Background:

Sustainable food additives used as diet supplements can have beneficial effects on crustacean growth and immunity.

Aims.

Characterize the inclusion of oligofructosacharides as immunostimulating additives in Penaeus vannamei shrimp culture.

Development:

Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that bring benefits to the host, stimulating growth and/or the activity of certain groups of bacteria in the digestive tract selectively. Prebiotics are food additives studied as potential growth promoters in aquatic organisms. In aquaculture, both diet FOS and ScFOS have gained increasing interest due to their growth-promoting factors in several aquatic species, including decapod crustaceans. The effect of several concentrations of frutoolisacharide (FOS) additives in the food stimulates the immune system of these crustaceans, as well as the microbiota, and can be important tools to boost the immune system.

Conclusions:

The utilization of fructooligosaccharides as immunostimulating additives in P. vannamei shrimp culture, improves their physiological state thanks to positive changes in the microbiota, and consequently, the displacement of pathogenic microorganisms. It also enhances innate immune response mechanisms through cell response stimulation, particularly an increase in the number of enzymes in the immune system, and greater microbial recognition in lectin titers.