A Solution for Sustainable Utilization of Aquaculture Waste: A Comprehensive Review of Biofloc Technology and Aquamimicry

Unlocking the potential of blockchain technology in enhancing the fisheries supply chain: an exploration of critical adoption barriers in China

The application of blockchain technology holds significant potential for improving efficiency, resilience, and transparency within the Fisheries Supply Chain (FSC). This study addresses the critical barriers hindering the adoption of blockchain technology (BT) in the Chinese FSC, recognizing the unique challenges posed by its intricacies. Through a comprehensive literature review, fourteen Critical Barrier Factors (CBFs) were identified, and a grey Delphi method was employed to distill this set. Five pivotal CBFs emerged, including "Regulatory Compliance," "Cost of Implementation," and "Complex Supply Chain Network". A subsequent grey Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) analysis revealed the causal relationships among these factors, categorizing them into effect and cause groups. "Regulatory Compliance," "Cost of Implementation," and "Complex Supply Chain Network" were identified as primary influencing factors demanding attention for effective BT integration in the FSC. The findings serve as a valuable resource for FSC stakeholders, assisting in prioritizing efforts to address these barriers. The discerned causal relationships provide guidance for managers in optimizing resource allocation. Ultimately, this research advocates for the adoption of blockchain technology in the fisheries supply chain to enhance overall performance and operational efficiency.

Swinging between the beneficial and harmful microbial community in biofloc technology: A paradox

Biofloc Technology (BFT) is proven to be the fulcrum of sustainable recirculating aquaculture system especially under zero water discharge condition. The efficiency of BFT system is reinforced by an unswerving microbial community in the system. Several researchers have made copious reports on the microorganisms in BFT and identified heterotrophic bacteria predominant in the microbial composition. A summary of these researches considers these microorganisms playing the role of chemo-photosynthetic autotrophs, organic detoxifiers, probiotic, decomposers/bioflocculants, bio-leachers and pathogens. Although these functional roles are well identified, the reports have failed to sufficiently illustrate the borderline at which these microbial communities fail to serve their beneficial roles in BFT system. This review paper firstly presents a snapshot of some indispensable water quality conditions and zootechnical variables aided by the microbial community in floc as well as the amphibolic process that synthesizes nutrient from the organic deposit in BFT. Furthermore, information on the microbial community in BFT is evaluated to have Bacillus sp., Lecane sp. and Pseudomonas sp. serving all-encompassing role in BFT while Vibrio sp. and Enterobacter sp. are pathogenic under unsuitable water quality conditions. Functional characterisation of the commonly reported microorganisms in BFT categorised 21.95 % as most critical, whose abundance indicates an efficient BFT.

A metagenomic comparison of clearwater, probiotic, and Rapid BFTTM on Pacific whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei cultures

Biofloc technology improves water quality and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria community in shrimp culture. However, little is known about the bacteria community structure in both water and gut of cultured organisms. To address this, the current study characterised the metagenomes derived from water and shrimp intestine samples of novel Rapid BFTTM with probiotic and clearwater treatments using 16S V4 region and full length 16S sequencing. Bacteria diversity of water and intestine samples of Rapid BFTTM and probiotic treatments were similar. Based on the 16S V4 region, water samples of >20 μm biofloc had the highest abundance of amplicon sequence variant (ASV). However, based on full length 16S, no clear distinction in microbial diversity was observed between water samples and intestine samples. Proteobacteria was the most abundant taxon in all samples based on both 16S V4 and full length 16S sequences. Vibrio was among the highest genus based on 16S V4 region but only full length 16S was able to discern up to species level, with three Vibrios identified-V. harveyi, V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus. Vibrio harveyi being the most abundant species in all treatments. Among water samples, biofloc water samples had the lowest abundance of all three Vibrios, with V. vulnificus was present only in bioflocs of <20 μm. Predicted functional profiles of treatments support the beneficial impacts of probiotic and biofloc inclusion into shrimp culture system. This study highlights the potential displacement of opportunistic pathogens by the usage of biofloc technology (Rapid BFTTM) in shrimp culture.

