Dietary taurine supplementation alters hepatic aminotransferase activities in yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata fed on soybean [Glycine max] protein diet

Juvenile yellowtail was fed on a diet containing soybean protein concentrate (SPC) supplemented with graded levels of taurine for 21 weeks, and the hepatic enzyme activities were determined. Fish fed the taurine unsupplemented SPC diet showed inferior growth performance with lower hepatic taurine level, but the dietary taurine improved the condition. Among the dietary treatments, no significant difference was observed in hepatic cholinesterase and leucine aminopeptidase activities. However, the increased dietary level of taurine significantly elevated hepatic aspartate and alanine aminotransferase activities. These data indicated the possibility that taurine enhanced the growth rate of yellowtail via improving amino acid metabolism.