ISSN:
1365-2109
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Notes:
In order to clarify whether taurine is an essential element for larval and juvenile marine finfish, the taurine and cystathionine contents of Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, and red sea bream, Pagrus major, in the early life stages were measured. Initially, Japanese flounder larvae just after hatching, and larvae and juveniles having a total length (TL) of 11, 16, 26 and 75 mm were collected from a seedling production pond. The taurine content in the body decreased rapidly after 11 mm TL and remained low until the fish reached a TL of 75 mm. By contrast, the variations in cystathionine content were opposite to that of taurine. Mysids, which are fed to Japanese flounder until 100 mm TL, under natural condition have 7–8 times higher taurine contents than commercial diets. Fish fed mysid also have about 10 times higher taurine content in the body compared with fish fed a commercial diet.Larval red sea bream were fed a microparticle diet with or without added taurine during a 20-day feeding experiment (until 23 days after hatching). The taurine content in larval red sea bream decreased immediately after hatching. However, when the fish were fed a microparticle diet containing a high taurine content, together with rotifers, the fish had a high amount of taurine in the whole body. These results indicate that cystathionine is converted from methionine, but it cannot be synthesized to taurine. This experiment suggested that taurine might be an essential nutrient for larval and juvenile marine finfish.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1355-557x.2001.00021.x
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