A REVIEW OF TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN SHRIMP AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION

In face of the shortage of, and competition with, land and water, the sustainability of aquaculture will have to depend on vertical development, through improving production environments, increasing productivity and enhancing aquaculture technologies. Biofloc technology (BFT) has emerged as new alternative for sustainable aquaculture, which could contribute to FAO Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to food security. Extensive research has been carried out on the development and application of BFT in aquaculture since early 1990s, with emphasis on shrimp culture. Over 40% of BFT publications in aquaculture were directed to shrimp farming. Therefore, I strongly believe that the accumulated knowledge on the applications of BFT in shrimp farming and the experience gained, especially during the last 10 years (2010–2020), are now more than worthy of critical review and analysis. This review summarizes the most update knowledge on the use of BFT in different marine shrimp and freshwater prawn aquaculture. Emphasis has been on factors affecting shrimp production in BFT systems, integration of biofloc‐based shrimp farming with other aquatic farmed species, nutritional value of bioflocs as a natural food or feed ingredient for farmed shrimp and prawn, the application of BFT in different rearing phases, the use of biofloc as a natural probiotics and their effects on shrimp health and physiological functions, economic considerations and commercial applications of BFT‐based shrimp aquaculture, and the major challenges facing shrimp farming in biofloc systems.

Aquaculture has been expanding worldwide due to the emerging global population, which is needed to meet the increasing food demand of mankind. As they emerge rapidly, they create pressure on the environment through intensive resource exploitation and carbon emissions. Therefore, sustainable aquaculture technologies should be explored to resolve this issue. Biofloc technology (BFT) has emerged as a transformative approach to modern aquaculture that addresses critical challenges in productivity, environmental sustainability, and resource efficiency. By leveraging microbial processes, BFT converts nitrogenous waste into protein-rich microbial biomass, thereby enhancing nutrient recycling, water quality, and system productivity. This innovative approach minimizes reliance on conventional feed and water exchange systems, while providing a supplementary food source rich in essential amino acids, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. BFT significantly improves growth performance, feed conversion efficiency, immune responses, and survival rates in intensive aquaculture systems, demonstrating adaptability across diverse aquatic species, such as tilapia, carp, shrimp, and catfish. Despite its numerous advantages, BFT implementation faces several challenges, including the need for precise control of carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratios, aeration, and energy management. Addressing these challenges through advancements in automation, real-time monitoring, and sustainable energy solutions is essential for maximizing their potential. This review examines the principles, applications, and benefits of BFT and highlights its role in enhancing water quality, optimizing stocking densities, and improving the physiological and immunological performance of cultured species. By adopting BFT, the industry can achieve a sustainable and resilient framework, meeting the global demand for aquatic proteins while minimizing the environmental impact.

Comparative life cycle assessment of whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) cultured in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), biofloc technology (BFT) and higher-place ponds (HPP) farming systems in China

In the modern era of Aquaculture, biofloc technology (BFT) systems have attained crucial attention. This technology is used to reduce water renewal with the removal of nitrogen and to provide additional feed. In BFT, microorganisms play a crucial role due to their complex metabolic properties. Pathogens can be controlled through multiple mechanisms using probiotics, which can promote host development and enhance the quality of the culture environment. During culturing in a biofloc technology system, the supplementation of microalgae and its accompanying bacteria plays a beneficial role in reducing nitrogenous compounds. This enhances water quality and creates favorable environmental conditions for specific bacterial groups, while simultaneously reducing the dependency on carbon sources with higher content. The fluctuations in the bacterial communities of the intestine are closely associated with the severity of diseases related to shrimp and are used to evaluate the health status of shrimp. Overall, we will review the microbes associated with shrimp culture in BFT and their effects on shrimp growth. We will also examine the microbial impacts on the growth performance of L. vannamei in BFT, as well as the close relationship between probiotics and the intestinal microbes of L. vannamei.

