Evaluation of the Viability of Probiotic Microorganisms Impregnated Into Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) Ration

Abstract

Among the exotic species of fish produced in Brazil, the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) has been highlighted during the past few years. The expansion of this sector has been intensifying the need for further studies in order to decrease production and health problems presented in aquaculture, as well as to develop alternative technics to controversial antimicrobial treatments. In this context, the use of probiotics has been shown to be a promising approach to the improvement in trout husbandry. Thus, the present study aimed to contribute to the development of an alternative technology in the rainbow trout husbandry by evaluating the effect of probiotic preparations on the performance of the animals subjected to conventional husbandry conditions or chronic stress. Therefore, in this paper we report the results regarding the evaluation of the viability of a pool of 4 Lactobacillus probiotic strains incorporated into rainbow trout ration using soybean oil as vehicle. The results have demonstrated a high efficacy of cell incorporation into the ration with high viability rate after storage for 120 days at 4°C.