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Amino Acid Supplementation in Fish Nutrition and Welfare
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Amino Acid Supplementation in Fish Nutrition and Welfare

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Aquatic Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 August 2024 | Viewed by 14533

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cláudia Aragão

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Guest Editor
CCMAR, Universidade do Algarve Campus de Gambelas, edf 7, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: aquaculture; nutrition; amino acids; taurine; alternative ingredients; feed additives; fish welfare
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sofia Engrola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CCMAR, Universidade do Algarve-Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: aquaculture; nutrition; growth; protein metabolism; feeding strategies; animal robustness; fish larvae; feed additives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Benjamín Costas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
Interests: nutritional immunology; functional feeds; amino acids; sustainable aquaculture; animal welfare
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein synthesis, thus representing the foundations for growth. In recent years, their importance as regulators of key metabolic functions has been acknowledged. The aquaculture industry has grown exponentially, always facing several challenges toward more sustainable production. Nutrition is key for achieving this goal and amino acids play a fundamental role, as a strategy to balance the profile of alternative protein sources or as functional ingredients to increase fish robustness and resilience.

In this Special Issue, we invite contributions focusing on the use of amino acids for fish and shrimp nutrition, at all developmental stages, in the following research topics:

  • Amino acid metabolism and requirements;
  • Amino acids as promoters of fish/shrimp performance and robustness;
  • Use of non-proteinogenic amino acids (such as taurine, ornithine, hydroxyproline, etc.) in fish nutrition;
  • Impacts of amino acids on the stress response and immunological, antioxidant, and health status.

This Special Issue intends to gather recent and relevant articles focusing on up-to-date and comprehensive research on this subject that is so relevant to guarantee the sustainable growth of Aquaculture.

Dr. Cláudia Aragão
Dr. Sofia Engrola
Dr. Benjamín Costas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • amino acid metabolism
  • amino acid requirements
  • amino acid nutrition
  • amino acid supplements
  • non-proteinogenic amino acids
  • taurine
  • amino acids and immunological status
  • amino acids and antioxidant status
  • amino acids and stress response
  • amino acids and health

