Taste receptor stimulation and feeding behaviour in the puffer, Fugu pardalis. II. Effects produced by mixtures of constituents of clam extracts

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The effects of extracts of short-necked clam, Tapes japonica, as feeding stimulants on the puffer, Fugu pardalis, were studied by applying the constituents of the extracts in starch pellets. As observed elsewhere (Hidaka et al., 1978), the starch pellet containing all the constituents found in the clam extracts (Konosu et al., 1965), except homarine and choline, at the same concentration ratios as in the clam tissue was taken up by the fish. Omission tests on the chemical constituents suggested that the palatability of the clam pellet might be largely produced by some amino acids and betaine: Pellets containing alanine, glycine, proline, serine plus betaine were nearly as effective as those containing all the extractive compounds except homarine and choline. Mixtures free of either the above amino acids or betaine tested were all less effective. The nucleotides and related substances and organic acids detected in the clam extracts had no appreciable effect except that a mixture of all of them was weakly accepted by adding betaine to it. The other amino acids found in the extracts appear to be ineffective.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: