The fish that gives us caviar is called sturgeon. Its meat is considered to be highly precious and was only served to kings. Their mouths are toothless and they mainly feed on invertebrates and small fish.
Just like caviar, sturgeon meat is not only delicious but healthy with a unique light texture.
However, caviar is still more sought-after as it’s considered to be one of the world’s top three delicacies. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t mean that sturgeon is any less nutritious.
The nutritional value for sturgeon
Sturgeon has very healthy white meat that is light and doesn’t have any small bones. This makes it very easy to eat. Besides the savory taste of sturgeon, it’s also filled with numerous nutrients.
Compared to other fish, sturgeon has superior quality proteins and amino acids such as glutamic acid, aspartic acid, alanine, and glycine.
The amino acid level is quite as compared to other types of fish with a value of close to 90. Let us look at how each one of these amino acids is beneficial to our bodies:
- Glutamic acid
This is helpful in stimulating the brain
- Aspartic acid
This is helpful in nutrient absorption and reducing fatigue
- Alanine
This acts as an energy store for the liver making it a very vital amino acid
- Glycine
This improves blood flow bettering the quality of sleep.
Other benefits …
Bones and teeth
The minute you start chewing on the sturgeon, a saliva enzyme called ptyalin gets secreted. This hormone helps in making our bones and teeth stronger. This generally promotes physical growth.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Sturgeon is also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids like DHA and EPA that are helpful in preventing arteriosclerosis.
Collagen
Fish meat, including sturgeon, is generally loaded with collagen which is a well-known ingredient in most female beauty products. The collagen is found in the firm body of sturgeon
Chondroitin sulfate
Sturgeon’s bones are rich in chondroitin sulfate. This is a compound that is usually found in the composition of bones, especially in the cartilage. It helps in the coordination of smooth joint movement and the natural healing of wounds.
Chondroitin sulfate is also helpful in reducing lower back and joint pain, rheumatism, osteoporosis, and relieving shoulder stiffness.
What’s more, is that chondroitin sulfate also helps in fighting liver diseases as well as eye strain and hearing loss.
Carnosine
Sturgeon contains a lot of carnosine which may also be found in chicken meat. Carnosine is an antioxidant that is also believed to give the fish a rich flavor. This explains why sturgeon stews and soups are delicious
Omega-3s
Just like any other fish, sturgeon has high doses of omega-3s which play a huge role in alleviating the symptoms of depression. This explains why sturgeon is also prescribed to patients with bipolar disorder.
How is sturgeon important in the beauty world?
People are currently obsessed with sturgeon caviar and are using it as an ingredient in lots of beauty products such as lightening and anti-aging creams. This is quite a “fishy” trend don’t you think?
These beauty benefits come from the extracts gotten from sturgeon eggs even though it’s still possible that the extracts may also be from other types of fish eggs like whitefish and salmon caviar.
These caviar-based beauty products may not come cheap but they do deliver some great results.
Here are three main reasons why sturgeon eggs are important in the world of beauty:
- Minimal aging lines
This is probably caviar’s greatest benefit. It contains antioxidants that are attributed to its anti-aging properties. Beauty products containing caviar prevent collagen from breaking down and work wonders in reducing the formation of wrinkles.
- Moisturized skin that glows
Caviar extracts are very moisturizing as they contain elements that hydrate the skin like omega-6 fatty acids which plays a significant role in maintaining the integrity of the skin as well as it’s other functions as a barrier. These fatty acids provide glowing skin that appears radiant and youthful.
- Shiny hair that’s hydrated
The same anti-aging benefits provided to the skin are provided to the hair. This really improves the texture and strength of hair. Hair products containing caviar extract prove UV protective and moisturizing properties delivering hydration and increasing the shine of the hair.
Conclusion
Do you remember the first time you had caviar or heard about it? These luxurious tiny black pearls are some of the oldest delicacies to be coveted by royal and the aristocracy.
They’re so exquisite in texture and flavor that people are willing to pay through the nose for them. Well, do you what fish gives us all this goodness, it is sturgeon. Sturgeon isn’t as expensive as you might think but it definitely not cheap either.
There are 27 sturgeon species, several of which are now considered to be endangered due to severe overfishing.
The good news is that there are other domestically farmed fish alternatives that give us caviar – saving sturgeons from going into extinction.
About The Author:
Dorine Njatha is a passionate writer, which, considering you’re reading this, makes perfect sense. She has, for the past four years, enjoyed writing authentic content that captivates readers and delivers clients’ vision into words. But never at the expense of providing an entertaining read. A lot of her SEO articles focus on balancing an informative aspect with SEO needs to help your Google search rankings surge.
