Enhancing shrimp production with pre-, pro- or postbiotics

The animal feed industry has long explored the benefits of yeast and bacteria - either as parts or in their complete form - to enhance animal production. Since the 1960s, probiotics and prebiotics have been primarily used to improve performance, such as live yeast supplementation to boost milk production in dairy cows, or mitigate the effects of many pathogens; for instance, β-glucans stimulate macrophage phagocytic activity or mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) agglutinating type I fimbriae bacteria to prevent their adhesion to intestinal cells.

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However, over the past decade, the potential of fermented yeast and bacteria, known as postbiotics, has been more fully understood. While prebiotics and probiotics generally have a specific or limited range of functions, postbiotics offer a broad spectrum of benefits that contribute to the overall well-being, immunity, and resilience of animals.

This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the differences between prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. The distinction between postbiotics from yeast and from bacteria is described. Some recent data on the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and L. farciminis postbiotics on the performance, immune parameters and agglutination of Vibrio in white shrimp are described.

Definitions and modes of actions of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics

The term prebiotic was introduced by Gibson and Roberfroid (1995), who defined prebiotics as "a nondigestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon."

Prebiotics are often parts of or complete cell membranes of non-eukaryotic cells. Examples include fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), mannan oligosaccharides (MOS), β-glucans, peptidoglucans, inulin, etc. Prebiotics are mostly produced by growing a microorganism in large quantities and then using enzymes to cut off certain parts. There is little fermentation activity in this process. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that support gut health by competing with harmful bacteria, strengthening the gut barrier, and producing antimicrobial compounds. They enhance digestion, immunity, and metabolism, influencing the gut-brain axis and detoxifying harmful substances.

Some of the most commonly used probiotics in animals are Lactobacillus and