23/03/2023 Monika Bernotaviciute Private Label Development Manager Monolith (UK) Ltd, Unit 3 Thames Gateway Park, Choats Road, Dagenham RM9 6R

Caviar and Caviar Substitutes !True caviar comes from 27 species of wild sturgeon of which 18 red listed; !Caspian Sea and the Black Sea produced much of the world’s caviar for a long time; ! Farm-produced caviar has now become popular; !Beluga, oscietra, and sevruga are generally considered the three most popular types of caviar; ! Sources of omega 3 and vitamin B12 and also contain vitamins A, E, B6, iron, selenium, and magnesium.

Caviar is unfertilized fish eggs, also known as fish roe. It is a salty delicacy, served cold. True caviar comes from wild sturgeon, which belong to the Acipenseridae family. A fish found in both fresh and salt water. There are approximately 27 species of this fish, which can be traced back to the Cretaceous period (65 to 145 million years ago). So technically not dinosaurs, they’ve been around that long! Though sturgeon are most often found in the Caspian Sea, they might also be spotted in the South Atlantic regions of North America, the Black Sea, large European rivers and lakes and parts of the Pacific Northwest. Sturgeon are saltwater fish, but they lay eggs in freshwater, which is a part of modern sustainable farming efforts. You might be surprised to learn that sturgeon caviar has not always been a luxury food, though it can be traced back to the tables of Greek aristocrats in the 10th century.

In the United States during the 1800s, saloons would serve caviar for free at lunchtime because it was salty and encouraged patrons to order more drinks. The caviar market changed several decades later when Americans began exporting caviar to Europe at steep prices — the country's waters were abundant with sturgeon, making exporting the caviar easy and costeffective.

Furthermore, the low price of these species as compared to oscietra and salmon is expected to remain favourable for the segment growth in the near future.

Osetra was valued at USD 72.1 million in 2018. These products are available in black, blue, yellow, and green colours. The luxurious delicacy and premium cost associated with these species are projected to prompt their use Today, caviar comes from sturgeon among high income consumers. fish farms in more than 50 countries worldwide, including the U.S. Real or Faux? Though Russia still exports caviar to Look for reasonably sized beads, some parts of the world, the U.S. darker in colour, though some banned importing caviar from the green mean more fattiness and country in 2005 to help protect more flavour." Caviar should not sturgeon populations. Beyond the be overly wet, and it should not be harm caused to sturgeon as a floating in fluid. The best white species, the overfishing of sturgeon sturgeon caviar should have leads to an increase in the number creamy, buttery, and nutty notes. of "caviar" alternatives. Sevruga Passmore recommends buying accounted for more than 25.0% of caviar from somewhere you can try the global revenue in 2018. These it whenever possible and always caviar species are preferred by checking the dates on packages consumers on account of their because freshness is paramount. outstanding texture and flavour.

Most common types of caviar: Beluga, Osetra, Sterlet, Wh ite Sturgeon, Amur Sturgeon, Kaluga, Hackleback, and Sevruga.

Substitutes Hackleback is considered a good substitute for oscietra caviar. It's black, with a nutty finish. Paddlefish is considered a less pricey substitute for sevruga caviar. It's grey in colour, has a good pop, and a mineral finish. When we say “roe”, we are referring to all unfertilized eggs collected from marine animals. Roe is the fully ripe, unfertilized internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of the fish. Salmon roe and the roe from whitefish, trout, cod, red caviar, ikura, and tobiko, etc. are considered “caviar substitutes” and not Caviar.

!SubstitutesSalmon, Herring, Lumpfish, Tobiko, Tuna, Lobster, Snail.

!Caviar- Beluga, Os cietra, Sterlet, Whi te Sturgeon, Amur Sturgeon, Kaluga, Hackleback, and Sevruga.

