The Role of Functional Feed Additives in Enhancing Aquaculture Sustainability

Aquaculture serves as a source of protein and livelihood and is an alternative to capture fisheries, thereby reducing pressure on the wild. However, aquaculture tends to be limited by sustainability issues, which include overdependency on fishmeal, the high cost associated with fishmeal, the environmental impact of aquaculture activities, which may be detrimental to aquatic lives and the environment, and the use of antibiotics to treat diseases, which may have an adverse effect in their host or the environment. Efforts are being made toward attaining practical ways to enhance aquaculture sustainability. One such effort is using functional feed additives in feed formulation. Functional feed additives are dietary ingredients incorporated in feed formulations, not only for the usual provision of basic nutritional requirements as offered by traditional feed but also for growth and health enhancement; environmental and economic gain. This review emphasizes the importance of incorporating functional feed additives such as probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotics, and phytogenics. This study evaluates and presents holistic information on functional additives, their roles in enhancing aquaculture sustainability, and the challenges encountered in their application.