
2100 – 2400 0 1 1 7 1 1
2400 – 2700 0 0 2 2 2 0
2700 - 3000 0 0 0 0 0 1
Numbers of fish in certain size classes and the distribution of their respective
caviar yields (9.5 t of sturgeon)
Future ?

19. Benefit for the Producer cont.
Aquaculture farm: Conventional New
Harvest by killing Harvest by stripping
10 y old fish living sturgeons
Age classes no. of fish no. of fish
Annual No
0 - 1 year mixed 3470 restocking 0 restocking
1 - 2 years mixed 3123 0
2 - 3 years female 1405 0
3 - 4 years female 1335 0
5 years female 1268 0
6 years female 1205 0
7 years female 1145 0
8 years female 1087 0
9 years female 1033 0
10 years female 981 Annual 0
11 years female 0 harvest 1900
12 years female 0 1805 Annual
13 years female 0 1715 harvest
14 years female 0 1629
15 years female 0
Structure of a stock of
100t of sturgeons:
A conventional farmer, who kills the
fish for harvest at the age of 10, has
to restock every year to replace the
dead sturgeons. He has to keep or
buy many unproductive fish in the
age from 0 to 9 years.
A new farmer, who does not kill the
fish for harvest, does not have to
restock and has an aging fish
population that is 100% productive.
He produces 4 to 7 times as much
caviar with less fish feed.

20. Summer scenario

21. Winter Scenario

22. Membrane Filtration System

23. Caviar Laboratory

24. Caviar from living sturgeon ?
• To produce caviar from living sturgeons is economically
the best way for producers
• Benefit becomes evident after the second year of caviar
production without killing, even in RAS
• Successful economy of caviar production may help to
protect sturgeon wild stocks
• There are many ways to process ovulated eggs
depending on customer´s preference of texture & taste
& markets
FAO adopted the process of using ovulated eggs in the
Code of Practice of Caviar 2016 (circulation of final draft)
Conclusions

25. Acknowledgements
Dr. Peter Steinbach, Consultant
Wermsdorfer Fisch, G. Stähler; R.Pistor
Rhönforelle, Peter Groß
Forellenzucht Erzgebirge, Uwe Reuter
AWI, Meeno Mathes, Ute Marx,
Sieglinde Bahns
Foto Paul Bomke , AWI)