ARS | Publication request: TAURINE SUPPLEMENTATION OF ALL-PLANT PROTEIN DIETS FOR RAINBOW TROUT ONCORHYNCHUS MYKISS.

Submitted to: Journal of the World Aquaculture Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 1, 2006
Publication Date: December 1, 2006
Citation: Gaylord, T.G., Teague, A.M., Barrows, F.T. 2006. Taurine supplementation of all-plant protein diets for rainbow trout oncorhynchus mykiss.. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. 37:509-517.

Technical Abstract: Taurine has been demonstrated to be conditionally essential in several species of fish. As rainbow trout are produced at increasingly faster growth rates and as the fishmeal content of diets are reduced, taurine may be a limiting nutrient in support of the elevated plane of growth. To address the potential for taurine supplementation in all-plant protein based diets for rainbow trout, a factorial design experiment was conducted utilizing diets with and without fishmeal protein. Two series of diets were formulated. One series of diets (fishmeal series) contained herring meal at 23% of the diet. The second series of diets (plant series) utilized no animal proteins and substituted soy protein concentrate for all of the fishmeal protein. To each of these diet series, taurine was supplemented at 0, 5, 10 and 15 g/kg dry diet. All diets were formulated to contain 43.8% crude protein and 20% lipid with an estimated physiological fuel value of 4.2 kcal/g. Fifteen fish were stocked in each of 24 tanks with a mean initial fish weight of approximately 26.8g per fish. Taurine supplementation improved growth, feed conversion ratios, protein retention efficiencies and energy retention efficiencies of fish fed the plant protein diets. No effects of taurine supplementation were observed for these response factors in fish fed the diets containing fishmeal. In conclusion, this data indicates that taurine is conditionally indispensable to trout fed plant-based feeds.