Supplement and use thereof

Abstract

Disclosed is a feed supplement for an aquatic animal comprising a dried microbial biomass. More particularly, this disclosure relates to a composition for feeding an aquatic animal comprising a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass, or a feed supplement for an aquatic animal comprising a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40% w / w and the use of such composition or supplement for feeding an aquatic animal, such as a crustacean. The disclosure further relates to the use of the feed supplement for increasing the growth rate, weight and food consumption of an aquatic animal.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTIONSUPPLEMENT AND USE THEREOF

[0001] This application claims priority to Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2024900004 entitled "Supplement and use thereof" filed 2 January 2024, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates generally to a feed supplement for an aquatic animal comprising a dried microbial biomass. More particularly, this invention relates to a composition for feeding an aquatic animal comprising a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass, or a feed supplement for an aquatic animal comprising a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40% w / w and the use of such composition or supplement for feeding an aquatic animal, such as a crustacean. The invention further relates to the use of the feed supplement for increasing the growth rate, weight and food consumption of an aquatic animal.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that the prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

[0004] The global shrimp market size was valued at over US$40 billion in 2022, with the market predicted to further grow over the coming years. Shrimp production has one of the highest rates of growth in aquaculture.

[0005] The time taken to grow a farmed shrimp to a marketable size is about three to six months, depending on the growing conditions and feed provided. Increasing the growth rate of the shrimp is beneficial as it allows for an increased number of harvests per year. The diet of the shrimp is central to the growth rate and, consequently the time to market.

[0006] Microbial single-cell ingredients have a beneficial nutritional value and functional properties for aquatic animals and are increasingly being incorporated into aquatic animal feeds as volumes are scaled up and their prices become more competitive. Novacq™, a microbial biomass, is being used as an ingredient in shrimp feed. When included in a low amount in feed products, such as 10% inclusion, this microbial biomass has been shown to enhance growth, feed intake, disease resilience and feed efficiency in Penaeus monodon, Penaeus vannamei and tilapia (Simon et al. 2023, Aquaculture, 579:740176). Shrimp or other aquatic animals can, alternatively, be grown in biofloc systems, which provide a source of nutrition unavailable from normal compounded diets and provide water quality improvements. However, the use of biofloc systems means that the culturist has to make compromises between the requirements of the shrimp and the biofloc, which can be hard to maintain at stable concentrations in culture ponds and tanks. In addition, the type of biofloc produced in polyculture with an aquatic animal, such as shrimp, is typically less bioactive than a biomass produced in a dedicated culture system.

[0007] While the inclusion of a microbial ingredient is useful, the addition of a microbial ingredient to an existing feed product requires the redesign of the product to incorporate the ingredient whilst ensuring that the nutritional requirements of the aquatic animal are met and optimal growth is obtained.

[0008] Further methods for growing aquatic animals, such as shrimp, in an efficient and cost-effective manner are required.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention is predicated in part on the determination that supplementing the diet of a shrimp with a separate supplement comprising a dried microbial biomass resulted in greater growth of the shrimp compared to inclusion of the same amount of the dried microbial biomass in a feed product with other nutritional components. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is proposed that the separate formulation allows the shrimp or other aquatic animal to ingest variable quantities of the supplement and, more particularly, to ingest a significantly higher dose of the microbial biomass when a supplement particle is ingested. While the quantity eaten would average over many meals, it is proposed that a higher concentration of the microbial biomass can be delivered temporarily into the gut without negatively affecting the overall nutrition of the shrimp and could result in an elevated post-prandial effect of several hours. The supplement formulation would also enable the addition of a known and consistent rate of the dried microbial biomass into the culture pond or tanks, the use of less material due to the increased bioactivity, and the use of various types of feed product in combination with the dried microbial biomass supplement. Accordingly, the inventors conceived that a supplement which comprises a dried microbial biomass but is substantially free of other nutritious components would be useful in combination with a nutritionally balanced feed product for feeding an aquatic animal and for increasing the growth rate, weight and food consumption of an aquatic animal.

[0010] In one aspect, there is provided a composition for feeding an aquatic animal, comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first particle comprises a nutritionally balanced feed product.

[0012] In some embodiments, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 40% w / w of the second particle, at least about 80% w / w of the second particle or at least about 90% w / w of the second particle.

[0013] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria. In alternative embodiments, the dried microbial biomass consists essentially of bacteria. In particular embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla, including bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first particle and / or second particle have a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm.