-Lyykeberg Lumpfish Caviar in Tesco Express in Basildon - Elsinore Lumpfish Caviar in Waitrose in Billericay -Grays, Europe Express -Harrods-London

Harvesting Caviar harvesting is the process of extracting unfertilized fish eggs (roe) from sturgeon fish. When extracting fish roe from sturgeon, there are two main processes: the classic harvesting method !Extract unfertilised eggs; and the humane harvesting method. The classic method ! 2 types of harvesting; Classic and Nokills the fish, while the humane method keeps the fish Kill; alive and extracts the roe through the vivace or c-section !Classic method, Vivace method, Cmethod. section; ! 4-5 years to determine the gender via ultrasound; !7 -20 years to produce eggs; !15years old sturgeon can weight around 160kg and be 2.7meters long; !Feed 3 times a day

The Classic Caviar Harvesting Method For centuries, the process to obtain caviar has been nearly the same. Despite advances in farming, fishing, and production technology, the practice of harvesting fish roe has not really changed, with methods being passed down from generation to generation. Since the decline of wild sturgeon populations, the traditional Russian and Iranian harvesting techniques still continue today, just with farmed sturgeon instead of wild, but killing the fish in order to harvest its eggs is still required to make fine caviar. 1. In modern fish farms and fisheries, the adult roe-carrying fish is slowly cooled in ice-cold waters to reduce their movement, lower fat content, and help render them unconscious before being brought to harvest. 2. The fish is quickly killed while unconscious, all extremities are cleaned with purified water, then an incision is made along the fish's belly to remove the roe. 3. Most fish have two roe sacks. These are removed immediately as the fish is killed, otherwise, the body will release a post-mortem chemical that will harm the eggs. The egg sacks are cleaned and the remainder of the fish is set aside to be harvested for meat, skin, and useful by-products. 4. Each roe sack, or skein as they are called in salmon and trout, is screened on a sieve or other mesh screen to separate the eggs from the membrane. 5. These “green eggs” are washed and filtered a second time, then drained and set aside to be weighed, salt-cured, and graded.

No-Kill Harvesting Method Newer and less-common method completes caviar extractions through "no-kill", or "cruelty" free caviar, this method usually uses hormone therapy combined with milking techniques and/or C-section-like surgery to get stabilized eggs without harming the fish. Harvesting caviar without killing fish is not an easy process. Due to the network of cells which stabilize a fish's egg, all unfertilized mature eggs are inedible as soon as they leave the mother and enter the water, and are impossible to collect after they have been fertilized. That is the reason that immature eggs are traditionally cut from the fish before they have a chance to be delivered. Years ago, marine biologists were able to alter fish breeding reproduction techniques to create a process by which eggs can be delivered and used to make caviar without having to kill the fish. German Scientist Angela Köhler is credited for introducing the fishmilking Köhler process to the caviar industry 1. When an ovulating fish is nearly ready to lay their eggs, they are injected with a hormone or “signaling” protein several days prior to harvest. This helps separate the eggs from the membranous sac in the belly cavity so they can come out with ease. 2. If necessary, the fish will either be cooled or sedated in some manner to prevent potential stress to the animal and damage to the product. 3. The fish is washed in purified water and the eggs are removed by one of two ways: C-Section method: A small incision is made on the female sturgeon's belly and their eggs are carefully scooped out. After all the roe has been removed the fish is sewn back up and bandaged. This method can unfortunately leave the sturgeon vulnerable to infections and damage reproductive organs if not done with exact precision. ---removing a sturgeon's eggs by Caesarean section and thus allowing the fish to live longer, from 50 to 100 years on average. allowing the fish to continue to produce eggs throughout its life". In order to remove their eggs they perform a small caesarean section on sturgeons of around 8 years old under a natural anaesthetic in cold water. The fish are then returned to the water and resume the course of their life, before being operated on again in two years. This cycle continues until the females no longer produce caviar. Vivace method: Instead of an incision, this method utilizes a fish-milking technique, known as striping, to massage the eggs out of the fish imitating a natural delivery. To ensure that striped eggs keep their texture and do not turn into mush when harvested, they must be rinsed in a water-calcium solution immediately after being removed. This makes the green eggs strong enough to withstand further handling, salting, and curing but can be an unpleasant texture for eating. 4. These green eggs are tested for firmness, then washed and filtered. After draining, the eggs are weighed, saltcured, and graded. No-kill caviar has been praised by conservationists for helping to increase the sustainability of certain fish, especially endangered sturgeon species. Since sturgeon can take a decade before they're old enough to develop eggs and can also live up to a century, it makes sense to try and keep these beautiful fish alive after extracting their roe. In addition to preventing the killing of a potentially endangered species, having the same female produce multiple harvests of roe can eventually cut down costs for aqua farms.