• Biofloc systems enhance immunological resilience in Litopenaeus vannamei through microbiota modulation, innate immune activation, and antioxidant strengthening. • Microbial metabolites and MAMPs within biofloc stimulate hemocyte activity, AMP expression, and pathogen surveillance mechanisms. • Improved water quality and nutrient-rich microbial biomass reduce physiological stress and support stable immune homeostasis. • Variability in BFT performance underscores the need for standardized immune markers, molecular characterization, and long-term monitoring. • Future directions include multi-omics integration, immune-targeted probiotics, biofloc–vaccine synergies, and climate-resilient BFT system innovation. Biofloc Technology (BFT) is recognized as an ecologically sustainable aquaculture method that improves water quality, enhances nutrient recycling, and increases disease resilience in cultured crustaceans, especially Litopenaeus vannamei . Initially designed to mitigate environmental impact and decrease reliance on water exchange, recent findings suggest that biofloc systems have significant immunomodulatory effects, driven by intricate interactions among host, microbes, and the environment. This review consolidates existing mechanistic insights regarding the influence of BFT on immune function in shrimps, focusing on microbiota modulation, innate immune activation, antioxidant enhancement, and exposure to bioactive microbial metabolites. Biofloc systems promote stable and diverse microbial communities that effectively exclude pathogens, enhance beneficial taxa, and provide immunostimulatory microbial-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) that activate hemocyte and humoral responses. Furthermore, enhanced water quality and nutrient-dense microbial biomass jointly mitigate oxidative stress, promote physiological homeostasis, and bolster resistance to bacterial and viral pathogens, such as Vibrio spp. and white spot syndrome virus. Comparative analyses of biofloc and conventional systems demonstrate the enhanced immunological, nutritional, and environmental efficacy of BFT. However, they also identify significant limitations, such as inconsistent outcomes stemming from variable system management, insufficient long-term immune data, and a limited comprehension of the molecular pathways that regulate host responses. To address these knowledge gaps, standardized immune markers, integrated multiomics analyses, and farm-scale validation are necessary. This review presents a mechanistic framework for enhancing BFT as an immune-focused, climate-resilient approach to sustainable crustacean aquaculture.

The increasing global demand for aquatic products and decline in wild fisheries pose a challenge in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 14, which is to conserve and sustainably use marine resources. The depletion of fish populations due to overfishing, destruction of aquatic habitats as well as climate change has adversely affected aquatic ecosystems, which leads to further pressure in establishing food security. To meet the rising demand for fish products, countries have turned to aquaculture, but the industry itself faces many environmental challenges, particularly in wastewater management. This review explores the potential of using biofloc technology (BFT) to treat wastewater. BFT utilises microbial ecosystem processes to remove excess nutrients and acts as a natural “cleaning” mechanism. It transforms organic waste into valuable microbial biomass, which enhances water quality and minimises the ecological footprint of aquaculture. In this way, BFT reduces the amount of solid waste generated, increases the level of dissolved oxygen and creates an environment that is less conducive for the growth of harmful bacteria, thus reducing the need for chemical treatments. This paper also discusses the role of BFT in toxic remediation by analysing the nature and composition of aquaculture wastewater. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the mean values for various water quality parameters in aquaculture and biofloc water, and compares them with aquaculture standards.

Aquaculture has prides itself as the perfect substitute for capture fisheries, broadening the prospects of meeting the global seafood demand that has reached worrisome limits today. Nevertheless, numerous challenges including water quality and disease management have consistently threatened its sustainability. Biofloc technology (BFT) is an innovative approach that enhances aquaculture sustainability by improving nutrient recycling, reduced water utilization, water quality enhancement and organic waste management. The system relies on the cultivation of microbial communities that convert organic wastes like uneaten feed and excreta into valuable biomass, serving as supplementary feed for aquatic species. BFT reduces dependence on external feed inputs as well as provides significant economic and environmental benefits. Studies have shown the efficacy of BFT towards improving feed conversion ratios (FCR) and growth performance in many fish species including shrimps and tilapia. This review emphasized the dual nature of suspended organic matter (SOM) as a substrate for microbial proliferation and nutrient source for culture species. The carbon sources in BFT are grouped as traditional (molasses, sugarcane by-products, starch and flour) and alternative/innovative (agricultural by-products, processed organic waste, glycerol and sucrose) sources. The success of BFT is centred on maintenance of optimal carbon-to-nitrogen (C: N) ratio. Many studies recommend ratio of between 10:1 and 20:1 for improved multiplication of heterotrophic bacteria that degrade nitrogenous waste. Excess accumulation of SOM leads to high biological oxygen demand. In the present study, Advance sludge management, real-time monitoring and alternatives carbon sources are discussed as critical enablers of BFT optimization. It synthesizes recent advancements into microbial dynamics, environmental and policy frameworks necessary for biofloc aquaculture sustainability and environmental management.Graphical