[0015] In particular embodiments, the first particle and / or second particle are a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.

[0016] In some embodiments, the second particle further comprises a binding agent and / or an attractant.

[0017] In some embodiments, the weight ratio between the first particle and the second particle is in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 9: 1.

[0018] In another aspect, there is provided a feed supplement for an aquatic animal comprising or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40% w / w.

[0019] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80% w / w or at least about 90% w / w.

[0020] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria or consists essentially of bacteria. In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla, such as bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.

[0021] In some embodiments, the feed supplement is in the form of a particle, such as a particle having a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm. In particular embodiments, the particle is a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.

[0022] In particular embodiments, the feed supplement further comprises a binding agent and / or an attractant.

[0023] In a further aspect, there is provided a particle for supplementing feed of an aquatic animal consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.

[0024] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 40% w / w, at least about 80% w / w or at least about 90% w / w.

[0025] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria or consists essentially of bacteria. In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla, such as bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.

[0026] In some embodiments, the particle has a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm. In particular embodiments, the particle is a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.

[0027] In particular embodiments, the particle further comprises a binding agent and / or an attractant.

[0028] In yet another aspect, there is provided a method of feeding an aquatic animal, comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of feeding to the aquatic animal a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first particle comprises a nutritionally balanced feed product.

[0030] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 40% w / w of the second particle, at least about 80% w / w of the second particle or at least about 90% w / w of the second particle.

[0031] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria or consists essentially of bacteria. Suitable bacteria include, for example, bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla, such as bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.

[0032] In some embodiments, the first particle and / or second particle have a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm.

[0033] In some embodiments, the first particle and / or second particle are a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.

[0034] In some embodiments, the first particle and second particle are fed to the aquatic animal simultaneously, separately or sequentially.

[0035] In some embodiments, the second particle further comprises a binding agent and / or an attractant.

[0036] In some embodiments, the weight ratio between the first particle and the second particle fed to the aquatic animal is in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 9: 1.

[0037] In some embodiments, the second particle is fed to the animal once a day. In some embodiments, the second particle is fed to the animal once every three days.

[0038] In another aspect, there is provided a method of increasing the growth rate of an aquatic animal, comprising feeding to the aquatic animal a feed supplement or particle of the invention.

[0039] A further aspect provides a method of increasing the weight of an aquatic animal, comprising feeding to the aquatic animal a feed supplement or particle of the invention.

[0040] Also provided herein is a method of increasing the food consumption of an aquatic animal, comprising feeding to the aquatic animal a feed supplement or particle of the invention.

[0041] In some embodiments, the method further comprises feeding a nutritionally balanced feed product to the aquatic animal.

[0042] In some embodiments of the aspects described herein, the aquatic animal is a crustacean, fish or mollusc; especially a crustacean, such as a shrimp, prawn, crab, crayfish or lobster. In some embodiments, the aquatic animal is a shrimp. In some embodiments, the aquatic animal is other than a shrimp larvae.

[0043] In a further aspect, there is provided a use of a particle comprising or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40% w / w for supplementing feed of an aquatic animal.

[0044] In another aspect, there is provided a particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass for supplementing feed of an aquatic animal.

[0045] In some embodiments, the particle comprises the dried microbial biomass in an amount of at least about 40% w / w, at least about 80% w / w or at least about 90% w / w.

[0046] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria or consists essentially of bacteria. For example, in some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla, such as bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.

[0047] In some embodiments, the particle has a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm.

[0048] In particular embodiments, the particle is a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.

[0049] In some embodiments, the particle further comprises a binding agent or an attractant.

[0050] In another aspect, there is provided a use of a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass for feeding an aquatic animal.

[0051] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 40% w / w of the second particle, at least about 80% w / w of the second particle or an amount of at least about 90% w / w of the second particle.

[0052] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria or consists essentially of bacteria. In particular embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla, such as bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.

[0053] In some embodiments, the first particle and / or second particle have a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm.

[0054] In some embodiments, the first particle and / or second particle are a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.

[0055] In some embodiments, the second particle further comprises a binding agent and / or an attractant.

[0056] In particular embodiments, the weight ratio between the first particle and the second particle is in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 9: 1.

[0057] In a further aspect, there is provided a use of a feed supplement or particle of the invention for increasing the growth rate of an aquatic animal.

[0058] Also provided, in another aspect, is a use of a feed supplement or particle of the invention for increasing the weight of an aquatic animal.

