The aquaculture industry is geared toward intensification and successfully meets half of the world's demand for fish protein. The intensive farming system exposes the animal to the risk of disease outbreaks, which has economic consequences. Antibiotics are commonly used for the health management of aquaculture species. However, this has several drawbacks, including the increase in antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria and the entry of antibiotic residues into the human food chain, which is a public health and environmental concern. The potential of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and medicinal herbs as alternatives to antibiotics for the health management of aquaculture species has been investigated in numerous studies. This review discusses the potential use of combinations of probiotics and medicinal herbs as prophylactic agents in aquaculture, along with the definitions, sources, and modes of action. The positive aspects of combining probiotics and medicinal herbs on growth performance, the immune system, and disease resistance of aquaculture species are also highlighted. Overall, this review addresses the potential of combinations of probiotics and medicinal herbs as feed additives for aquaculture species and the key role of these feed additives in improving the welfare of aquaculture species.
Bacterial cellulose (BC) is recognized as a multifaceted, versatile biomaterial with abundant applications. Groups of microorganisms such as bacteria are accountable for BC synthesis through static or agitated fermentation processes in the presence of competent media. In comparison to static cultivation, agitated cultivation provides the maximum yield of the BC. A pure cellulose BC can positively interact with hydrophilic or hydrophobic biopolymers while being used in the biomedical domain. From the last two decades, the reinforcement of biopolymer-based biocomposites and its applicability with BC have increased in the research field. The harmony of hydrophobic biopolymers can be reduced due to the high moisture content of BC in comparison to hydrophilic biopolymers. Mechanical properties are the important parameters not only in producing green composite but also in dealing with tissue engineering, medical implants, and biofilm. The wide requisition of BC in medical as well as industrial fields has warranted the scaling up of the production of BC with added economy. This review provides a detailed overview of the production and properties of BC and several parameters affecting the production of BC and its biocomposites, elucidating their antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy with an insight to highlight their therapeutic potential.
The study aims to evaluate the effects of pineapples waste on the growth, texture quality and flesh colour of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings. Fingerlings were fed with four different levels of pineapple waste diets throughout 56 days, which contain a control group (Diet 1) and experimental diets that formulated with 10% (Diet 2), 20% (Diet 3) and 30% (Diet 4) of pineapple waste. The experimental diet was formulated with rice bran, fish meal, soybean meal, vitamin and mineral premix, vegetable oil and binder to attain 32% dietary protein. The results revealed that the formulated fish diet with pineapple waste given the optimum weight gain, weight gain percentage, specific growth rate than the control group, where Diet 4 has shown the highest value (p
Carp is a key aquaculture species worldwide. The intensification of carp farming, aimed at meeting the high demand for protein sources for human consumption, has resulted in adverse effects such as poor water quality, increased stress, and disease outbreaks. While antibiotics have been utilized to mitigate these issues, their use poses risks to both public health and the environment. As a result, alternative and more sustainable practices have been adopted to manage the health of farmed carp, including the use of probiotics, prebiotics, phytobiotics, and vaccines to prevent disease outbreaks. Phytobiotics, being both cost-effective and abundant, have gained widespread acceptance. They offer various benefits in carp farming, such as improved growth performance, enhanced immune system, increased antioxidant capacity, stress alleviation from abiotic factors, and enhanced disease resistance. Currently, a focal point of research involves employing molecular approaches to assess the impacts of phytobiotics in aquatic animals. Gene expression, the process by which genetic information encoded is translated into function, along with transcription profiling, serves as a crucial tool for detecting changes in gene expression within cells. These changes provide valuable insights into the growth rate, immune system, and flesh quality of aquatic animals. This review delves into the positive impacts of phytobiotics on immune responses, growth, antioxidant capabilities, and flesh quality, all discerned through gene expression changes in carp species. Furthermore, this paper explores existing research gaps and outlines future prospects for the utilization of phytobiotics in aquaculture.
Soybean lecithin is extensively used as the dietary supplementation of phospholipids in animal production. Soybean lecithin plays significant roles in aquafeed as growth promoter, feed enhancer, immunity modulator and antioxidant activity stimulator for aquaculture species. Besides, soybean lecithin is also reported to help aquaculture species being resilient to physical and chemical stressors. In this review, common sources, chemical structure and mode of action of lecithin, with highlight on soybean lecithin application in aquaculture over four-decadal studies published between 1983 and 2023, were evaluated and summarized. By far, soybean lecithin is best-known for its beneficial effects, availability yet cost-effective for aquafeed formulation. Findings from this review also demonstrate that although nutritional profile of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and phosphatidylcholine from egg yolk and marine sources are superior to those from plant sources such as soybean, it is rather costly for sustainable application in aquafeed formulation. Moreover, commercially available products that incorporate soybean lecithin with other feed additives are promising to boost aquaculture production. Overall, effects of soybean lecithin supplementation are well-recognized on larval and juvenile of aquaculture species which having limited ability to biosynthesis phospholipids de novo, and correspondingly attribute to phospholipid, a primary component of soybean lecithin, that is essential for rapid growth during early stages development. In addition, soybean lecithin supplementation plays a distinguish role in stimulating maturation of gonadal development in the adults, especially for crustaceans.