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1177 KiB  
Article
Effect of Tryptophan Dietary Content on Meagre, Argyrosomus regius, Juveniles Stress and Behavioral Response
by Ana Vasconcelos, Marta C. Soares, Marisa Barata, Ana Couto, Bárbara Teixeira, Laura Ribeiro, Pedro Pousão-Ferreira, Rogério Mendes and Margarida Saavedra
Animals 2023, 13(24), 3762; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13243762 - 06 Dec 2023
Viewed by 716
Abstract
There are a high number of stressors present in aquaculture that can affect fish welfare and quality. One way of mitigating stress response is by increasing dietary tryptophan. In this study, three diets containing 0.5% (Tript1), 0.6% (Tript2), and 0.8% (Tript3) of tryptophan [...] Read more.
There are a high number of stressors present in aquaculture that can affect fish welfare and quality. One way of mitigating stress response is by increasing dietary tryptophan. In this study, three diets containing 0.5% (Tript1), 0.6% (Tript2), and 0.8% (Tript3) of tryptophan were tested in 32 g juvenile meagre for 56 days. At the end of the trial, survival, growth, and proximate composition were similar between treatments. Significant differences were found in the plasma parameters before and after a stress test consisting of 30 s of air exposure. Blood glucose levels were higher in the post-stress for all treatments (e.g., 63.9 and 76.7 mg/dL for Tript1 before and after the stress test), and the hemoglobin values were lower in the post-stress of Tript1 (1.9 g/dL compared to 3.0 and 2.4 g/dL for Tript2 and Tript3, respectively). In terms of behavior, three tests were carried out (novel tank diving and shoaling assays, and lateralization test), but no significant differences were found, except for the number of freezing episodes during the anxiety test (1.4 for Tript3 compared to 3.5 and 4.2 for the other treatments). This study suggests that supplementation with dietary tryptophan, particularly in higher dosage (0.8%), can reduce anxiety-like behavior in meagre exposure to acute stress (novel tank). Although the remaining results showed mild effects, they provide some clues as to the potential of this amino acid as a stress mitigator in aquaculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Amino Acid Supplementation in Fish Nutrition and Welfare)
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13 pages, 2703 KiB  
Article
Tryptophan and Cortisol Modulate the Kynurenine and Serotonin Transcriptional Pathway in the Kidney of Oncorhynchus kisutch
by Luis Vargas-Chacoff, Daniela Nualart, Carolina Vargas-Lagos, Francisco Dann, José Luis Muñoz and Juan Pablo Pontigo
Animals 2023, 13(22), 3562; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13223562 - 18 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 728
Abstract
Aquaculture fish are kept for long periods in sea cages or tanks. Consequently, accumulated stress causes the fish to present serious problems with critical economic losses. Fish food has been supplemented to reduce this stress, using many components as amino acids such as [...] Read more.
Aquaculture fish are kept for long periods in sea cages or tanks. Consequently, accumulated stress causes the fish to present serious problems with critical economic losses. Fish food has been supplemented to reduce this stress, using many components as amino acids such as tryptophan. This study aims to determine the transcriptional effect of tryptophan and cortisol on primary cell cultures of salmon head and posterior kidney. Our results indicate activation of the kynurenine pathway and serotonin activity when stimulated with tryptophan and cortisol. An amount of 95% of tryptophan is degraded by the kynurenine pathway, indicating the relevance of knowing how this pathway is activated and if stress levels associated with fish culture trigger its activation. Additionally, it is essential to know the consequence of increasing kynurenic acid “KYNA” levels in the short and long term, and even during the fish ontogeny. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Amino Acid Supplementation in Fish Nutrition and Welfare)
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23 pages, 5672 KiB  
Article
Taurine Supplementation to Plant-Based Diets Improves Lipid Metabolism in Senegalese Sole
by Cláudia Aragão, Rita Teodósio, Rita Colen, Nadège Richard, Ivar Rønnestad, Jorge Dias, Luís E. C. Conceição and Laura Ribeiro
Animals 2023, 13(9), 1501; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13091501 - 28 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2919
Abstract
Taurine is a sulphur-containing amino acid with important physiological roles and a key compound for the synthesis of bile salts, which are essential for the emulsion and absorption of dietary lipids. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of taurine supplementation to low-fishmeal [...] Read more.
Taurine is a sulphur-containing amino acid with important physiological roles and a key compound for the synthesis of bile salts, which are essential for the emulsion and absorption of dietary lipids. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of taurine supplementation to low-fishmeal diets on the metabolism of taurine, bile acids, and lipids of Senegalese sole. A fishmeal (FM) and a plant-protein-based (PP0) diet were formulated, and the latter was supplemented with taurine at 0.5 and 1.5% (diets PP0.5 and PP1.5). Diets were assigned to triplicate tanks containing 35 fish (initial weight ~14 g) for 6 weeks. Fish from the PP0 treatment presented lower taurine and bile-acid concentrations compared with the FM treatment, and a downregulation of cyp7a1 and abcb11 was observed. Triolein catabolism decreased in PP0-fed fish, resulting in increased hepatic fat content and plasma triglycerides, while no effects on plasma cholesterol were observed. Taurine supplementation to plant-based diets resulted in a higher taurine accumulation in fish tissues, increased bile-acid concentration, and upregulation of cyp7a1 and abcb11. Hepatic fat content and plasma triglycerides decreased with increasing dietary taurine supplementation. Taurine supplementation mitigated part of the negative effects of plant-based diets, leading to better lipid utilisation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Amino Acid Supplementation in Fish Nutrition and Welfare)
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13 pages, 315 KiB  
Article
Health-Promoting Additives Supplemented in Inert Microdiets for Whiteleg Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) Post-Larvae: Effects on Growth, Survival, and Health Status
by André Barreto, Diogo Peixoto, Carlos Fajardo, Wilson Pinto, Rui J. M. Rocha, Luís E. C. Conceição and Benjamín Costas
Animals 2023, 13(4), 726; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040726 - 17 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2287
Abstract
