TAURINE SUPPLEMENTATION IN HOUSEFLY MAGGOT MEAL-BASED DIETS ON FEEDING, GROWTH PERFORMANCE, AND MUSCLE QUALITY OF MANDARIN FISH (SINIPERCA CHUATSI)

This study investigated the effects of dietary taurine (Tau) supplementation in housefly maggot meal (HMM)-based diets used as a fishmeal replacement on feeding behavior, growth performance, and muscle quality of mandarin fish (<italic>Siniperca chuatsi</italic>), and further evaluated the application potential of HMM and taurine in aquafeed. Based on an iso-nitrogenous design, three diets were formulated: a control diet without HMM (Con), a diet with 18% fishmeal replaced by HMM (HMM), and an HMM diet supplemented with 1% taurine (HMM+Tau). Fish were reared for 8 weeks. Results showed that the feeding rate was significantly lower in the HMM group than that in the other two groups (<italic>P</italic>&lt;0.05), whereas no significant difference between the Con and HMM+Tau groups (<italic>P</italic>&gt;0.05). The relative expression levels of <italic>npy</italic> and <italic>ghrelin</italic> were significantly upregulated in the HMM+Tau group (<italic>P</italic>&lt;0.05). In contrast, <italic>pomca</italic> expression was significantly downregulated in both the HMM and HMM+Tau groups compared with the Con group (<italic>P</italic>&lt;0.05). No significant differences were observed in growth performance or feed utilization among treatments. Replacing fishmeal with HMM did not significantly affect the muscle proximate composition, but it significantly increased the muscle amino acid content (<italic>P</italic>&lt;0.05). Arachidonic acid (ARA) content in the Con group was significantly lower than that in the other two groups (<italic>P</italic>&lt;0.05), while eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content in the HMM group was significantly lower than that in the Con and HMM+Tau groups (<italic>P</italic>&lt;0.05). Sensory evaluation indicated that bitterness and umami-aftertaste were significantly higher in the HMM and HMM+Tau groups compared with the Con group (<italic>P</italic>&lt;0.05), whereas umami and saltiness were significantly lower (<italic>P</italic>&lt;0.05). However, no significant difference in umami-aftertaste was found between the two HMM-based groups (<italic>P</italic>&gt;0.05). In addition, collagen content in muscle was significantly higher in the HMM and HMM+Tau groups than that in the Con group (<italic>P</italic>&lt;0.05). In conclusion, HMM can serve as a high-quality alternative protein source to replace fishmeal without adversely affecting the growth or feed utilization of mandarin fish, while taurine supplementation can promote feed intake and optimize muscle quality.