Dietary supplementation to a plant-based diet for Atlantic salmon

The study evaluated effects of dietary cholesterol (CH), taurocholate (TC), choline (CN) and taurine (TA) in Atlantic salmon fed a plant based diet for 77 days. The additives did not affect growth or organ weights of Atlantic salmon, but promoted induction of cholesterol and plant sterol efflux in the intestine, whereas sterol uptake was suppressed. Microarray analyses in the liver indicated decreased cholesterol biosynthesis and enhanced conversion to bile acids. The marked effect of cholesterol on bile acid synthesis suggests that dietary cholesterol can be used to stimulate bile acid synthesis in fish. The study clearly demonstrated how Atlantic salmon adjusted metabolic functions in response to the dietary load of cholesterol, and has expanded our understanding of sterol metabolism and turnover that adds to the knowledge of these processes in fish. Feed supplementation with choline improved lipid absorption and suppressed abnormal accumulation of fat in the gut. Atlantic salmon received feeds based on plant ingredients with (CH, TC, CN and TA) and without (K) supplementation. Liver samples were collected after 77 days. Five individuals from each group were analyzed with microarrays, pooled liver sample of salmon fed with commerical fish meal based feed was used as a reference.