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Fermented rice extract as a carbon source for biomass production of aquaculture probiotics

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Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery
Authors:
R. Sasikumar
R. Sasikumar
R. Sasikumar
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Saranya Siva Shanmuga Vadivel at Bharathidasan University
Saranya Siva Shanmuga Vadivel
L. Lourdu Lincy
L. Lourdu Lincy
L. Lourdu Lincy
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Anish Sathyan
Anish Sathyan
Anish Sathyan
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Abstract and Figures

Traditional commercial media are costly and not ideal for large-scale probiotic production in aquaculture. Choosing the right carbon source for probiotic growth and understanding how biomass production works can offer valuable insights for potential use in aquaculture. In this study, we tested 12 starchy extracts as potential cost-effective alternatives to supplement the culture media for the production of biofloc-based probiotic isolates. We cultured probiotic strains obtained from shrimp biofloc farms and assessed their growth density and cell viability. We isolated and identified probiotic strains that were likely to be Lactobacillus sp., Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Saccharomyces sp. Of all the starchy extracts tested, the fermented rice extract proved to be an effective carbon source for boosting cell density, viability, and metabolic activity. We also experimented with fermented rice extracts in a lab-scale bioreactor for biomass production of these isolates. In this experiment, all the strains showed an increase in cell density over time. Pseudomonas sp. exhibited the fastest growth rate, followed by Saccharomyces sp., Lactobacillus sp., and Bacillus sp. The results of this study revealed that newly formulated culture medium not only reduced production costs but also boosted biomass production and cell viability of these isolates. This straightforward and practical process improves the biomass yield and probiotic effectiveness, which could potentially benefit the aquaculture industry.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery (2025) 15:5257–5265
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-024-05466-9
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Fermented rice extract asacarbon source forbiomass production
ofaquaculture probiotics
R.Sasikumar1· S.Saranya1· L.LourduLincy1· AnishSathyan2· P.Chellapandi1
Received: 3 November 2023 / Revised: 1 February 2024 / Accepted: 26 February 2024 / Published online: 1 March 2024
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024
Abstract
Traditional commercial media are costly and not ideal for large-scale probiotic production in aquaculture. Choosing the
right carbon source for probiotic growth and understanding how biomass production works can offer valuable insights for
potential use in aquaculture. In this study, we tested 12 starchy extracts as potential cost-effective alternatives to supple-
ment the culture media for the production of biofloc-based probiotic isolates. We cultured probiotic strains obtained from
shrimp biofloc farms and assessed their growth density and cell viability. We isolated and identified probiotic strains that
were likely to be Lactobacillus sp., Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Saccharomyces sp. Of all the starchy extracts tested,
the fermented rice extract proved to be an effective carbon source for boosting cell density, viability, and metabolic activity.
We also experimented with fermented rice extracts in a lab-scale bioreactor for biomass production of these isolates. In this
experiment, all the strains showed an increase in cell density over time. Pseudomonas sp. exhibited the fastest growth rate,
followed by Saccharomyces sp., Lactobacillus sp., and Bacillus sp. The results of this study revealed that newly formulated
culture medium not only reduced production costs but also boosted biomass production and cell viability of these isolates.
This straightforward and practical process improves the biomass yield and probiotic effectiveness, which could potentially
benefit the aquaculture industry.
Keywords Lactic acid bacteria· Culture medium· Carbon source· Aquaculture probiotics· Fermented rice extract
1 Introduction
The production of probiotic biomass requires a cost-effective
approach and optimization of the nutrient media. The devel-
opment of a new, low-cost medium is essential for economi-
cal industrial production of probiotics [1]. Numerous studies
have assessed various culture media for selective enumera-
tion of commercial probiotic cultures, suggesting specific
media for different probiotic strains [2]. A liquid medium
was found to be suitable for growing probiotic strains, which
are challenging to cultivate in the current media [3]. Liquid
culture media were designed to promote probiotic growth.
They offer scalability, easy mixing, and uniform growth
environment, making them crucial for commercial probi-
otic production. Research continues to optimize these media
to improve their viability, stability, and health benefits [1].
Probiotic culture media have been developed using various
ingredients, including whey protein, fish, pork liver, black
bean, beet, tea solution or tea powder, glucose, and molas-
ses [4, 5]. It was formulated using lactalbumin hydrolysate,
yeast powder, proteose peptone, glucose, sodium chloride,
Highlights
• Various starchy extracts examined for the production of probiotic
biomass.
• Four groups of probiotic strains were identified in shrimp biofloc
farms.
• The use of fermented rice extracts as a medium improves cell
density and viability.
• This medium facilitated the most significant growth of
Pseudomonas sp.
• The use of this medium provides benefits for shrimp farming.
* P. Chellapandi
pchellapandi@bdu.ac.in
1 Industrial Systems Biology Lab, Department
ofBioinformatics, School ofLife Sciences, Bharathidasan
University, Tiruchirappalli-620024,TamilNadu, India
2 Centre forDevelopment ofAdvanced, Anish Sathyan,
Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala, India
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... In their growth, probiotics require an energy source, one of which comes from carbon (Sasikumar et al., 2024). Carbon sources include macronutrients essential for microorganisms to stay alive (Wicaksono et al., 2017). ...
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