So why do most caviar producers still use the kill method? The main problem with the non-kill method is that the classic texture and flavor of the caviar cannot be maintained. Thus not meeting the standards that caviar connoisseurs love. The C-section method causes infertility and infections in many cases, and the vivace/milking methods combination of injecting labor-inducing hormones along with the calcium bath cause the eggs to be a very firm texture that many find unpalatable.

Another problem for producers is that caviar farming is a huge upfront cost and time investment, humane methods are not upfront cost savings. The additional cost of investing in the hormones, chemicals, and equipment necessary to produce no-kill caviar has prevented it from being as affordable as classically harvested caviar. However, It could eventually save the farm money by allowing for multiple harvests from the same fish, but again, the quality of caviar just isn’t making the mark for consumers and it often leaves the sturgeon at risk of serious infection. Not to mention, certain people, such as pregnant women, should not eat caviar from a fish that has been injected with labour-inducing hormones. So, despite the potential benefits of using the humane method, it has yet to be perfected. Most of the world's caviar is currently made by using the classic harvesting method. Thankfully, caviar farming in general is sustainable because it replaces the need for wild-caught caviar, allowing natural populations to come back. Farms are able to use a few hatchlings to breed solely for consumption and all parts of the sturgeon are utilized. Farmers also have to keep the sturgeons happy and stress-free or they reabsorb their eggs! Once the roe is harvested from the sturgeon fish, the roe sacks are rubbed across a stainless steel mesh screen to separate the eggs from the membrane. The eggs are then rinsed and inspected with tweezers to remove impurities, membrane residue, and broken eggs. Lastly, the caviar is weighed, salted, and packaged. No kill caviar technology- vivace or c-section method. killing the fish in order to harvest its eggs is still required to make fine caviar. The highest quality caviar comes from eggs harvested as the females prepare to spawn. In the wild, sturgeon are caught as they move from saltwater to fresh tributaries to lay their eggs. In fish farms, sturgeon will be monitored through ultrasound to determine when their eggs are ready for harvesting. Depending on the size of the fish, a sturgeon can release several million eggs at once.

Grades of Caviar Every type of caviar has its own unique qualities, from colouring to flavour. For example, Beluga caviar is smooth and buttery with a nutty flavour that’s close to hazelnut. Glistening caviar eggs range in colour from pure black to a greenish-grey. True caviar has a famous “Caspian pop”—the egg bursts in the mouth. Caviar is divided into two grades depending on qualities such as size, colour, firmness, taste, and aroma. Carefully reviewed by professionals trained in grading quality to alert consumers of certain aspects of the caviar. To the untrained palate, different kinds of caviar might taste the same. However, that is not the case, and caviar grading reveals this. Once you become more familiar with caviar, you will likely come to easily note the disparities between caviar options, and you might even prefer one over the other.

dull reflection would make Sturgeon roe fall into the Grade 2 category Grade 1 caviar must be uniform across the board. In other words, it should have the same physical qualities from egg to egg to provide a consistent tasting experience. If a selection of caviar differs in one category or another, it will likely be considered Grade 2

The Royal Imperial Label There are a handful of products bearing the Royal Imperial label, but there is no universal standard that earns them this title. However, you may find that products with this name have a few common characteristics that set them apart from other types of caviar. Here are some factors that come into play.

