title: Dietary inclusion level and time effects of taurine on broiler performance, meat quality, oxidative status and muscle taurine content.
abstract: Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of taurine on growth performance, meat quality, oxidative status and muscle taurine content in broilers. In Experiment 1, 50 one-day-old male Cobb chicks were given a diet supplemented with 0, 0.125, 0.50, 2.00 or 8.00 g/kg taurine from 1 to 42 d of age. In Experiment 2, 80 22-d-old male Cobb chicks were given a diet supplemented with 4.00 g/kg taurine for 0, 1, 2 or 3 weeks. Taurine contents of thigh and breast muscle increased linearly with increasing dietary taurine. Taurine supplementation for 1, 2 and 3 weeks significantly increased the taurine content of breast muscle. The taurine contents of liver and thigh meat were significantly increased by taurine supplementation for 3 weeks. The taurine contents of thigh and breast meat from broilers given a diet supplemented with 4 g/kg taurine for 3 weeks increased to 1.89 times the concentrations of the control group. There were no detrimental effects on growth performance, breast or thigh muscle yield, pH value or drip-water loss, and taurine supplementation did not affect the serum carbonyl content. Serum malondialdehyde concentration was significantly decreased by taurine supplementation for 1, 2 or 3 weeks.
authors.affiliation: a State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology , China Agricultural University , Beijing 100193 , People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: C X
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D013654:Taurine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D013654:Taurine