Edwardsiellosis caused by Edwardsiella tarda resulted in significant economic losses in aquaculture operations worldwide. This disease could infect a wide range of hosts, including freshwater, brackish water, and marine aquatic animals. Currently, antibiotics and vaccines are being used as prophylactic agents to overcome Edwardsiellosis in aquaculture. However, application of antibiotics has led to antibiotic resistance among pathogenic bacteria, and the antibiotic residues pose a threat to public health. Meanwhile, the use of vaccines to combat Edwardsiellosis requires intensive labor work and high costs. Thus, phytobiotics were attempted to be used as antimicrobial agents to minimize the impact of Edwardsiellosis in aquaculture. These phytobiotics may also provide farmers with new options to manage aquaculture species' health. The impact of Edwardsiellosis in aquaculture worldwide was elaborated on and highlighted in this review study, as well as the recent application of phytobiotics in aquaculture and the status of vaccines to combat Edwardsiellosis. This review also focuses on the potential of phytobiotics in improving aquatic animal growth performance, enhancing immune system function, and stimulating disease resistance.
Cuchia eel (Monopterus cuchia) is among the most sought-after freshwater fish, owing to its exceptional nutritional profile and high consumer demand. The current research aimed to establish baseline data by comparing the proximate composition, hematological, and plasma biochemical indices of Cuchia eel populations across six different geographical locations in Bangladesh: Bogra, Haluaghat, Jamalpur, Moktagacha, Sylhet, and Tangail. By examining these parameters, we aim to gain valuable insights into the nutritional benefits, physiological responses, and potential adaptations of this species to varying environments. The statistical analysis revealed no significant (P > 0.05) variances in the whole-body proximate composition of the fish captured from distinct areas. However, it was observed that different geographical regions had remarkable impacts on the variations of the majority of the hematological parameters, except for some cases. Additionally, there was a notable (P
Aeromonas hydrophila is a ubiquitous bacterium with various hosts that causes mass mortality in farm-raised fish species and significant economic losses. The current antibiotic treatment is ineffective in controlling this bacterium infection in aquaculture species. Therefore, an evaluation of potential phytobiotics is needed to find an alternative antimicrobial agent to reduce the over-reliance on antibiotics in aquaculture and safeguard public and environmental health. Furthermore, the rise in antibiotic resistance cases among pathogenic bacteria indicates an urgent need for new fish and shellfish health management solutions. In this context, phytobiotics applications in aquaculture can be defined as any medicinal plant-based antimicrobial agent used in fish and shellfish health management. This review will focus on the impacts of Motile Aeromonas Septicemia (MAS) due to A. hydrophila in aquaculture, the potential of phytobiotics in enhancing the tolerance of aquaculture species against MAS and the combination of phytobiotics with other antimicrobial and therapeutic agents against MAS.
Intensive aquaculture causes a decline in the health status of fish, resulting in an increased disease incidence. To counteract this, feed additives have been utilized to improve the growth performance and health of aquaculture species. This work specifically investigates the impact of powdered Ficus deltoidea (FD) on various parameters related to growth, blood parameters, liver and intestine morphology, body proximate analysis, digestive enzymes, antioxidant capacity, and disease resistance to motile Aeromonad Septicemia (MAS) caused by Aeromonas hydrophila infection in African catfish, Clarias gariepinus. Four formulated diets were prepared: T1 (0% FD), T2 (0.5% FD), T3 (0.75% FD), and T4 (1% FD). After 8 weeks, the African catfish's growth performance fed with the T2 diet exhibited a substantial improvement (p < 0.05), along with a remarkably lower (p < 0.05) feed conversion ratio (FCR) when compared to the other treatment groups. Blood parameter analysis revealed notably higher (p < 0.05) levels of white blood cell (WBC), lymphocytosis (LYM), hemoglobin (HGB), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLOB), as well as total protein (TP) in the T2 diet group. While all treatment groups displayed normal intestinal morphology, liver deterioration was observed in groups supplemented with higher FD. The T2 diet group recorded the highest villus length, width, and crypt depth. Protease and lipase levels were also notably improved in the T2 diet group compared to other treatment groups. Additionally, catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were remarkably elevated in all FD diet groups than in the control group. The expression of immune-related genes, including transforming growth factor beta 1, heat shock protein 90, nuclear factor kappa-B gene, and lysozyme G, was upregulated in all treatments. Overall, the results of this study indicate that incorporating dietary FD at 0.5% concentration in the diet of African catfish may enhance their productivity in intensive farming.
Fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) has shown immense potential as a dietary protein supplement and immunostimulant in aquaculture, especially in Nile tilapia production. Four isoproteic diets (30% crude protein) were prepared by including FPH at varying percentages (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2%). Nile tilapia fed with FPH diets for 90 days, and their growth performance, feed utilization, blood biochemistry, liver and gut morphology, and resistance against Streptococcus iniae were investigated. The findings revealed that diets physical attributes such as pellet durability index and water stability were remarkably (p
A novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), transmitted from person to person, has quickly emerged as the pandemic responsible for the current global health crisis. This infection has been declared a global pandemic, resulting in a concerning number of deaths as well as complications post-infection, primarily among vulnerable groups particularly older people and those with multiple comorbidities. In this article, we review the most recent research on the role of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruits (DPFs) to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection. The mechanisms underlying this preventive or therapeutic effect are also discussed in terms of bioactivity potentials in date palm, e.g., antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and hemolytic potential, as well as prospect against COVID-19 disease and the potential product development. Therefore, it can be concluded that regular consumption of DPFs may be associated with a lower risk of some chronic diseases. Indeed, DPFs have been widely used in folk medicine since ancient times to treat a variety of health conditions, demonstrating the importance of DPFs as a nutraceutical and source of functional nourishment. This comprehensive review aims to summarize the majority of the research on DPFs in terms of nutrient content and biologically active components such as phenolic compounds, with an emphasis on their roles in improving overall health as well as the potential product development to ensure consumers' satisfaction in a current pandemic situation. In conclusion, DPFs can be given to COVID-19 patients as a safe and effective add-on medication or supplement in addition to routine treatments.