# Combinatorial supplementation of fish feeds enhanced growth performance and disease resilience in aquaculture

## TL;DR

Adding probiotics and curcumin to fish feed improves growth and disease resistance in aquaculture without using antibiotics.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates a synergistic effect of encapsulated probiotics and curcumin in enhancing fish health and growth.

## Key findings

- Encapsulated Lactiplantibacillus plantarum probiotics increased body weight by 33% in Asian seabass.
- Curcumin and probiotics together showed the highest survival rates under pathogen challenge.
- Combined supplementation improved feed conversion efficiency and immune protection beyond individual treatments.

## Abstract

Aquaculture has grown rapidly in recent decades, yet recurrent bacterial disease outbreaks continue to cause severe economic losses and fuel concerns over antibiotic resistance. With antibiotic use increasingly restricted, sustainable disease management strategies are urgently required. Probiotics and natural bioactive compounds, such as curcumin, have emerged as promising alternatives, but their combined application remains underexplored.

We evaluated the co-administration of encapsulated probiotics and curcumin in functional feeds on growth performance and disease resilience of Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) fingerlings challenged with Streptococcus iniae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Among 11 probiotic strains screened, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum displayed the strongest inhibitory effect and highest viability following alginate-based encapsulation. Curcumin selectively inhibited pathogens without affecting probiotic growth, and synergistic antimicrobial effects were observed when combined with probiotics. Feeding trials showed that encapsulated probiotics increased body weight by 33% compared with controls. Diets supplemented with probiotics, curcumin, or their combination significantly improved feed conversion efficiency and survival. Notably, co-supplementation yielded the greatest benefits, achieving the highest survival rates under pathogen challenge and enhancing immune protection beyond individual treatments.

These findings demonstrate that probiotics combined with curcumin constitute a natural, antibiotic-free strategy to improve fish growth and disease resistance. This functional feed approach provides a scalable and sustainable platform for advancing responsible aquaculture and may inform broader applications in animal production systems.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40104-026-01357-3.