Adding small quantities of taurine to fish feeds can both\r\nenhance growth rates and muscle function, according to new research.Scientists based in Egypt studied the effects of\r\nsupplementing fishm...
Adding small quantities of taurine to fish feeds can both\r\nenhance growth rates and muscle function, according to new research.
Scientists based in Egypt studied the effects of\r\nsupplementing fishmeal-based feeds for juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus\r\nlabrax) with taurine – with supplementation levels varying from 0 to 1 percent.
Diets containing supplementary taurine were shown to\r\nincrease growth rates but reduce lipid levels in sea bass
The effects of adding more of this amino acid to the diets\r\non fish growth, feed utilization, proximate chemical composition, hematology,\r\nimmune biomarkers and muscle morphometry were examined.
The researchers noted that: “An increase in the dietary\r\ntaurine incorporation resulted in progressive increases in the growth metrics”\r\nwith the fish given the highest level of taurine increasing in size from 5 to\r\n22 grams over the 90-day trial – four grams more than the fish receiving the\r\ncontrol diet – while their protein productive value was 31 percent, compared to\r\n28 percent in the control.
On the flip side, the fish fed an additional 0.4 percent\r\ntaurine showed “significantly” reduced lipid levels - dropping to 7.8 percent\r\nin the fish fed this diet compared with 9.4 percent in the control fish.
The researchers found that other impacts caused by taurine\r\nsupplementation included elevated blood lymphocyte and monocyte counts and\r\nincreased serum phagocytic and lysozyme activities.
The researchers concluded that: "Taurine addition at 1%\r\n(T10 feed), the suggested level to boost growth, altered the dorsal muscle\r\ncellularity and myofibril ultrastructure, suggesting enhanced muscle function\r\nand firmness in comparison with that of the fish given the control feed."
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An abstract of the trial results, which has recently been\r\npublished in Aquaculture International, under the title “Is a taurine\r\nsupplement necessary in fishmeal-based feeds for juvenile European sea bass\r\n(Dicentrarchus labrax)?” is available here.
Source: The Fish Site
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Tim Minapoli
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Pakar di bidang akuakultur dengan pengalaman lebih dari 15 tahun. Aktif berkontribusi dalam pengembangan industri perikanan Indonesia.