Probiotics for cultured freshwater fish

Authors: MELO-BOLÍVAR, JAVIER - Universidad De La Sabana; RUIZ-PARDO, RUTH - Universidad De La Sabana; Hume, Michael; SIDJABAT, HANNA - University Of Queensland; VILLAMIL-DIAZ, LUISA - Universidad De La Sabana

Submitted to: Microbiology Australia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/4/2020
Publication Date: 6/2/2020
Citation: Melo-Bolívar, J.F., Ruiz-Pardo, R.Y., Hume, M.E., Sidjabat, H.E., Villamil-Diaz, L.M. 2020. Probiotics for cultured freshwater fish. Microbiology Australia. 41(2):105-108. https://doi.org/10.1071/MA20026.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/MA20026

Interpretive Summary: Aquaculture is increasingly gaining importance because of good-quality products that offer plentiful and high-quality nutrition. An alternative to the use of antibiotics in fish culture is the administration of probiotic bacteria, which provides multiple benefits to fish, such as growth promotion, inhibition of pathogen colonization, and improvement of nutrient digestion, water quality, and stress tolerance, as well as enhanced reproduction quality. In the case of aquaculture ponds, probiotic bacteria have been documented to have numerous effects including the decomposition of organic matter, better algal growth, increase in oxygen availability, decrease in blue-green algae growth, reduced infectious disease incidence, and improved fish production. Probiotic microorganisms are a healthier and more sustainable approach for the environment, in comparison to antibiotics, in reducing the loss of fish from disease outbreaks or as growth promoters. The manuscript documents trends in the development of probiotic bacteria to enhance growth and health in cultured fish. The work is of interest to aquaculture probiotic researchers and producers.

Technical Abstract: In the next century, the world population is going to exceed 10.9 billion people. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), fish culture is the fastest-growing food industry. For this reason, aquaculture is increasingly gaining importance because of good-quality products that offer proper nutrition with high contents of minerals (iodine, selenium, zinc, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium), vitamins (A, D, and group B), omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In 2017, the world produced more than 150 million tons of fish, with China being the largest producer country with 4 million tons of total product. By 2030, it is expected that close to 62% of consumed fish will come from aquaculture and 38% from wild-caught fishing. However, one of the main difficulties in the commercial cultivation of aquatic organisms is the appearance of infectious diseases that hampers industry sustainability. Several researchers and producers point to disease as the leading cause of losses in production and economic resources. An alternative to the use of antibiotics is the administration of probiotic bacteria, which provide multiple benefits to fish, such as: growth promotion, inhibition of pathogen colonization, and improvement of nutrient digestion, water quality, and stress tolerance, as well as enhancement of reproduction. In the case of aquaculture ponds, probiotic bacteria have been documented to have numerous effects and may contribute to the decomposition of organic matter, better algal growth, decrease in blue-green algae, increase in oxygen availability, decrease in blue-green algae growth, reduced infectious disease incidence, and improved fish production.