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Taurine content in foods

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  • Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias en Ciencias y Humanidades

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TAURINE CONTENT IN FOODS H. Pasantes-Morales, O. Quesada, L. Alcocer and R. Sánchez-Olea Nutrition Reports International, Vol. 4, No 4, 1989. The taurine content of foods including fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, cereals, meat, seafood, and dairy products was examined in this study. The highest concentration of taurine was found in clams and octopus (41.4 μmoles/g and 31.2 μmoles/g) followed by shrimp and fish (12.4 μmoles/g and 9.1 μmoles/g). Beef, pork and lamb meet contain taurine in concentration ranging 3.5-4.0 μmoles/g. Taurine concentration in chicken leg was 6.6 μmoles/g and in chicken breast was 1.4 μmoles/g. No taurine was found was found either in hen eggs (yolk or white) or in dairy products or in honey. Taurine was undetectable in fruits and vegetables. From the seeds, cereals and grains examined, rice, wheat, barley, sesame seed, coffee and cacao, contains no taurine. Pumpkin seeds contain 13.5 nmoles/g, black beans 9.2 nmoles/g, horse beans 12.9, and chick peas 18.7 nmoles/g. No taurine was detected in peanuts. Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, and pine nuts contained taurine in concentrations ranging 15-46 nmoles/g. Pistachios contained very low concentrations of taurine (4.9 nmoles/g). Al analyses were carried out in uncooked samples. The interest of these results is considered in terms of reported evidences on the deleterious consequences of taurine deficiency in animals and humans.
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... Taurine shows numerous physiological functions (osmotic pressure regulation, protection of cells against free radicals, influence on the development of the brain and the retina), it is also beneficial for cardiac muscle operation (Pasantes -Morales et al., 1990). ...
... influenced by legumes. Taurine is synthesized in mammalian organisms from sulphur amino acids, methionine and cysteine (Pasantes-Morales et al., 1990;Kulasek et al., 2004;Marušić et al., 2013). In the present experiment, the higher taurine content was perhaps influenced by the elevated supply of these amino acids in the mixes, through the increasing contribution of (pea) seeds in the nutrition in experiment I, groups E1-E4 vs C. Post-extraction soybean meal was the sole protein source in the control mix (present study). ...
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... Some types of meat, e.g. rabbit and poultry, are low in taurine (Pasantes-Morales et al. 1989), and high-fiber diets may contribute to the development of taurine deficiencies because certain sources of fiber (for example, legumes) have a reducing effect on the concentration of this amino acid (Bohn 2020). It is found in pork meat 78.3 mg taurine/100 g DM (corresponding to 23.2 mg/100 g fresh weight) (Marušić et al. 2013). ...
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This review aims to provide an overview of the nutritional values and the possibility of pig meat (muscle longissimus lumborum) in dogs and cats nutrition based on a review of scientific literature. Pork is the most common consumed meat both in Poland and in the world. The expanding body of information concerning factors effecting impacts on pork quality was reviewed. Pork is considered valuable due to the content of high-quality proteins, fat and fatty acids, minerals, and other bioactive compounds. The content of these components depends on many factors, including breed, genetic factors, age, but also on the animal's nutrition. The established views on pork are verified and confirmed by research that the nutritional and health-promoting value of this meat has significantly improved in recent years.
... Taurine is found in small quantities in meat and in relatively large quantities in seafood, but not in eggs or milk. Non-animal foods contain only a trace of taurine [3,9] and consequently, vegetarians and vegans have low levels of taurine. Taurine, in daily doses of 2,000 to 3,000 mg, is useful in treating thrombocyte aggregation that can occur following COVID infections and vaccinations. ...
... It is a non essential but conditionally essential amino acids present in our human body. It has many important roles in essential biological process such as bile acid conjugation, calcium modulation, immunity and membrane stabilization [39]. It has beneficial anti-hypercholesteronic, antihypertensitive and anti-inflammatory effects on life style related diseases. ...
... It's a non-essential amino acid, thus not incorporated in macromolecule formation. Though, this is important in several physiological processes, particular mechanisms are not totally elucidated (Pasantes-Morales et al. 1989). Taurine exhibits skeletal muscle strengthening through its role in the excitation-contraction coupling. ...
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... Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a free amino acid found abundantly in mammalian tissues (Lubec et al. 1997), particularly in excitable tissues, such as the brain, cardiac, and skeletal muscles (Schaffer et al. 2010;Huxtable 1992). Regarding food nutrition, taurine abounds in seafood and poultry (Stacchiotti et al. 2018;Pasantes-Morales et al. 1989) and is also added to various energy drinks, generally at a concentration of ~ 1000 mg per 250 mL serving (De Luca et al. 2015;Peacock et al. 2013). ...
