received by the International Bureau on

26 March 2015 (26.03.2015)

1. A process for the feeding of fish providing edible fish meat, characterized in that

the feeding process comprises at least two consecutive stages, wherein

- in a stage I juvenile fish are fed with a feed of high protein and low fat content, said feed having

a protein content of at least 48%;

a fish oil content of at least 5%; and

a fat content not higher than 12%

relative to the total weight of said feed,

the daily portion of said feed in stage I being not more than 1.2% of the metabolic body weight (MBW%) of the fish, wherein said metabolic body weight is equal to the body weight raised to the power of 0.8: MBW=W⁰-⁸, wherein W is the kg body weight of the fish;

to decrease the levels of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids of the fish meat relative to the weight of the fish and simultaneously accelerate growth of the fish , then

- in a subsequent stage II juvenile fish are fed with a feed having a fatty acid content of increased level(s) of one or more long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid(s) (LcPUFA), said feed having a fat content of at least 14% to deposit the one or more LcPUFA in the fish meat, thereby increasing the level(s) of said fatty acid(s) relative to the weight of the fish.

2. The process of claim 1, characterized in that the duration of stage I is 2-4 weeks.

3. The process of any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that the concentration of the one or more LcPUFA(s) relative to the total amount of feed in the feed used in stage II is at least 5 g kg,

and wherein the LcPUFA is preferably selected from the group consisting of arachidonic acid (ARA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DP A) and/or any combinations thereof.

4. The process of any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that relative to the total amount of feed in the feed used in stage II the concentration of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid taken together is at least 40 g/kg.

5. The process of any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the duration of stage II is 3-4 weeks.

6. The process of any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the fat content of the feed used in stage II is raised gradually, preferably by 0-30 g/kg or by 5-25 g/kg of the total weight of the feed weekly.

7. The process of any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the feed used in the closing phase of the raising stage of fries prior stage I has a

- protein content of at least 40%, and

- a fat content not higher than 12%

relative to the total weight of said feed.

8. The process of any one of claims 1 -7, characterized in that the fish are of a species of the order Perci- formes, preferably of the species barramundi (Lates calcarifer).

9. The process of claim 8, characterized in that

- feeding is started when juvenile fish reach a body weight of 300-400 g, preferably of 340-360 g; and/or

- the daily portion of the feed in the closing phase of the raising stage of fries (preferably at a body weight rang- ing from 150 to 300 g) prior to starting stage I is not more than 1.7% of the metabolic body weight (MBW%) of said fish, wherein said metabolic body weight is equal to the body weight raised to the power of 0.8: MB W=W⁰-⁸, wherein W is the kg body weight of the fish.

10. A kit of feeds for the feeding of fish, characterized in that it contains at least two types of feed for the feeding of juvenile fish in two consecutive stages, respectively, wherein

- the feed of stage I has

a protein content of at least 48%;

a fish oil content of at least 5%; and

a fat content not higher than 12%

relative to the total weight of said feed; and

- the feed of stage II has a fatty acid content of increased level(s) of one or more long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid(s) (LcPUFA), and the fat content of said feed is at least 14%.

11. The kit of feeds according to claim 10, wherein the feed of stage II is defined in any one of claims 5-6.

12. The kit of feeds according to claim 10 or 11 further containing a feed for the feeding of fries, preferably a feed defined in claim 7 or 9.

13. The use of a kit of feeds according to any one of claims 10-12 for the feeding of a fish species of the order Perciformes in the feeding process of claim 8.

14. Edible fish meat containing the flesh of fish obtained in a process according to any one of claims 1-9 and wherein the ratio of the total weight of LcPUFAs to the weight of oleic acid (based on the weight of the fish or fish fillet) is increased compared to control fish fed with a feed having a fatty acid content of increased level(s) of the one or more long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid(s) (LcPUFA) throughout the duration of the feeding process.

15. Edible fish meat containing one or more LcPUFA(s) deposited during stage II feeding as defined in any of claims 1 to 6, said meat having a thus increased content of LcPUFA, wherein the ratio of the total weight of LcPUFAs to the weight of oleic acid is at least 1.05, preferably at least 1.06 or at least 1.07 based on the weight of the fish fillet, said edible fish meatcontaining the flesh of fish of a species of the order Perciformes, preferably of barramundi (Lates calcarifer).

16. The edible fish meat according to any one of claims 14-15 being a fish fillet.

17. Food product, being preferably a functional food product and containing the edible fish meat according of any one of claims 14-16.

18. The process for the production of edible fish meat according to any of claims 1-9, wherein fish fed by the feeding process of the invention are processed and edible fish meat is obtained.

19. A method for the production of a fish meat food product, preferably a functional food product, wherein the edible fish meat obtained in a process according to claim 18 is converted or processed into a food product.

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