[0059] In a still further aspect, there is provided a use of a feed supplement or particle of the invention for increasing the food consumption of an aquatic animal.

[0060] In some embodiments, the feed supplement or particle is fed or to be fed to the aquatic animal simultaneously, separately or sequentially with a nutritionally balanced feed product.

[0061] In particular embodiments, the aquatic animal is a crustacean, fish or mollusc, especially a crustacean such as a shrimp, prawn, crab, crayfish or lobster. In some embodiments, the aquatic animal is a shrimp. In particular embodiments, the aquatic animal is other than a shrimp larvae.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] Figure 1 is a graph showing the mean weight gain (g) and bioactivity (%) of Penaeus vannamei achieved on the control diet, Novacq™ included in the control diet in an amount of 10% (10% Novacq™ diet), and the control diet supplemented with a separate booster feed (NQ 1) at a ratio of 1 : 10 (NQ l:control diet) of the total diet (10% eq.). Significant differences between treatments are represented by differing letters (ANOVA, P<0.05).

[0063] Figure 2 is a graph showing the mean weight gain (g) and bioactivity (%) of P. vannamei achieved on the control diet, NovaqPro™ included in the control diet in an amount of 10% with (10% NovaqPro™ diet 2) and without attractant (10% NovaqPro™ diet 1) and 15% with attractant (15% NovaqPro™ diet), and the control diet supplemented with a separate booster feed (NQP 1) at a ratio of 1 : 10 (NQP l :control diet) of the total diet (10% eq.). Significant differences between treatments are represented by differing letters (ANOVA, P<0.05).

[0064] Figure 3 is a graph showing the mean weight gain (g) and bioactivity (%) of P. vannamei achieved on the control diet, and the control diet supplemented with a separate booster feed (NQP 1) at a ratio of 1 : 10, 1: 15, and 1:20 (NQP l:control diet) of the total diet (10%, 7.5% and 5% eq., respectively). Significant differences between treatments are represented by differing letters (ANOVA, P<0.05).

[0065] Figure 4 is a graph showing the mean weight gain (g) and bioactivity (%) of P. vannamei achieved on the control diet and the control diet supplemented with a booster feed at a ratio of 1: 10 (booster feed: control diet) (10% inclusion eq.), with variousbinders and attractants included (NQP 1 to NQP 8). Significant differences between treatments are represented by differing letters (ANOVA, P<0.05).

[0066] Figure 5 is a graph showing the mean weight gain (g) and bioactivity (%) of P. vannamei achieved on commercial feed A, commercial feed B, commercial feed A supplemented with a booster feed (NQP 1) at a ratio of 1 : 10 (NQP 1 commercial feed A) of the total diet (10% inclusion eq.) and commercial feed B supplemented with a booster feed (NQP 1) at a ratio of 1 : 10 (NQP 1 commercial feed B) of the total diet (10% inclusion eq.). Significant differences between treatments are represented by differing letters (ANOVA, P<0.05).

[0067] Figure 6 is a graph showing the mean weight gain (g) of Penaeus monodon achieved on control basal feed (Group A), control basal feed with 10% NovaqPro™ (Group B), dual feeding of control basal feed and separate booster feed (equivalent of 5% NovaqPro™ per day fed in one meal each day; Group C) and dual feeding of control basal feed and separate booster feed (equivalent of 5% NovaqPro™ per day fed in one meal every three days; Group D).

[0068] Figure 7 is a graph showing the growth rates of P. vannamei fed with a control diet ("control"), compared to a diet comprising control pellets and 10% of booster pellets ("booster").

[0069] Figure 8 is a graph showing the biomass gain of P. vannamei fed with a control diet, compared to a diet comprising control pellets and 10% of booster pellets. Significant differences between treatments are represented by differing letters (ANOVA, P<0.05).

[0070] Figure 9 is a graph showing the biomass increase in P. vannamei fed with a control diet, compared to a diet comprising control pellets and 10% of booster pellets containing fine (25 pm) grind NovaqPro™, and a diet comprising control pellets and 10% of booster pellets containing coarse (270 pm) grind NovaqPro™ for 35 days.

[0071] Figure 10 is a graph showing the biomass increase in P. vannamei fed with a control diet, compared to a diet comprising control pellets and 10% of booster pellets made to the post larval (PL) formula, and a diet comprising control pellets and 10% of booster pellets made to the Grower formula for 26 days. Significant differences between treatments are represented by differing letters (ANOVA, P<0.05).

