Aquaculture, the cultivation of aquatic organisms in controlled environments, plays a crucial role in meeting the growing global demand for seafood. One of the key players in this field is the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), widely cultivated worldwide.
A recent experiment conducted by scientists from Guangdong Ocean University, the Aquatic Animals Precision Nutrition and High-Efficiency Feed Engineering Research Centre of Guangdong Province, the Key Laboratory of Aquatic, Livestock, and Poultry Feed Science and Technology in South China, and the Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Aquatic Animals Disease Control and Healthy Culture, evaluated the effect of taurine supplementation in low-fishmeal diets on the growth, antioxidant capacity, immunity, and intestinal health of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.
The results of the study highlight how taurine supplementation in low-fishmeal diets can positively impact the growth, antioxidant capacity, immunity, and intestinal health of these shrimp.
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid with several important functions. In addition to promoting growth, taurine regulates glucose and lipid metabolism. Due to its unique structure, taurine also enhances resistance to oxidative stress and reduces the occurrence of inflammatory responses.
The Experiment
In this study, five different diets were formulated. The high-fishmeal diet (25% fishmeal) was designated as “HF,” while the other four diets replaced 15% of fishmeal with a mixture of soybean protein concentrate and Clostridium autoethanogenum protein (CAP). These diets were supplemented with taurine at concentrations of 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6%, identified as “LF,” “T1,” “T2,” and “T3,” respectively.
A total of 800 healthy shrimp (0.32 ± 0.00 g) were randomly allocated into five groups, with four replicates per group and 40 shrimp per replicate. Over 51 days, the shrimp were fed four times a day.
Promising Results
The study results revealed no significant differences in the weight gain rate and survival among the groups. However, dietary taurine supplementation significantly improved the antioxidant capacity of the shrimp.
Compared to the LF group, the mRNA expression of alf (anti-lipopolysaccharide factor) and cru (crustins) in the HF group was significantly up-regulated. Additionally, the mRNA expression of pen3 (penaeidin 3) in the T1, T2, and T3 groups increased significantly compared to the HF and LF groups. The mRNA expression of dorsal in the T2 group also increased significantly.
Furthermore, the mRNA expression of bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma-2) in the T2 group exceeded that of the other groups. In the LF group, the mRNA expression of cyt-c (cytochrome c) increased significantly compared to the other groups. Additionally, the mRNA expression of tnf-a (tumor necrosis factor-alpha) in the HF, T2, and T3 groups decreased significantly compared to the LF group.
In the HF group and the T2 group, the mRNA expression of caspase8 decreased significantly compared to the other groups. In the T1 group, the mRNA expression of caspase3 decreased significantly compared to the LF group.
Improved Intestinal Health
H&E stained sections of the intestine showed that taurine supplementation improved the height of mucosal folds, width, and thickness of the muscular layer.
Conclusion
In summary, dietary taurine supplementation has demonstrated a positive impact on the antioxidant capacity, immunity, and intestinal health of cultivated shrimp. The optimal supplement dosage appears to be 0.4%.
These findings open new doors in the quest for sustainable and effective aquaculture practices, which could significantly contribute to the production of healthy, high-quality shrimp.
Reference (Open Access)
Menglin Shi, Xinzhou Yao, Kangyuan Qu, Yucheng Liu, Beiping Tan, Shiwei Xie. Effects of taurine supplementation in low fishmeal diet on growth, immunity and intestinal health of Litopenaeus vannamei, Aquaculture Reports, Volume 32, 2023, 101713, ISSN 2352-5134, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aqrep.2023.101713
