Efficacy of Microencapsulated Diets on the Quality Performance of Larval and Postlarval Stages of Penaeus vannamei

Abstract

The present study assessed the impact of three different commercial microencapsulated diets (MEDs) on the quality performance of larval and post-larval stages of Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) by evaluating six key quality indicators. The results showed that at PL10 – mean survival percentage ranged from 59.67 ± 2.33 to 62.00 ± 3.21%; average body length varied from 9.11 ± 0.22 to 9.68 ± 0.23mm; size variation (CV) ranged from 4.07 ± 0.52 to 4.53 ± 0.65%; salinity stress test ranged from 90.11 ± 1.22 to 92.67 ± 3.18%, formalin stress from 93.00 ± 2.52 to 95.39 ± 1.73%, and swimming rate from 83.00 ± 3.51 to 85.00 ± 3.79%. Significant improvements were observed in all quality parameters measured in the hatchery for both larvae and post-larvae fed with MEDs. These findings suggest that the use of microencapsulation technology can enhance the nutritional value and bioavailability of feed, thereby improving survival and growth outcomes and providing insights into stage-specific nutritional vulnerabilities during the hatchery phase in P. vannamei.