[0072] Figure 11 is a graph showing the weight gain (g) in P. vannamei fed with a control diet, compared to a diet comprising control pellets and 10% of booster pellets made to the PL formula, and a diet comprising control pellets and 10% of booster pellets made to the Grower formula for 26 days. Significant differences between treatments are represented by differing letters (ANOVA, P<0.05).DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION1. Definitions

[0073] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, preferred methods and materials are described. For the purposes of the present invention, the following terms are defined below.

[0074] The articles "a" and "an" are used herein to refer to one or to more than one (i.e. to at least one) of the grammatical object of the article. By way of example, "an element" means one element or more than one element.

[0075] By "about" is meant a quantity, level, value, number, frequency, percentage, dimension, size, amount, weight or length that varies by as much 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 % to a reference quantity, level, value, number, frequency, percentage, dimension, size, amount, weight or length, especially about 10%.

[0076] The term "agent" includes a compound, molecule, ingredient, supplement or particle that induces a desired effect, such as a physiological effect. When referring to a compound or molecule, the term also encompasses pharmacologically active ingredients of those compounds or molecules specifically mentioned herein including but not limited to salts, esters, amides, analogues and the like. When the above term is used, then it is to be understood that this includes the active agent per se as well as pharmaceutically acceptable, pharmacologically active salts, esters, amides, analogues, etc.

[0077] As used herein, the term "and / or" refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, as well as the lack of combinations when interpreted in the alternative (or).

[0078] The term "aquatic animal" as used herein refers to an animal that lives predominantly in water, such as fresh water or salt water. The animal is preferably selected from the group consisting of fish, crustaceans and molluscs. In preferred embodiments, the animal is one which is produced on a commercial scale by aquaculture.

[0079] Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. Thus, the use of the term "comprising" and the like indicates that the listed integers are required or mandatory, but that other integers are optional and may or may not be present. By "consisting of" is meant including, and limited to, whatever follows thephrase "consisting of". Thus, the phrase "consisting of" indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, and that no other elements may be present. By "consisting essentially of" is meant including any elements listed after the phrase, and limited to other elements that do not interfere with or contribute to the activity or action specified for the listed elements. Thus, the phrase "consisting essentially of" indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present depending upon whether or not they affect the activity or action of the listed elements. In specific embodiments, the term "consisting essentially of" includes within its scope particles or supplements that are substantially free of an added component with a nutritional value (e.g. a nutritious ingredient or nutritional ingredient) apart from the dried microbial biomass. The particle or supplement may, however, comprise a binder and / or attractant, for example.

[0080] The term "dried microbial biomass" and the like, as used herein, refers to a dried biomass, for example a solid biomass, comprising one or more microorganisms such as bacteria and, optionally, microalgae. The biomass may further include other microorganisms such as yeast, protists and fungi and / or cellulosic organic matter. The microbial biomass is prepared by culturing a population of microorganisms under controlled conditions where growth of bacteria and, optionally microalgae, are encouraged, such as the procedure outlined in WO 2009 / 132392 Al, WO 2014 / 165936 Al and / or WO 2020 / 019029 Al.

[0081] The term "fed concurrently" and the like refers to the feeding of a single composition containing two or more agents, or the feeding of each agent as separate compositions, particles or pellets simultaneously, separately or sequentially within a short enough period of time that the effective result is equivalent to that obtained when all such agents are provided as a single composition. By "simultaneously" is meant that the agents are fed to the animal at substantially the same time, for example in the same composition or the same meal. The term "separately" as used herein means that the agents are fed to the animal at an interval, for example at an interval of about 10 minutes to several days before or after the other. Any interval is useful. However, it will often be the case that when not fed simultaneously, the agents will be fed to the animal within about 10 minutes to within about eight hours of each other, and suitably within less than about one to about four hours. The agents may be fed to the animal in either order. The term "sequentially" as used herein means that the agents are fed to the animal in sequence, for example at an interval or intervals of minutes or hours. The agents may be fed to the animal in a regular repeating cycle.