Biofloc technology (BFT) has recently gained considerable attention as a sustainable method in shrimp aquaculture. In a successful BFT system, microbial communities are considered a crucial component in their ability to both improve water quality and control microbial pathogens. Yet, bacterioplankton diversity in rearing water and how bacterioplankton community composition changes with shrimp growth are rarely documented. In this study, the Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei was cultivated in a greenhouse-enclosed BFT system. Rearing water samples were collected on a weekly basis for 5 months (152 days) and water quality variables such as physicochemical parameters and inorganic nutrients were monitored. In parallel, 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing was employed to investigate the temporal patterns of rearing-water microbiota. The productivity, survival rate, and feed conversion ratio were 3.2–4.4 kg/m3, 74%–89%, and 1.2–1.3, respectively, representing successful super-intensive cultures. The metataxonomic results indicated a highly dynamic bacterioplankton community, with two major shifts over the culture. Members of the phylum Planctomycetes dominated in rearing water during the early stages, while Actinobacteria dominated during the middle stages, and Chloroflexi and TM7 dominated during the late stages of culture. The bacterioplankton community fluctuated more in the beginning but stabilized as the culture progressed. Intriguingly, we observed that certain bacterioplankton groups dominated in a culture-stage-specific manner; these groups include Rhodobacteraceae, Flavobacteriaceae, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi, which either contribute to water quality regulation or possess probiotic potential. Altogether, our results indicate that an operationally successful BFT-based aquaculture system favors the growth and dynamics of specific microbial communities in rearing water. Our study expands the scientific understanding of the practical utilization of microbes in sustainable aquaculture. A thorough understanding of rearing-water microbiota and factors influencing their dynamics will help to establish effective management strategies.

The addition of organic carbon sources in biofloc technology (BFT) systems promotes microbial community development, enhancing water quality, nutrient recycling, and supplemental feeding through microbial biomass. These characteristics make BFT a viable strategy for the cultivation of promising aquaculture species, such as Mugil cephalus. This study evaluated the effects of three carbon sources—unrefined cane sugar (locally known as chancaca), refined sucrose, and beet molasses—on water quality and growth performance of M. cephalus juveniles reared in a BFT system. Juvenile mullets (4.33 ± 2.09 g) were cultured for 45 days at a stocking density of 0.03 ± 0.01 kg·m−3, with biofloc pre-matured in ex situ tanks. Most water quality parameters showed no significant differences among treatments (p > 0.05), except for nitrite concentrations, which were significantly higher in the sucrose group (p < 0.05). The highest growth performance was observed in the sucrose treatment, with a weight gain (WG) of 4.26 ± 0.51 g, an average daily weight gain (AWG) of 0.09 ± 0.01 g, and a thermal growth coefficient (GF3) of 1.27 ± 0.15 at a constant temperature of 24 °C. Bromatological analysis of bioflocs revealed significantly higher crude protein (CP: 9.8%) and energy content (Kcal·100 g−1: 3.44 ± 0.2) in the sucrose treatment compared to chancaca (CP: 5.1%). These findings confirm that M. cephalus can be effectively cultured in BFT systems using simple carbon sources. Refined sucrose, due to its high solubility and nutritional contribution to biofloc formation, is recommended for improving growth performance and system efficiency in M. cephalus production.

This study evaluated the effects of biofloc technology (BFT) on male and female red tilapia ( Oreochromis spp.) broodstock over a long-term rearing period, focusing on the pre-spawning and spawning phases. A total of 1000 mixed-sex acclimated fingerlings (36.88 ± 3.44 g) to 18 parts per thousand salinity over 15 days were assigned to either BFT or clear water control tanks. During the pre-spawning phase, BFT enhanced water quality, improved growth and feed efficiency, and significantly promoted reproductive performance and metabolic regulation in broodstock. During the spawning phase, broodstock were distributed into four treatments: (1) control (C–C), reared in clear water during pre-spawning and spawning, respectively; (2) BF-BF, reared in BFT during both phases; (3) C-BF, reared in clear water pre-spawning and BFT during spawning; and (4) BF-C, reared in BFT pre-spawning and clear water during spawning. Strategic BFT application significantly reduced time to first spawning and increased fecundity, egg quality, hatchability, and total fry production. Water quality remained superior, with lower total ammonia–nitrogen, NO 2 -N, and NH 3 , and higher NO 3 -N and phytoplankton activity. BFT enhanced nutrient assimilation and reduced pathogenic bacteria, though prolonged exposure impaired physiological balance, reproduction, and hormonal regulation. To maximize benefits while minimizing risks, a phased BFT strategy is recommended. Specifically, BFT should be applied during the pre-spawning phase to enhance broodstock conditioning, reproductive development, and immune function, followed by a transition to clear water during spawning to prevent physiological stress and hormonal imbalances. This approach ensures optimal reproductive outcomes while maintaining long-term broodstock health. Future research should focus on refining BFT application based on species, size, gender, and specific nutritional requirements to further optimize sustainable aquaculture production.

