Probiotics in Aquaculture

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) define probiotics as “Live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. Possible action modes of probiotics in aquaculture include the regulation of amino and fatty acid metabolisms, the excretion of digestive enzymes and vitamins or cofactors, the production of antagonistic compounds that inhibit bacteria, the enhancement of immune responses, the disruption of the quorum-sensing processes of pathogenic organisms, stress improvement, and heavy-metal detoxification.