Page 45 - Aquauclature Research and Studies (01)

AQUAUCLATURE
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Research and Studies 1 (1): 15-01, 2026 page of 193

in the entire microbial community, methane production, and microbial pro-
tein structure (Bata et al., 2009). Jain and Singh (2013) also noted the poten-
tial of using ruminant manure (cow ash) and dairy manure (Asmir et al., 2014)
to provide nutrients to the culture medium, reducing its high cost and making
it an economical culture for microalgae cultivation. Han et al. (2016) demon-
strated that combining microalgal and bacterial cultures under mixotrophic
conditions is also an effective and suitable strategy for microalgae cultivation.
Ajitha Mall (2016) reported increased productivity of Brachyuronus round-
formis using different media containing cow dung, rice bran, yeast, and poul-
try manure supplemented with Nannochloropsis algae, respectively, com-
pared to standard media. Recently, aquaculture technologies have rapidly
evolved to meet human demand for lipid or protein supplements (Ashour et
al., 2019). They also investigated the use of lipid-free algal biomass to en-
hance the growth and survival of Artemia, thus improving aquaculture (Al-
Qassas et al., 2016).
However, Heflin et al. (2012) concluded that protein content is the most
important component of aquaculture feeds. Therefore, microalgae are consid-
ered the most important feed source in aquaculture due to their nutritional
value and ability to synthesize and accumulate large amounts of polyunsatu-
rated fatty acids (PUFA) (Patel et al., 2007).Microalgae are also a rich source
of protein and can be used as a cheaper feed option for animals and fish, po-
tentially replacing current expensive technologies (Hassan et al., 2009; Abu
Mahra et al., 2014). They also provide a protective effect as a nutritional sup-
plement against heavy metal accumulation in fish muscles and disease re-
sistance (Hassan et al., 2018).
Nannochloropsis is a genus of unicellular microalgae and is considered
one of the most valuable marine algae for use in aquaculture due to its small
cell size and high nutritional value (Wan et al., 2013). Some Nannochloropsis
species are used in marine hatcheries as an important food for the zooplankton
spinner Brachionus plicatilis and as a source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
(Chen et al., 2015). However, studies on the effects of delipidated biomass
from these algae on aquatic nutrition are extremely scarce. Full utilization of
algal biomass may require combining different technologies (Behera et al.,