Dietary additives have the potential to stimulate the whiteleg shrimp immune system, but information is scarce on their use in diets for larval/post-larval stages. The potential beneficial effects of vitamins C and E, β-glucans, taurine, and methionine were evaluated. Four experimental microdiets [...] Read more.
Dietary additives have the potential to stimulate the whiteleg shrimp immune system, but information is scarce on their use in diets for larval/post-larval stages. The potential beneficial effects of vitamins C and E, β-glucans, taurine, and methionine were evaluated. Four experimental microdiets were tested: a positive control diet (PC); the PC with decreased levels of vitamin C and E as negative control (NC); the PC with increased taurine and methionine levels (T + M); and the PC supplemented with β-glucans (BG). No changes in growth performance and survival were observed. However, post-larvae shrimp fed the NC had lower relative expressions of pen-3 than those fed the PC, suggesting that lower levels of vitamins C and E may impact the shrimp immune status. Lipid peroxidation levels dropped significantly in the BG compared to the PC, indicating that β-glucans improved the post-larvae antioxidant mechanisms. Furthermore, when compared with the NC diet, PL fed with BG showed significant increases in tGSH levels and in the relative expression of crus and pen-3, suggesting a synergistic effect between vitamins C and E and β-glucans. Amongst the additives tested, β-glucans seems to be the most promising even when compared to a high-quality control diet. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Amino Acid Supplementation in Fish Nutrition and Welfare)
12 pages, 292 KiB  
Article
Effects of Dietary Glycine Supplementation on Growth Performance, Immunological, and Erythrocyte Antioxidant Parameters in Common Carp, Cyprinus carpio
by Marzieh Abbasi, Ali Taheri Mirghaed, Seyyed Morteza Hoseini, Hamid Rajabiesterabadi, Seyed Hossein Hoseinifar and Hien Van Doan
Animals 2023, 13(3), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13030412 - 26 Jan 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2269
Abstract
The effects of dietary glycine supplementation, 0 (control), 5 (5 GL), and 10 (10 GL) g/kg, have been investigated on growth performance, hematological parameters, erythrocyte antioxidant capacity, humoral and mucosal immunity in common carp, Cyprinus carpio. After eight weeks feeding, the 5 [...] Read more.
The effects of dietary glycine supplementation, 0 (control), 5 (5 GL), and 10 (10 GL) g/kg, have been investigated on growth performance, hematological parameters, erythrocyte antioxidant capacity, humoral and mucosal immunity in common carp, Cyprinus carpio. After eight weeks feeding, the 5 GL treatment exhibited significant improvement in growth performance and feed efficacy, compared to the control treatment. Red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, hemoglobin, hematocrit, neutrophil and monocyte counts/percentages, RBC reduced glutathione (GSH) content, and skin mucosal alkaline phosphatase, peroxidase, protease, and lysozyme activities were similar in the glycine-treated fish and significantly higher than the control treatment. Blood lymphocyte percentage decreased in the glycine-treated fish, but lymphocyte count increased, compared to the control fish. RBC glutathione reductase activities in the glycine-treated fish were similar and significantly lower than the control treatment. The highest plasma lysozyme and alternative complement activities were observed in GL treatment. The glycine-treated fish, particularly 5 GL, exhibited significant improvement in RBC osmotic fragility resistance. Dietary glycine had no significant effects on RBC glutathione peroxidase activity, plasma immunoglobulin, eosinophil percentage/count, and hematological indices. In conclusion, most of the benefits of dietary glycine supplementation may be mediated by increased glutathione synthesis and antioxidant power. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Amino Acid Supplementation in Fish Nutrition and Welfare)
18 pages, 619 KiB  
Article
Optimal Levels of Fish Meal and Methionine in Diets for Juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei to Support Maximum Growth Performance with Economic Efficiency
by Alberto J. P. Nunes and Karthik Masagounder
Animals 2023, 13(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010020 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1668
Abstract
This work investigated the optimal levels of fish meal (FML) and dietary methionine (Met) required for maximum growth performance of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei with economic efficiency. Four sets of diets were prepared to contain 0.00, 6.00, 12.00 and 18.00% FML. Each set was [...] Read more.
This work investigated the optimal levels of fish meal (FML) and dietary methionine (Met) required for maximum growth performance of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei with economic efficiency. Four sets of diets were prepared to contain 0.00, 6.00, 12.00 and 18.00% FML. Each set was supplemented with DL-methionyl-DL-methionine (DL-Met-Met) to result in a total dietary Met (Met + Cys) content of 0.58 (1.05), 0.69 (1.16), and 0.82% (1.29%), on a fed basis. Shrimp of 1.00 ± 0.08 g were stocked in 60 outdoor tanks of 1 m3 with 100 shrimp/m2, allowing five replications per dietary group. Shrimp in all the groups were fed 10 times daily for 70 days. In a subsequent trial, dietary protein and amino acid digestibility of four FML groups, but only at high dietary Met levels (~0.82%), were evaluated in 40 60 L indoor tanks (11 replicates per diet) for 93 days with 70 shrimp/m2. Final shrimp survival (92.85 ± 4.82%, mean ± standard deviation), weekly weight gain (1.17 ± 0.08 g), apparent feed intake (13.3 ± 0.5 g of feed per stocked shrimp), and feed conversion ratio (1.18 ± 0.06) were unaffected by dietary FML level and Met content. Gained yield was adversely affected when FML was reduced from 18 and 12% (1156 and 1167 g/m2, respectively) to 0 (1090 g/m2), but no change was observed at 6% (1121 g/m2). A significant interaction was detected between FML level and dietary Met. Under 0 and 6% FML conditions, higher levels of total dietary Met, 0.69 and 0.82%, respectively, were required to maximize shrimp BW. In comparison, at 12 and 18% FML, a dietary Met content of only 0.58% was sufficient. Overall, results indicated the use of FML can be minimized or completely eliminated without major detrimental effects on feed digestibility or shrimp growth performance, as long as proper supplementation of Met is carried out. Diets with 0 FML or with only 6% delivered the highest profit and return on investment compared to diets with higher levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Amino Acid Supplementation in Fish Nutrition and Welfare)
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Review