[0082] When used herein the term "feed product" refers to a feed composition comprising nutritious ingredients, such as a carbohydrate source, protein source, lipidsource and one or more vitamins and / or one or more minerals. The feed product is preferably a nutritionally balanced feed product, which meets the nutritional requirements of the aquatic animal. The feed product may also comprise one or more additional ingredients such as a binding agent, and other nutritional, pharmaceutical or growth supplements. The feed product is preferably substantially homogeneous and may be in any suitable form known in the art for use in aquaculture, such as a powder, paste, cake, granule, pellet, crumbled pellet, mini-pellet and the like. In some embodiments, the product is in the form of a pellet.

[0083] When used herein, the term "nutritionally balanced" means that the feed product has a suitable ratio of the particular selected components, such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins and / or minerals, which would effectively sustain the growth of the relevant aquatic animal. The skilled person would readily be able to determine the quantities and ratios of the various nutritional components necessary for a given aquatic animal species based on the teachings of the examples herein and general knowledge in the field. The terms "nutritious ingredient," "nutritious component," "nutritional ingredient," "nutritional component," and the like refer to an ingredient or component that provides nourishment to an aquatic animal and contributes to the growth of the animal.

[0084] The term "substantially free" is used herein to mean that the particle, supplement or biomass contains less than about 3% w / w of the relevant agent, including less than about 3%, 2.5%, 2%, 1.5%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.3%, 0.2% or 0.1% w / w of the relevant agent or has 0% w / w of the relevant agent.

[0085] Unless stated otherwise, it should be understood that all percentages described herein are weight percentages (% w / w). When referring to the composition of the microbial biomass, the percentages refer to % w / w on an air dried mass / mass basis.

[0086] Each embodiment described herein is to be applied mutatis mutandis to each and every embodiment unless specifically stated otherwise.2. Abbreviations

[0087] The following abbreviations are used throughout the application: eq. = equivalents h =hour mins =minutesGIFT =Genetically Improved Farmed TilapiaSPF =specific pathogen freePL =post larvaeAHPND =acute hepatopancreatic necrosis diseaseIHHNV =Infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virusIMNV =Infectious myonecrosis virusTSV =Taura syndrome virusWSSV =White spot syndrome virusYHV =Yellow head virusEHP =Enterocytozoon hepatopenaeiTAN =total ammonia nitrogen FCR =food conversion ratio MCP =monocalcium phosphate3. Feed Supplement

[0088] The present invention is based, in part, on the determination that supplementing the diet of a shrimp with a separate, supplement composition comprising a dried microbial biomass resulted in greater growth of the shrimp compared to inclusion of the same amount of the dried microbial biomass in the feed product with other nutritional components. As such, the invention provides compositions, feed supplements and particles comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass for feeding or supplementing the feed of an aquatic animal, such as a crustacean.

[0089] Accordingly, in one aspect, there is provided a composition for feeding an aquatic animal, comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a first particle comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.

[0090] The first particle may comprise a nutritionally balanced feed product. For example, the first particle may comprise a protein source, lipid source, carbohydrate source, one or more vitamins and / or one or more minerals. In some embodiments, the first particle meets the nutritional requirements of the aquatic animal. A skilled person will be well aware of suitable feed products, such as one which addresses the known nutritional requirements of the aquatic animal as discussed in National Research Council of the National Academies (2011) Nutrient Requirements of Fish and Shrimp. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein. Exemplary commercially available feed products include a feed product from Ridley AgriProducts (Australia) such as Nutragard, Marine Float, Platinum, Propel and Classic; BioMar Group (Denmark) such as Larviva or Exia; Grobest Group Ltd (Taiwan) such as Smart, Grobest Premium, GBI, GBT, Seahorse CCT, Grobest Catfish Feed, Sunny New, Growmax or Tilapia Feed G-Max; Skretting (Norway) such as Optiline, Halo, Gemma, Nova FF, Nova FF Premium, Orient, Orient HT, Orient Plus, Orient Premium, Orient Premium HT, Orient Supreme, Nutra Sprint, Spectra FF, Spectra SS Premium or Halo HT; Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group (Thailand) such as Blanca prawn feed, CP Star, TNT larval feed, CPprawn feed or CP turbo feed; or Specialised Aquatic Feeds (South Africa) such as SAF Weaning Feed, SAF 2000 Pellet and Long Pellet Early Phase Feed, SAF 3000 Grower Feed, Tilapia Starter Feed, Tilapia Grow Out Feed, Catfish Starter Feed, Catfish Grow Out Feed or SAF 4000 Grower Feed. Suitable prawn / shrimp feeds include, for example, Propel (Ridley Agriproducts), Classic (Ridley Agri products), Smart (Grobest Group Ltd), Grobest Premium (Grobest Group Ltd), Blanca prawn feed (GP Group), CP Star (GP Group), TNT larval feed (GP Group), CP prawn feed (GP Group) or CP turbo feed (GP Group).

