Dietary taurine improved growth performance, nutrient utilization, and antioxidant enzyme activities in pangasius <scp> <i>Pangasianodon hypophthalmus</i> </scp>

Taurine is a ? sulphonic amino acid and conditionally essential for many fish species. In the present study, effect of dietary taurine (tau) on Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fry (initial mean weight 0.8 ± 0.6 g) was evaluated by feeding six isonitrogenous (370 g/kg crude protein) isolipidic (100 lipid) casein-based purified diets with graded levels tau at 0 (basal diet), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 feed. Fish were randomly stocked in triplicate groups 100 L plastic tubs fed to apparent satiation over two feedings 10.00 16.00 hr daily 45 days. Final weight, gain, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio improved significantly (p < .05) increasing up 15 feed plateaued thereafter. Whole-body content did not change beyond feed, but carcass lipid decreased. The group exhibited higher superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione s-transferase activity. According findings this optimum P. estimated be 15.05–16.31 as per broken-line regression analysis based gain nutrient utilization against taurine.