Encapsulation of probiotics Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus casei for use in Aquaculture

• Grant number: 24/05067-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: July 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal Investigator: Leonardo Fernandes Fraceto
• Grantee: Daniel Mauricio Chaves Realpe
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Sorocaba. Sorocaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10639-5 - Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, AP.CEPID

Abstract

In recent years, aquaculture has experienced accelerated growth in all countries around the world, cultivating crops on different scales and with techniques that cause production to improve or be affected. One of the biggest economic losses in this sector is caused by the high mortality of farmed fish, due to poor nutrition and the proliferation of infectious and bacterial diseases, food waste in crops causes the water resource to be affected in its quality, reducing the values required in physical-chemical parameters, therefore, this contamination makes animals susceptible to various pathogens, in addition to not adequately absorbing the nutrients present in the diets provided. Therefore, sustainable alternatives are sought that improve processes in aquaculture cultures. Probiotics are microorganisms that help animals improve the conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, thus improving the use of nutrients, resulting in greater growth performance and improving host immunity. However, the administration of probiotics to animals is generally ineffective in terms of of dose, stability and species specificity, and may possibly cause widespread environmental contamination. To mitigate this situation, new technologies such as encapsulation and controlled release can be used in scale-up operations, improving the supply and viability of bioactives, thus increasing production and profitability in aquaculture.