Dietary supplementation with probiotic and butyrate in the shrimp nursery in biofloc

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the combined and isolated effect of sodium butyrate and the probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum on the performance and midgut microbiological parameters of Litopenaeus vannamei post-larvae reared on biofloc technology, as well as the water quality of the system. Feed additives were added at the concentrations of 200 mL of probiotic (1.0x10⁷  CFU mL^-1) and 2.0% of organic salt (w/w) in the diet, as follows: 1) Probiotic; 2) Butyrate; 3) Probiotic+Butyrate; 4) Control. Each treatment was composed of three replicates. Biometric measurements were performed once a week, as well as analysis of water quality. At the end of the experiment, statistical difference was observed in the counts of lactic acid bacteria from the intestinal tract of shrimp fed diets containing probiotic. Therefore, while the addition of probiotic and sodium butyrate had no effect on the productive parameters of shrimp or water quality, the inclusion of the probiotic L. plantarum in the diet did increase the counts of lactic acid bacteria in the intestine of L. vannamei without altering the counts of Vibrio spp. or total heterotrophic bacteria in the intestine.