Effect of the Chlorella vulgaris Bioencapsulated by Daphnia magna on the Growth and Nutritional Value of the Penaeus vannamei Cultured in a Synbiotic System

The growing need for sustainable protein sources in aquaculture has led to interest in microalgae, such as Chlorella vulgaris, known for its high nutritional value. One promising strategy for delivering these nutrients is through bioencapsulation in Daphnia magna, a common live feed used in aquaculture. This study evaluated the effect of including D. magna bioencapsulated with C. vulgaris as live feed for marine shrimp Penaeus vannamei post-larvae. Shrimp were fed at two D. magna densities (5 and 10 per shrimp, 5DF and 10DF), offered weekly, and compared with a control group receiving only commercial feed (F) for 36 days in a synbiotic nursery system. Water quality, zootechnical performance, protein, and lipid content of the shrimp were analyzed using correlation analyses, nonlinear prediction models, and principal component analysis (PCA). Shrimp fed with the 10DF treatment exhibited superior zootechnical performance, characterized by a lower feed conversion ratio (1.01) and higher feed efficiency (99.97%), protein (70.91%), and lipid (32.45%) content in comparison with the 5DF and control. Quadratic regression predictive models indicated the possibility of further testing higher concentrations of D. magna per shrimp. The results indicates that the use of C. vulgaris bioencapsulated in D. magna as live feed for P. vannamei is a promising approach to improve shrimp diets and increase production in aquaculture.