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Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a free amino acid found abundantly in mammalian tissues. Increasing evidence suggests that taurine plays a role in the maintenance of skeletal muscle function and increase of exercise capacity. Most energy drinks contain this amino acid; however, there is insufficient research on the effects of long-term, low-dose supplementation of taurine. In this study, we investigated the effects of long-term administration of taurine at low doses on aging in rodents. In Experiment 1, we examined age-related changes in aging Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats (32–92 weeks old) that O2 consumption and spontaneous activity decreased significantly with aging. In Experiment 2, we examined the effects of long-term (21-week) administration of taurine on healthy aging SD rats. SD rats were stabilized for 32–34 weeks and divided into three groups, administrated water (control), 0.5% taurine (25 mg/kg body weight (BW)/day), or 1% taurine (50 mg/kg BW/day) from age 34 to 56 weeks (5 days/week, 5 mL/kg BW). Our findings suggest that long-term administration of taurine at relatively low dose could attenuate the age-related decline in O2 consumption and spontaneous locomotor activity. Upon intestinal absorption, taurine might modulate age-related changes in respiratory metabolism and skeletal muscle function via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), cytochrome c (Cycs), myocyte enhancer factor 2A (MEF2A), glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), and myoglobin, which are regulated by the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). This article examines the mechanism underlying the effects of taurine on age-related changes, which may have potential clinical implications.
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Chapter
Taurine (β-amino acid ethane sulfonic acid; TAU) is a sulfur-containing amino acid abundant in the human body. Although TAU does not corporate in the protein structure, many vital physiological properties have been attributed to this amino acid. TAU could be synthesized endogenously in hepatocytes or come from nutritional sources. It has been found that the source of body TAU varies significantly between different species. For instance, some species such as foxes and felines are entirely dependent on the nutritional sources of TAU. On the other hand, TAU is readily synthesized in the liver of animals such as rats and dogs. The TAU synthesis capability of the human liver is negligible, and we receive this amino acid from food sources. The distribution of TAU also greatly varies between various tissues. Skeletal muscle and the heart tissue contain a very high concentration of TAU. At subcellular levels, mitochondria are the primary targets for TAU compartmentalization. It has been found that TUA also entered the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum. The current chapter discusses the synthetic process and dietary sources of TAU. Then, the transition of TAU to sub-cellular compartments will be addressed. Finally, the importance of TAU homeostasis in the pathogenesis of human disease is mentioned.
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This study conducted an 8-week feeding trial to evaluate the effects of taurine supplementation in a high-carbohydrate diet on the growth performance, plasma biochemical indexes and glucose metabolism of hybrid grouper (♀ Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × ♂ E. lanceolatus). Six iso-nitrogenous (45.94 %) and iso-lipidic (8.71 %) diets were formulated containing 20 % carbohydrates (positive control group, PC) and 30 % carbohydrates (negative control group, NC), and were supplemented with 0.4 % (T1), 0.8 % (T2), 1.2 % (T3) of 1.6 % (T4) taurine on the basis of the PC diet. Five hundred forty fish (initial body weight 12.10 ± 0.30 g) were randomly distributed among the six treatments with triplicate groups of 30 fish in each treatment. The results showed that, compared with the PC, fish fed the NC diet significantly decreased the weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR), the level of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) in the liver, the activities of trypsin and α-amylase (AMS) in the intestine, and the activity of glucokinase (GK) in the liver. Under taurine supplementation, the highest significant values of WGR and SGR were found at the T3. The optimal taurine requirements in the 30 % carbohydrate diet were found to be 1.31 %, 1.31 % and 1.05 % based on WGR, SGR and feed coefficient rate (FCR), respectively. Compared with the NC, significantly higher activities of intestinal trypsin and AMS were found in the T1-T4. Hybrid grouper fed the T3 diet showed the significantly highest levels of plasma insulin and triglycerides. Significant increase in GK activity in the liver occurred under taurine supplementation above 0.8 %. Hepatocyte oil-red O and hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that 0.4 %∼1.2 % taurine supplementation could release hepatocyte fat deposition and maintain hepatocyte structure. Therefore, taurine enhances intestinal digestive function and regulates glycolipid metabolic to improve the utilization of dietary carbohydrates, thus promoting the growth of hybrid grouper.
Article
An electrophoretic method (on-line coupled capillary isotachophoresis and capillary zone electrophoresis) with conductometric detection for the determination of free taurine in selected food and feed is described. Taurine is converted to isethionic acid by van Slyke method. Under optimized conditions (leading electrolyte: 5 mM HCl, 10 mM glycylglycine, and 0.05% 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose solution, pH 3.2; terminating electrolyte: 10 mM citric acid; background electrolyte: 50 mM acetic acid, 20 mM glycylglycine, and 0.1% 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose solution, pH 3.7), isethionic acid is separated from other sample components in anionic mode and detected using a conductimeter within 15 minutes. The performance method characteristics, such as linearity (25 – 1250 ng/mL), accuracy (99 ± 9%), repeatability (3.9%), reproducibility (4.3%), limits of detection (3 ng/mL) and quantification (10 ng/mL) were evaluated. By analysing 20 food and pet food samples the method was proved suitable for routine analysis. High sensitivity and selectivity, short analysis time and low costs are significant features of the presented method.
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