A synbiotic containing prebiotic prepared from a by-product of king oyster mushroom, Pleurotus eryngii and probiotic, Lactobacillus plantarum incorporated in diet to improve the growth performance and health status of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a synbiotic composite an extract from a by-product of king oyster mushroom, Pleurotus eryngii (KOME), and probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum 7–40 on the growth performance and health status of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. The KOME was able to stimulate the growth of probiotic, but not the growth of Vibrio pathogens, including V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. harveyi. Four diets were formulated, including a control diet supplemented without prebiotic and probiotic, a basal diet supplemented with KOME (5 g kg−1) (ME), a basal diet supplemented with probiotic (1 × 108 CFU kg−1) (LP), and a basal diet supplemented with KOME (5 g kg−1) and probiotic (1 × 108 CFU kg−1) (SYN). Shrimp fed the ME, LP, and SYN diets had significantly higher survival than that of shrimp fed with the control diet for 8 weeks. Shrimp in the SYN group also had a significantly higher weight gain and total final weight in comparison with the control and other treatments. In the intestinal tract, lactic acid bacteria count was significantly higher in the SYN group, whereas the Vibrio-like bacteria count was significantly higher in the ME group than in the control group. For the health status assessment, the disease resistance of shrimp against V. alginolyticus was improved in all treatments compared to the shrimp in control. Shrimps in the SYN group had significantly lower cumulative mortality due to the significant increase in immune responses, including phenoloxidase, respiratory burst, and lysozyme activity, and the gene expression of pexn and pen4 in the haemocytes, and lgbp, sp, propoii, pexn, pen3a, pen4, and gpx in the haepatopancreas of shrimp as compared to the control. Therefore, it is suggested that a combination of KOME and probiotics can be used as a synbiotic to improve the growth performance and reduce the risk of infectious diseases caused by Vibrio and at the same time significantly contribute to the circular economy. •King oyster mushroom extract (KOME) was able to support the growth of probiotic, Lactobacillus plantarum rather than pathogenic Vbrio.•Synbiotic was able to increase the growth performance of shrimp.•Synbiotic was able to improve the immunity and disease resistance of shrimp.