The effects of dietary
taurine on growth and taurine levels in whole body of juvenile Japanese
flounder Paralichthys olivaceus
G.S. Park, T. Takeuchi, T. Seikai, M. Yokoyama-2001
Nippon
Suisan Gakkaishi, 67 (2) : 238-243 (from
Current Contents)
Abstract :
This experiment was conducted to investigate the
effects of taurine on growth, taurine levels in whole body and sulfur amino
acids metabolism of juvenile Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. In
the control diet, brown fish meal was used as the sole protein source to
provide 55% protein. Diets 2, 3 and 1 were supplemented with graded levels
of essential amino acid (EAA) mixture, non-essential amino acid (NEAA)
mixture and taurine, respectively. Diets 5, 6 and 7 were supplemented with
EAA mixture, NEAA mixture, and taurine, respectively. These diets were fed
to the juvenile Japanese flounder with an initial mean body weight of 0.15 g
for 5 weeks,The fish fed a taurine supplemented diet showed significantly
better (p < 0.05) growth than those fed the control diet and diets 5 and
6. These results clearly indicated that the supplemented taurine in the diet
improves the growth of juvenile Japanese flounder. A clear relationship was
noted between the level of taurine accumulated in the whole body of fish and
the taurine level in the diet. But the taurine accumulated levels in the
whole body; was not affected by contents of over 20 mg/g taurine in the
diet. On the other hand, fish fed the control diet and diets 3 and 6 showed
a higher increase in cystathionine contents in the whole body. These results
suggest that the taurine content in diet affects the sulpfur amino acids
metabolism of juvenile Japanese flounder, and the taurine requirement may be
15-20 mg/g in diet.
(Tokyo Univ Fisheries, Dept Aquat Biosci, Tokyo
1088477, Japan, e-mail of T. Takeuchi: take@tokyo-u-fish.ac.jp)