Exploring the Potential of Exogenous Dietary Lysozyme as a Bioactive Additive in Aquaculture: Lessons from Monogastric Livestock Nutrition

The growing demand for sustainable aquaculture practices underscores the need for innovative solutions that not only improve health and performance but also enhance disease resistance. Lysozyme is an enzyme with antimicrobial activity that can be found in various tissues. Its immunomodulatory properties have been shown to have promising results in terrestrial animals, particularly enhancing growth performance, gut health and immune response. Nevertheless, its application in aquaculture remains underexplored. This review compiles current existing evidence on dietary supplementation of exogenous lysozyme in aquatic animals, drawing insights from studies in monogastric livestock. Additionally, it collects the limited available evidence regarding the use of exogenous lysozyme in fish and shrimp. Finally, this review highlights the potential limitations related to the use of lysozyme as a functional additive in aquafeeds.