“3G turtles” refers to the breeding method that the farm uses. The 1st generation turtles are the ones from the wild. Due to decreasing numbers, farms were started to breed these turtles. However, there wasn’t much success until commercial farms discovered that the turtles needed to be housed in rooms where there are climate controls, in addition to the use of special feeds. This is the 2nd generation turtles. However, there were problems, including excessive chemical residues due to the “special” feeds, and less than ideal quality of the meat.
Fortunately, the experience in breeding the 2nd generation turtles was very useful, resulting in the 3rd generation turtles (“3G turtles”). Commercial turtle farms used those experiences to create a breeding environment within the farm to simulate the wild setting where turtles are free ranging within certain boundaries. Our chosen farms happen to be located along the route of pollution-free streams from the mountains. They enjoy the advantage of tapping on this fresh and clean water to provide “live” water to the farms, truly bringing “simulating the wild” to perfection (as compared to static water in normal farm ponds). Together with the use of feeds that are high in nutrients (without resorting to steroids), turtles grow naturally and healthily. On top of that, the farmers discovered the use of Chinese herbs for disease management so that there will not be any harmful chemical/steroids residue in the meat. This means that farm-bred turtles are even more nutritious than wild turtles.
It now takes a longer period (1.5 – 2 years) for the bred turtles to reach commercial size, but the quality is way above that of the 2nd generation turtles. Consumers will now be able to enjoy the true benefits of turtle meat (dense source of collagen, etc) without worrying about the negativity associated with commercialization.
Turtle soup connoisseurs should be able to taste the similarities between the 3G turtles and the ones from the wild.
In Singapore, turtle soup lovers will be happy to know that Tridelta Food imports the Japanese series of “3G turtles”. This is the high-end breed of “3G turtles”. This is a species that originated from Japan, but now bred in selected farms in China. With commercial volumes due to farming, Singaporeans are now able to enjoy such quality meat.
All in, “3G turtles” encompasses the following attributes:
- the farm has a breeding environment that simulates the wild
- use of Chinese herbs for disease management
- use of feeds that do not contain prohibited chemicals/steroids
- the farm’s produce are certified by the local health authorities to be free of chemical/steroid residues
The last attribute of obtaining certification is very difficult because of the high requirements by the local health authorities. Due to the authencity of this certification, it is coveted by many commercial farms (including poultry, pig, vegetables, etc). Now click here to find the nearest turtle soup eatery…
