Biosynthesized metal nanoparticles optimization as a fish feed additive on striped dwarf catfish (Mystus vittatus) and its impacts using metagenomics

Bio-nanotechnology employing bio-sourced nanomaterials is an emerging avenue for fish feed development. Nanotechnology has become an extensive field of research due to the unique properties of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles (NPs) have found their way into many applications in fish feed incorporation. Nanomedicine is a rapidly growing aspect of nanotechnology, and there is an opportunity to use these technological advances to monitor and improve fish health. Fish breeding technology has been developed in some fishes (e.g. Native climbing perch), but the survivability of that fish is very low due to several reasons. Eco-friendly nanoparticles such as gold, silver, zinc, and manganese extracted from local plant sources can be used as fish feed additives during larval to reduce mortality, increase growth, and increase antimicrobial resistance. Green synthesis of nanoparticles has been practiced widely due to their no harmful effect on the environment. Nanoparticles have enormous potential in improving fish growth and immune functions in aquaculture. In this regard, the NPs can be incorporated with commercial fish feed to improve feed quality and minimize using artificial feed additives, growth promoters, and antibiotics. To efficiently include different nanoparticles in fish feed, it is necessary to optimize the doses. Other than that, as nanoparticles have antibacterial effects, the metagenomic study of the gut microbiota will give a clear view of the impacts of the different nanoparticles. It has been proven that nanoparticles can help promote the growth and survivability of fish, but there is limited research on this issue in Bangladesh; thus, the present study will be undertaken.Bangladesh, a developing country, can benefit immensely if nanotech is used correctly. The economy of Bangladesh largely depends on agriculture. The fisheries sector contributes 3.61% to Bangladesh's national GDP and around 24.41% to the agricultural GDP (DoF, 2017). Fisheries and aquaculture are the second-largest export industries and the most critical contributors to export earnings in Bangladesh. In the case of fish culture, fish feed requires around 60% of the total cost. By using green nanoparticles from low-cost plant materials as an alternative to feed additives, the cost required for feed formulation can be reduced, and the feed conversion efficiency can also be increased. Thus, fish growth can also be increased. Nanotechnology has broad usage potential in aquaculture, especially in incorporating fish feed. It serves several benefits to fish feed, such asImproving the color and taste of feedi) Enhancing the bioavailability of functional compoundsii) Preventing decompositioniii) Encapsulation and controlled release of food materialsiv) Enhanced bioavailability, stability, and shelf-life of sensitive ingredientsv) Protection of food products against microbial contaminationThis project will significantly contribute to optimizing our previous findings and give more precise indications on how to efficiently formulate fish feed with nanoparticles used as feed additives. This will eventually reduce the feed manufacturing cost. Nonetheless, it will give insight into the changing gut microbiome community, which greatly influences feed digestion and immunity.Objective(s) of the projecti) To optimize the dose of metal (gold, silver, zinc, iron) nanoparticles as fish feed additives that have been examined in our previous research by evaluating variations in survivability, growth, and hematological parameterii) To evaluate the impact of metal nanoparticles on the gut microbiota of striped dwarf catfish (Mystus vittatus) through metagenomics