Abstract
Taurine supplementation, to compensate for the reduction of fish meal (FM) in fish diets, has been the subject of numerous investigations. However, the taurine contents of FM-based diets are still lower than in diets of raw fish, even in diets where FM is the only protein source. In this study, the effect of taurine supplementation to commercial feed (containing 57% FM) on skin thickness and scale detachability in red sea bream Pagrus major was investigated. Three different levels of taurine were used: 0% taurine (control), 1% taurine (Tau-1%), and 2% taurine (Tau-2%). Red sea bream (average body weight, 107 g) were fed these diets for 60 days. No effects of taurine supplementation on growth and feeding efficiency were observed. However, skin thicknesses of fish from the Tau-1% and Tau-2% groups were significantly higher than for the control group, and scale detachability of the control group was significantly higher than for the Tau-1% and Tau-2% groups. These results suggested that taurine supplementation of commercial feed contributes little to growth performance, but does improve skin condition, in red sea bream.
