Lumpfish Caviar: From Vessel to Consumer

Fish roe products have historically been seen as expensive and highly-desirable luxury food items. The best and most expensive is true caviar, which uses eggs from sturgeons caught in the Caspian Sea. In recent years, eggs from many other fish species have been used to develop products imitating original caviar. By utilising processes appropriate for each kind of fish, it is now possible to make a similar - but nevertheless imitation - product. This publication presents a comprehensive overview of the production of lumpfish caviar as a model for developing fish caviar. The source, lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus), is from the North Atlantic and can be used as a case study to develop similar products from other fish species. The document describes fishing methods, preservation and storage of the eggs as well as details on the caviar production process itself to obtain the final product, lumpfish caviar. Product safety and packaging are considered, and the rules and regulations that apply to the main markets are discussed. Production and marketing statistics demonstrate the extent of the global lumpfish caviar business. The publication draws heavily on source material from Iceland, a major producer and processor, and includes many illustrations.