Top-Tier Sturgeon

-Grade 1 is the firmest, richest eggs To earn the Royal Imperial name, caviar must typically -Grade 2 is slightly lower in quality come from one of the “Big Five” types of sturgeon – • Aroma: Those who have never tried caviar might Beluga, Sevruga, Ossetra, Kaluga, and American. think it comes with a fishy smell. In reality, highThese are the largest, rarest, and most difficult-toquality caviar should only somewhat smell like the source sturgeons in the world, many of which have sea, not like a distinct fish scent. Caviar with a been made scarcer by overfishing, pollution, and particularly noticeable smell would be ranked as poaching. Grade 2. • Firmness: While caviar is You can expect Beluga and Sevruga sturgeon certainly not hard, it to often have a Royal Imperial label, but does have a firmness ! Every type of fish this isn’t always the case. On the other to it. Therefore, topproduces unique caviar; hand, Ossetra and Kaluga may earn the grade caviar will be title on rare occasions, while it’s even slightly firm on the !Grade1 and Grade2; less common for American sturgeon. outside and soft on !Select, Classic, Royal, the inside. Many Exclusivity appears to play a main role Supreme, Imperial etc. people love caviar in determining whether a caviar may for the “pop” they receive a Royal Imperial designation, as experience when biting well as the maturity of the fish and the place down on the fish eggs. Caviar of origin. that has a hard, chewy While the Grade 1 and Grade 2 method for rating fish texture would be Grade 2. roe is common in the business-to-business sector of • Colour: The colour of caviar depends on the age of the caviar industry, labelling true sturgeon caviar as the fish. Sturgeon caviar eggs vary in colour, Select, Classic, Royal, Supreme or Imperial is a caviar ranging from grey to black and featuring slight hints grading system more widely used by caviar companies of gold and jade. As an example, Oscietra caviar selling directly to retail customers. These grades are appears golden-jade during peak maturity. sometimes set by the producers of the sturgeon roe • Size: Caviar differs in size, depending on the kind of themselves, but usually what qualifies for Select, sturgeon. The size influences the egg's density and Classic, Royal, Supreme and Imperial product is decided texture. Sturgeon roe that is appropriately by the company selling directly to end sized will be rated as Grade 1. A less-than-ideal roe consumers, based on that company's standards for the size would likely be categorized as Grade 2. size and colour of the caviar beads/grains. •

Lucidity: A Grade 1 egg should have a shiny outer appearance. In comparison, a more off, muddled or

"Select", which most of the time means below average, borderline Grade 2 product. While a few

companies will use Classic grade for their slightly below average product instead, caviar that receives the Select grade, with darker colour, and softer, smaller eggs, is a step down from Classic product. “Classic” grade product almost always meets the average egg colour and bead size for caviar from that species. Most of the time darker coloured Grade 1 caviar is rated as Classic while the rarer product receives the above average grades of Royal, Supreme and Imperial. “Royal” is the next step up and will typically be lighter in colour or have larger grains than “Classic” caviar. Since larger egg sizes signify that the product was from an older sturgeon and the lighter egg colours are less common than the darker ones, the price can increase significantly when moving from Classic to Royal. "Supreme" grade is seen less frequently than the other caviar grades, but when used it is usually given to product considered rarer than the "Royal" grade. Supreme caviar will be a very high quality product that has good sized grains, usually with lighter colour than Classic or Royal. These rare pearls are beautiful to look at, but lack the golden glow of Imperial caviar. "Imperial" The rarest and most expensive grade for a type of caviar, which is reserved for product with the largest eggs and lightest colour. Imperial caviar, also known as Golden Caviar, is a top-dollar product not just because it comes from older sturgeon, but because only an estimated 5% of all adult sturgeon will be able to produce bright golden coloured eggs at any time in their life. Keep in mind that these five grades are used mainly to account for sturgeon caviar's rareness (colour and egg size), unlike the Grade 1 & 2 method which takes note of all the factors that can decide any caviar's quality. The Select, Classic, Royal, Supreme and Imperial grading method is not an exact science and what qualifies as a certain grade of caviar for one company might not be the same for a different company. Some companies will use these grades only to differentiate the lighter coloured eggs from the darker, while others will use Royal or Supreme for caviar with larger grain size and Imperial for lighter egg colour. It is very important to know how the company selling caviar uses grades to rate their product, so that you can be sure the caviar you buy is not only rare but also

of the desired quality. For example, there can be instances where a product is rated as Classic for its darker or smaller eggs, yet after testing is found to have a better flavour and texture than the rarer grades from the same species. The better you know how the company selling you the sturgeon caviar uses these grades, the easier it is to receive the quality, colour and eggs size you desire.