They include prebiotics, probiotics, immunostimulants, nutritional supplements, and other products to remove organic wastes, improve biosecurity, food safety, and sustainable aquaculture production. These products are developed to replace the use of harsh chemicals and antibiotics threatening the sustainability of the fragile aquatic environment and human health.

Aquatic animals are stressed by a number of water quality parameters such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and ammonia that influence their health and growth. Toxic metabolites such as nitrites and sulphites accumulate in ponds as animals grow. Absence of Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) and biosecurity steps may introduce microbial pathogens into the pond water and into the guts of the animal.

Under unfavorable farming conditions and in the presence of microbial pathogens, the stress level may increase resulting in diseases, mortality, poor growth, and feed conversion (FCR).

Gut health is recognized as a critical factor to maintain good animal health. Since the gut is the main entry point for pathogens, use of probiotic microorganisms play a significant role in promoting gut health by colonizing the hepatopancreatic system of shrimp.

The probiotic microbes grow faster and competitively exclude pathogens that would otherwise invade the gut and cause disaese. The beneficial microbes also produce antimicrobial metabolites that inhibit pathogens and immunostimulants that enhance the ability of the host animals to fight against the pathogens.