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15 pages, 341 KiB  
Review
Amino Acid Requirements for Nile Tilapia: An Update
by Wilson Massamitu Furuya, Thais Pereira da Cruz and Delbert Monroe Gatlin III
Animals 2023, 13(5), 900; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13050900 - 01 Mar 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2945
Abstract
This review aims to consolidate the relevant published data exploring the amino acid (AA) requirements of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, and to reach a new set of recommendations based on those data. There are still inconsistencies in lysine, sulfur-containing AA, threonine, tryptophan, [...] Read more.
This review aims to consolidate the relevant published data exploring the amino acid (AA) requirements of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, and to reach a new set of recommendations based on those data. There are still inconsistencies in lysine, sulfur-containing AA, threonine, tryptophan, branched-chain AA, and total aromatic AA recommendations in data that have appeared since 1988. This review finds that strain, size, basal diet composition, and assessment method may have contributed to the inconsistencies in AA recommendations. Currently, the expansion of precision AA nutrition diets for Nile tilapia is receiving more attention because of the demand for flexibility in widespread ingredient substitutions which will allow compliance with environmentally sustainable principles. Such approaches involve changes in diet ingredient composition with possible inclusions of non-bound essential and non-essential AAs. Increasing the inclusion of non-bound AAs into Nile tilapia diets may modify protein dynamics and influence AA requirements. Emerging evidence indicates that not only essential but also some non-essential amino acids regulate growth performance, fillet yield, and flesh quality, as well as reproductive performance, gut morphology, intestinal microbiota, and immune responses. Thus, this review considers current AA recommendations for Nile tilapia and proposes refinements that may better serve the needs of the tilapia industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Amino Acid Supplementation in Fish Nutrition and Welfare)
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