Nutritional immunomodulation in aquaculture: functional nutrients, stress resilience, and sustainable health strategies

Abstract The expansion of global aquaculture has raised significant concerns regarding fish health, disease prevalence, and sustainability practices. Nutritional immunomodulation serves as a non-pharmaceutical approach that presents effective solutions for improving fish resilience to pathogens and environmental stressors. This review synthesises current research on the immunomodulatory roles of essential nutrients, specifically vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, in aquaculture species. In addition, this review examines how these nutrients influence immune responses by affecting mucosal integrity, antioxidant defences, cytokine activity, and immune cell growth. Furthermore, this review integrates these nutrient-specific functions to current environmental challenges, such as temperature changes, low oxygen levels, and salinity stress. Emphasis is placed on the critical role of early-life nutritional programming, the potential of functional feeds and immunostimulants, and the emerging applications of nutrigenomics in understanding nutrient–gene interactions in immunity. Significant research gaps, including species-specific nutrient requirements and long-term effects of nutrient imbalances, are also identified in this review, along with the necessity for economically viable and sustainable sources of immune-enhancing feed ingredients. In summary, this work integrates existing knowledge with prospective research avenues, emphasising the potential of customised nutritional strategies to enhance immune function, reduce antibiotic dependence, and foster a sustainable and resilient aquaculture sector.