Effect of dietary taurine supplementation on growth performance of yellowtail juveniles Seriola quinqueradiata

The effect of taurine on growth of yellowtail juveniles Seriola quinqueradiata was investigated by a feeding experiment of diets containing various taurine levels. Test diets supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% of taurine were prepared. These diets were fed to yellowtail juveniles with an initial mean body weight of 0.5 g for 6 weeks. Supplementation of taurine in the diet of yellowtail improved their growth performance significantly (P < 0.05) over the initial 3-week period. The fish fed with the taurine-supplemented diet improved in percent gain and feed efficiency over both 3 and 6 weeks. Taurine content in the muscle proportionally increased with the dietary taurine level. The fish fed without supplemented taurine diet showed higher contents of serine in the muscle. With each increase in the inclusion level of taurine content in the diet, the concentration of serine in the muscle decreased. The cystathionine content in the muscle of each group was unchanged. These results suggest that taurine supplementation in the diet not only improves growth but also affects the sulfur amino acid metabolism of yellowtail juveniles.