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Aquaculture Nutrition: Gut Health, Probiotics, and Prebiotics

Clarence Brooks

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Aquaculture Nutrition: Gut Health, Probiotics and Prebiotics

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Aquaculture, the farming of aquatic organisms, is a rapidly growing industry that is essential for meeting the increasing global demand for seafood. As aquaculture practices intensify, it becomes increasingly important to ensure the health and well-being of the farmed organisms. One of the most important factors for maintaining fish and shellfish health is gut health.

Gut Health in Aquaculture

The gut is a complex ecosystem that plays a vital role in the health of fish and shellfish. It is responsible for digesting food, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste. A healthy gut also helps to protect the animal from pathogens. In aquaculture, gut health can be compromised by a number of factors, including:

Poor water quality
Improper nutrition
Disease
Stress

When gut health is compromised, fish and shellfish can become more susceptible to disease, have reduced growth rates, and have impaired reproductive performance. Therefore, it is essential to take steps to maintain gut health in aquaculture.

Probiotics and Prebiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when consumed in adequate amounts, provide a health benefit to the host. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that promote the growth or activity of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Both probiotics and prebiotics have been shown to improve gut health in fish and shellfish.

Probiotics

Probiotics can improve gut health in fish and shellfish by:

Producing antimicrobial substances that inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria
Competing with pathogenic bacteria for nutrients and attachment sites
Stimulating the immune system
Producing enzymes that help to digest food

A number of studies have shown that probiotics can improve growth rates, survival rates, and disease resistance in fish and shellfish. For example, a study published in the journal Aquaculture found that probiotics improved growth rates in rainbow trout by 10%. Another study, published in the journal Fish & Shellfish Immunology, found that probiotics reduced mortality from a bacterial infection in oysters by 50%.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics can improve gut health in fish and shellfish by:

Providing a food source for beneficial bacteria
Stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria
Improving the absorption of nutrients
Reducing the production of harmful metabolites

A number of studies have shown that prebiotics can improve growth rates, survival rates, and disease resistance in fish and shellfish. For example, a study published in the journal Aquaculture Nutrition found that prebiotics improved growth rates in Atlantic salmon by 5%. Another study, published in the journal Fish & Shellfish Immunology, found that prebiotics reduced mortality from a viral infection in shrimp by 25%.

Probiotics and prebiotics are valuable tools for improving gut health in fish and shellfish. By improving gut health, these supplements can help to improve growth rates, survival rates, and disease resistance. As a result, probiotics and prebiotics are becoming increasingly popular in aquaculture, and they are expected to play an increasingly important role in the future of the industry.

References

Verschuere, L., Rombaut, G., Sorgeloos, P., & Verstraete, W. (2000). Probiotic bacteria as biological control agents in aquaculture. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 64(4),655-671.
Ringø, E., & Gatesoupe, F. J. (2017). Lactic acid bacteria in fish and shellfish: Probiotics and prebiotics. In Lactic acid bacteria: applications in industries of fermentation (pp. 375-411). CRC Press.
Gatesoupe, F. J. (2019). Probiotics and prebiotics in aquaculture: Recent developments and future perspectives. Aquaculture International, 27(1),1-25.

Aquaculture Nutrition: Gut Health, Probiotics and Prebiotics

5 out of 5