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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Aberdeen, Idaho » Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #295559
Title: Taurine supplemented plant protein based diets with alternative lipid sources for juvenile sea bream, sparus aurata

Author
item WATSON, A - University Of Maryland
item Barrows, Frederic
item PLACE, A - University Of Maryland

Submitted to: Journal of fisheries and Aquaculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/30/2013
Publication Date: 6/1/2013
Citation: Watson, A.M., Barrows, F., Place, A.R. 2013. Taurine supplemented plant protein based diets with alternative lipid sources for juvenile sea bream, sparus aurata. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Volume 4 Issue 1 2013.

Interpretive Summary: Gilthead sea bream were fed one of three fish meal free diets. The only difference in these diets was the source of lipid. Fish oil has been the primary source of energy and provides the heart healthy characteristics that fish is known to have. The supplies of fish oil are static and the demand is increasing, so alternatives to fish oil need to be explored. This study demonstrated that the fish have the fatty acids in their flesh in the same pattern as in the feed. Also other sources of these heart healthy fatty acids are effective in providing the fish its requirements, but are currently to costly to use on a large scale.

Technical Abstract: Two lipid sources were evaluated as fish oil replacements in fishmeal free, plant protein based diets for juvenile gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata. A twelve week feeding study was undertaken to examine the performance of fish fed the diets with different sources of essential fatty acids (canola oil with DHA, ARA and EPA, or fish oil) to access whole body and fillet fatty acid contents. A fish meal free diet with fish oil served as the control diet (ARS) and was compared to a diet with the fish oil replaced by either soy oil with a thraustochyrid meal (MSC) or a diet with canola oil with DHA, ARA and EPA (CO+EFA). A finishing period was also utilized in an attempt to recover a fish oil fatty acid profile in fillets of sea bream fed the diets with alternative lipid sources. Fish fed the MSC diet had a significantly greater growth rate than fish fed CO+EFA or ARS diets. Feed conversion ratios, protein efficiency ratio and hepatosomatic followed a similar pattern to growth. The fatty acid profile of the whole bodies and fillets reflected the diet that was fed. After the 6 week finishing period, the fatty acid profiles of all fish became more like the fish fed the ARS diet with fish oil.