Microbial inoculums improve growth and health of Heteropneustes fossilis via biofloc-driven aquaculture

Biofloc technology aims to maximize fish farming productivity by effectively breaking down ammonia and nitrite, promoting healthy flocculation, and enhancing the growth and immunity of cultured animals. However, a major limitation in this field is the suitable starter microbial culture and narrow number of fish species that have been tested with the biofloc system. Here, we investigated various microbial inoculum containing beneficial microbes with probiotics, immunostimulatory and flocs development and bioremediation properties would lead to the development of ideal biofloc development. Three treatment groups with different microbial combinations, viz., group 1 [Bacillus subtilis (AN1) + Pseudomonas putida (PB3) + Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ATCC-2601)], group 2 [B. subtilis (AN2) + P. fluorescens (PC3) + S. cerevisiae (ATCC-2601)] and group 3 [B. subtilis (AN3) + P. aeruginosa (PA2) + S. cerevisiae (ATCC-2601)] were used and compared with the positive control (pond water without microbial inoculums) and negative control (clear water: without microbial inoculums and carbon sources) on biofloc development and its characteristic features to improve the water quality and growth of fish. We demonstrated that microbial inoculums, especially group 2, significantly improve the water quality and microbiota of flocs and gut of the test animal, Heteropneustes fossilis. The study further demonstrates that biofloc system supplemented with microbial inoculums positively regulates gut histomorphology and growth performance, as evidenced by improved villous morphology, amylase, protease and lipase activity, weight gain, FCR, T3, T4 and IGF1 levels. The inoculums induced an antioxidative response marked by significantly higher values of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Furthermore, the supplementation of microbial inoculums enhances both specific and non-specific immune responses and significantly elevated levels of immune genes (transferrin, interleukin-1β and C3), and IgM was recorded. This study provides a proof-of-concept approach for assessing microbial inoculums on fish species that can be further utilized to develop biofloc technology for use in sustainable aquaculture.

Aquamimicry system: a sutiable strategy for shrimp aquaculture – a review

Shrimp culture is the most lucrative sector in aquaculture industry; however, for its sustainable development the environment conservation should be concerned. New developed technologies are required to achieve aquaculture to its sustainable goals. Among the different novel sustainable technologies, the biofloc technology (BFT) and more recently the aquamimicry system are considered as reliable methods in burgeoning development of shrimp culture. The establishment of the BFT needs a certain carbon to nitrogen (C: N) ratio so that heterotrophic bacteria able to utilize nitrogenous metabolites, and preserve the water quality in the standard ranges suitable for shrimp culture. In addition, the produced floc can be used as supplementary food for shrimp. On the other hand, the establishment of the aquamimicry system relies on organic carbon without providing a specific C: N ratio. In this system, a synergistic relationship between a prebiotic source, which usually consists of an oligosaccharide derived from the fermentation of a carbon source (e.g., rice bran), and a probiotic source such as Bacillus sp. can provide natural conditions by blooming phytoplankton and zooplankton organisms, especially copepods. These live foods can be used as complementary foods for shrimp. Furthermore, the proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the aquamimicry system can provide stable culture condition for growth and welfare of shrimp. Based on the findings of recent literature, using the aquamimicry system for shrimp production is a more sustainable, eco-friendly, and greener than the conventional systems.

Preparation, Characterization, and Cytoprotective Effects on HUVECs of Fourteen Novel Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Peptides From Protein Hydrolysate of Tuna Processing By-Products

To effectively utilize skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) processing by-products to prepare peptides with high angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory (ACEi) activity, Neutrase was selected from five kinds of protease for hydrolyzing skipjack tuna dark muscle, and its best hydrolysis conditions were optimized as enzyme dose of 1.6%, pH 6.7, and temperature of 50°C using single factor and response surface experiments. Subsequently, 14 novel ACEi peptides were prepared from the high ACEi protein hydrolysate and identified as TE, AG, MWN, MEKS, VK, MQR, MKKS, VKRT, IPK, YNY, LPRS, FEK, IRR, and WERGE. MWN, MEKS, MKKS, and LPRS displayed significantly ACEi activity with IC₅₀ values of 0.328 ± 0.035, 0.527 ± 0.030, 0.269 ± 0.006, and 0.495 ± 0.024 mg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, LPRS showed the highest increasing ability on nitric oxide (NO) production among four ACEi peptides combining the direct increase and reversing the negative influence of norepinephrine (NE), and MKKS showed the highest ability on directly decreasing and reversing the side effects of NE on the secretion level of endothelin-1 (ET-1) among four ACEi peptides. These findings demonstrate that seafood by-product proteins are potential ACEi peptide sources and prepared ACEi peptides from skipjack tuna dark muscle, which are beneficial components for functional food against hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.