Utilization of dietary sulfur compounds by fingerling channel catfish: L-methionine, DL-methionine, methionine hydroxy analogue, taurine and inorganic sulfate.

Sixteen isonitrogenous, isoenergetic diets were fed to fingerling channel catfish to study the efficacy of L-methionine, DL-methionine, methionine hydroxy analogue (OH-M), taurine and sodium sulfate. The basal diet contained casein and gelatin supplemented with crystalline L-amino acids to correspond to the amino acid pattern found in 24% crude protein from whole egg powder. The basal diet, containing 0.26% methionine was supplemented with graded levels of each of the sulfur sources on an isosulfurous basis. Growth and feed efficiency data indicate that channel catfish can utilize DL-methionine as effectively as L-methionine. OH-M was only about 26% as effective in promoting growth as L-methionine. No significant growth response was observed when taurine or inorganic sulfate was added to the basal diet.