Lumpfish Roe

Overview

Lumpfish roe is the egg mass of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus), most often sold as salted, dyed “caviar” for canapés and garnishes. It can contribute EPA, DHA, and fish-egg nutrients, but retail products are dominated by added salt and colourings, and long-chain omega-3 levels per 100 g are typically below fresh salmon or trout roe. It fills a budget / occasional garnish niche rather than a high-omega-3 strategy on its own.

Within the BRAIN Diet framework, lumpfish roe is not interchangeable with salmon or trout ikura for nutrient density: treat it as a small-quantity condiment, prioritise label sodium, and prefer salmonid roe when the goal is maximal phospholipid-associated EPA/DHA per gram with lower salt load.

Key Nutritional Highlights

• Lowest typical price point among these three roe pages; widely sold as dyed caviar.
• Sodium is the main limitation — many products are extremely salty per 100 g.
• EPA/DHA are present but usually modest versus salmon/trout roe (estimates here; replace with lab data when available).
• Useful as a flavour accent, not a primary omega-3 “dose food”.
• Ingredient lists often include dyes and stabilisers — read labels if you avoid additives.

Food Context

Synergies

• Pair with unsalted vegetables and whole foods so the meal’s total sodium stays controlled.

Sourcing

• Choose reputable brands with transparent nutrition labels; sodium varies sharply.
• Dyed vs natural appearance is a product-style choice, not a nutrient guarantee.

Preparation

• Use small amounts; rinse is not a reliable way to remove embedded salt from finished caviar.
• Keep chilled; treat like a cured seafood product for food safety.

Essential Amino Acid Profile

This food provides a complete essential amino acid profile typical of animal proteins.

Recipes

no recipes found

Nutrient Tables (per 100 g)

Core nutrients

Nutrient	Amount per 100 g	% RDA per 100 g
Energy	143 kcal	—
Protein	21.4 g	—
Total fat	7.1 g	—
Saturated fat	1.5 g	—
Carbohydrates	0 g	—
Fibre	0 g	—

Key micronutrients

Nutrient	Amount per 100 g	% RDA per 100 g
Iron	0.5 mg	2.8%
Zinc	0.9 mg	8.2%
Magnesium	18 mg	4.3%
Selenium	32 µg	58.2%
Calcium	20 mg	2%
Potassium	100 mg	2.9%
Choline	220 mg	40%
Folate	50 µg	12.5%
Vitamin B12	10 µg	416.7%
Vitamin B6	0.1 mg	7.1%

Bioactive compounds

Values below are often from specialist compositional databases or literature, not the standard USDA panel. Asterisks (*) refer to source notes at the bottom of this section.

Compound / class	Amount per 100 g	Notes
ALA	100 mg	—
EPA	220 mg	—
DHA	280 mg	—
Sodium (salted product)	Very high (often thousands of mg per 100 g) *	Retail lumpfish roe is heavily salted; sodium dominates the risk–benefit trade-off vs fresh roe.

Note: Bioactive-compound values vary substantially by cultivar, species, cocoa or oil percentage, processing, and brand formulation. Show quantitative values only where a defensible source exists; otherwise prefer qualitative presence statements or ranges in source notes.

Source notes (bioactive / supplementary):

• * Sodium (salted product): Not shown as a standard NutritionTable row yet; check the label for your brand. Values often exceed ordinary daily sodium targets if eaten in large amounts.

Reference intakes: US Dietary Reference Intakes for adults (19–50 years; using the higher of male/female values where they differ).

Data provenance (core / micronutrient panel): Literature + branded label scaling, Lumpfish caviar, salted (retail; dyed black/red products common). Macros scaled from a representative branded nutrition label (~14 g/serving); fatty acids are mid-range estimates — species-specific assays vary and are often lower than fresh salmonid roe per 100 g., Manual curation, per 100 g product, last checked 2026-03-14

Substances

Substances in this food: editorial (Overview / literature) plus analytical (nutrition table).

14 substances in this food

DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid)

Accounts for ~10–15% of total brain fatty acids, 20–30% of neuronal phospholipids (PE, PS), and >90% of brain omega-3 PUFA; critical for membrane fluidity, synaptic vesicle fusion, neurodevelopment

EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)

Potent anti-inflammatory; precursor to E-series resolvins; modulates dopamine and serotonin signalling

Iron

Oxygen transport; dopamine synthesis (tyrosine hydroxylase cofactor)

Zinc

Cofactor in neurotransmission and antioxidant enzymes; dopamine modulation

Magnesium

Enzymatic cofactor (>300 reactions); neurotransmitters; mitochondria; redox balance

Selenium

Antioxidant enzyme cofactor (GPx); supports redox balance

Calcium

Bone health; neurotransmission; interacts with vitamin D and K2

Potassium

Electrolyte for nerve transmission, muscle function, and blood pressure regulation

Choline

Acetylcholine precursor; methyl donor; phospholipid synthesis for membranes

Vitamin B9 (Folate; 5-MTHF)

One-carbon metabolism; methylation; homocysteine recycling

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

Methylation; myelin; mitochondrial odd-chain FA metabolism

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine → PLP)

PLP cofactor for neurotransmitter synthesis; relies on brain PDXK activation

ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid)

Essential omega-3 precursor; limited conversion to DHA/EPA

Sodium (salted product)

References

• Sodium and formulation for lumpfish caviar are label-dependent; BRAIN Diet emphasis remains on whole-food salmonid roe when maximizing omega-3 quality per unit sodium Patrick 2019.