"Burbot back in the Belgian kitchen?", EAS Dubrovnik 2017

Adriaen, J.,  Abeel, T., Meeus, W., Arnouts, H., Ducarme, C., Demaere, H., Fraeye, I.

Burbot, (Lota lota) has been identified as a possible candidate for diversification in cold water aquaculture (Wocher et al. 2013, Palinska-Zarska et al. 2013). In the past, burbot was found in Belgian cuisine as it was even a main ingredient of the famous fish stew “Gentse waterzooi”. But with the disappearance out of Belgian waters around the years 1960, burbot is not found on the local market. This implies that current consumers appreciation, price and market position of burbot can not be determined. For this reason, potential aquaculturists in Belgium have been hesitating to produce burbot. LotaBEL is a current project in cooperation with farmers that wants to start the supply of burbot to the market. In this study burbot produced in small quantity on Belgian troutfarms will be commercially sold. With the results of consumers inquiries we will be able to evaluate the consumers acceptance of the burbot based on characteristics like taste, smell, appearance and price. In order to generate more revenue from burbot culture, the market potential of burbot can be increased by creating added value through derivatives such as smoked burbot and liver paste. Research into the feasibility of processing and the sensory evaluation of the final products will therefore also be performed in this study. The burbot fillet, smoked burbot and liverpaste will be analyzed by a sensory panel. Linking data from this sensory panel with the consumers inquiries will give us a first glance on burbot market position.

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