Higher survival, higher yield: Delivering more harvest biomass in shrimp grow-out through probiotic application

A 60-day grow-out trial conducted by the Federal University of Santa Catarina evaluated the effects of the feed probiotic Sanolife PRO-2 (supplemented at 0, 5, and 10 g/kg feed) on Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) stocked at 56 shrimp/m² with an average initial weight of 3.3 g. While individual growth rates remained similar across treatments, shrimp fed 5 g and 10 g of probiotic per kg reached final survival rates of 95.3% and 96.0%, respectively, compared to 85.3% in the control group, with survival advantages becoming especially prominent from day 35 onwards. This higher survival translated directly into an approximate 13–14% increase in final harvest biomass, averaging 568.9 g and 562.8 g per tank in the 5 g and 10 g probiotic groups compared to 497.8 g in the control. In addition, shrimp receiving probiotics showed elevated phenoloxidase (PO) activity, indicating enhanced immune competence. The study highlights that maintaining higher survival through targeted functional nutrition delivers substantial biomass and economic gains in shrimp grow-out.