ABSTRACTHealthy shrimp culture system is always in harmony with the ecology of the pond environment. This can be manipulated by developing a dense heterotrophic bacterial community that takes care of waste generated in the system through in situ bioremediation. Considering the importance to reduce an occurrence of luminous vibriosis in shrimp aquaculture, countless studies have been carried out with an objective to screen anti-vibrio biological agents, which can be used as an alternative to antibiotics. In such studies, microalgae, bacteriophage, and probiotic bacteria have been found to have potential benefits in reducing vibriosis. Eco-based shrimp farming, green water technology, bio-floc technology, phage therapy, and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), since their inception, hold a promising alternative to antibiotics in the near future. This article seeks to secure all the available information on different biological agents, their involvement in lowering Vibrio load, and strategies to control Vibrio infection in shrimp aquaculture.

A comprehensive review on the utilization of probiotics in aquaculture towards sustainable shrimp farming

The transition toward a Circular Economy (CE) presents a transformative solution to global sustainability challenges by promoting resource efficiency, waste minimization, and material regeneration. This study explores the pivotal role of chemical engineering in advancing circular practices through innovative waste valorization and resource recovery strategies. Key technologies—including biomass conversion, plastic and electronic waste recycling, and food waste bioprocessing—are analyzed for their capacity to mitigate environmental impacts and close material loops. Chemical engineering principles such as catalysis, separation processes, and process intensification underpin these approaches, enhancing energy efficiency and resource utilization. Integration of digital tools, artificial intelligence (AI), and system optimization further enables real-time process control and sustainability assessment. However, widespread CE implementation faces barriers including technological limitations, high capital costs, and fragmented regulations. Overcoming these challenges requires interdisciplinary collaboration among industry, academia, and policymakers to develop scalable, cost-effective solutions. The study emphasizes the importance of next-generation catalysts, bio-based processing, and data-driven systems in achieving a resilient, low-waste industrial future. By bridging science, technology, and policy, chemical engineering can catalyze the global transition to a sustainable and circular economy.

The intensification of shrimp aquaculture is crucial for global food security, but poses significant environmental challenges. This review critically assesses the strengths and bottlenecks of two main treatment paradigms: in situ systems, chiefly biofloc technology (BFT), and advanced ex situ systems, such as recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs), constructed wetlands (CWs), and membrane bioreactors (MBRs). Although BFT enables nutrient recycling, it suffers from nitrate accumulation and a high energy demand. Likewise, ex situ technologies can achieve a high treatment efficiency, but contend with high costs, large footprints, or membrane fouling. In this review, we propose the strategic integration of microalgae, representing a universal and synergistic solution for overcoming these disparate bottlenecks. We dissect how a microalgal co-culture can simultaneously remove nitrate and reduce the aeration costs in BFT systems. Furthermore, we explore how microalgae-based units can serve as efficient polishing steps for RASs, enhance the performance of CWs, and mitigate fouling in MBRs. This review delves into the fundamental mechanisms of the microalgal–bacterial symbiosis that underpins these enhancements. Finally, we highlight the valorization of the resulting algal biomass as a high-value aquafeed ingredient, which can transform waste management into a value-creation opportunity. This review aims to provide a comprehensive roadmap for developing next-generation, microalgae-enhanced aquaculture systems.

Aquaculture has been celebrated globally and believed to usher in a viable alternative to capture fisheries. It is most welcomed especially now that the world population explosion has pushed the demand on fisheries products to worrisome limits. Shrimp farming is an area of aquaculture that has witnessed significant growth in recent years, contributing substantially to the global aquaculture production. However, intensification of shrimp aquaculture has come with unintended consequences such as wastewater management and other problems emanating from environmental impact of the wastewater. This study identified excess feed and fertilizer application, metabolite wastes, shrimp mortalities, oil spillage from farm machines, drug and chemical abuse as some of the activities contributing to wastewater generation in shrimp aquaculture farming. The impact of shrimp effluent water discharged has been observed to be socio-economic with both positive and negative dimensions. In attempt to overcome the overwhelming problems associated with shrimp effluent water and bring reassurances to its sustainability, a good number of new technological approaches have been identified including caviation, high-rate algal pond system, use of nanomaterials, biofloc technology, nanoadsorbent and polymeric nanoadsorbents. Although all have been proven to be useful, none could boast of a complete and integrated approach that considers all the technological, legal, social, environmental, public health and institutional concerns.