Effect of dietary inactivated Lactobacillus plantarum on growth performance, antioxidative capacity, and intestinal integrity of black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegelii) fingerlings.

Abstract Probiotic supplementation in fish feed is becoming popular as a viable alternative to curb the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in aquaculture. The effect of inactivated Lactobacillus plantarum on growth performance and health related indices of black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegelii) fingerlings was studied, using different concentrations of a commercial inactivated L. plantarum product (Immuno-LP20): D1 (control, 0 mg/kg), D2 (100 mg/kg), D3 (200 mg/kg), D4 (400 mg/kg), D5 (800 mg/kg), and D6 (1600 mg/kg). After an eight-week feeding trial during which the diets were fed to triplicate groups of fish (initial weight: 1.58 ± 0.05 g), D2, D3, and D4 produced fish with significantly higher growth parameters than the control fish (P