[0091] In some embodiments, the first particle comprises from about 30% to about 50% protein, from about 25% to about 55% carbohydrate and from about 4% to about 14% lipid.

[0092] Suitable nutritional sources are well known in the fields of aquatic animal nutrition and aquaculture. Protein sources include, but are not limited to, aquatic sources such as trash fish or rough fish, krill meal, squid meal and fish meal and mixtures thereof. Non-aquatic resource-derived protein sources include, but are not limited to, soybean meal or concentrates, poultry by product meal, lupin (kernel) meal and gluten meal and mixtures thereof.

[0093] Suitable carbohydrate sources include, but are not limited to, wheat flour, rice bran, tapioca, rice flour, maize or corn flour or mixtures thereof.

[0094] Suitable lipid sources include, but are not limited to, aquatic derived lipids such as fish oil, krill oil or squid oil, or mixtures thereof or non-aquatic lipids. Non-aquatic lipids include, but are not limited to, plant lipids such as vegetable oil, sunflower oil, canola (rape seed) oil, linseed oil, hemp seed oil, soybean oil, pumpkin seed oil, or mixtures thereof.

[0095] The first particle may further comprise ingredients such as a binding agent, a mixture of vitamins appropriate for the intended aquatic animal, a mixture of minerals appropriate for the intended aquatic animal, and other nutritional, pharmaceutical or growth supplements. The selection of suitable additional ingredients and the amounts to be included in the feed product will be well within the scope of knowledge of the person skilled in the art. The skilled person will appreciate that ingredients should be non-toxic to the aquatic animal in the amounts present.

[0096] For example, a suitable feed product may comprise wheat flour, fishmeal, soybean meal, poultry by product meal, fish oil and, optionally, one or more micronutrients (e.g. monocalcium phosphate, soybean lecithin, DL-methionine, L-lysine, magnesium oxide, choline chloride, vitamin C, bile acid and other vitamins and minerals).

[0097] In some embodiments, the first particle is substantially free of a microbial biomass, especially a dried microbial biomass.

[0098] The dried microbial biomass may be present in the second particle in any suitable amount to supplement the feed of an aquatic animal. For example, in some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 15 (including from about 15 to about 100% w / w and all integer percentages therebetween), 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100% w / w of the second particle; especially at least about 40,45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95,96, 97, 98, 99 or 100% w / w of the second particle; more especially at least about 50, 55,60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98,99 or 100% w / w of the second particle. In particular embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100% w / w of the second particle.

[0099] The second particle may optionally further comprise one or more ingredients such as a binding agent, attractant and / or one or more micronutrients. Suitable binding agents include, but are not limited to, gluten (e.g. wheat gluten), an algal hydrocolloid such as sodium alginate, carrageenan, agar, starch (e.g. tapioca starch), a synthetic polymer such as polymethylolcarbamide, a gum such as guar gum, sodium or calcium bentonite, carboxymethylcellulose, a lignosulfonate, hemicellulose, flour (e.g. rice flour), and the like. In some embodiments, the binding agent is rice flour, wheat gluten or tapioca starch. When present, the binding agent may be present in an amount in the range of from about 0.5 to about 10% w / w (and all one-tenth integer percentages therebetween) of the second particle, including about 1% to about 9%, about 2% to about 8%, about 3% to about 7% or about 4% to about 6% w / w of the second particle. In some embodiments, the binding agent is present in an amount of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10% w / w of the second particle; such as about 5% w / w of the second particle.[O1OO] In some embodiments, the second particle comprises an attractant. Suitable attractants include, but are not limited to, fishmeal, fish hydrolysate, fish oil, an amino acid, betaine, glycinebetaine, taurine, inosine monophosphate, adenosine diphosphate, guanine monophosphate, uradine monophosphate, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol, 6-sulfoquinovosyl-diacylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, putrescine, cadaverine, tiramine, spermine, spermidine, citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, mollusc meal, squid meal, squid liver meal, shrimp head meal, shrimp meal, krill meal, krill hydrolysate, artemia, yeast, yeast hydrolysate, yeast extract, and the like. In some embodiments, the attractant is taurine, krill hydrolysate or a yeast extract. When present, the attractant may be present in an amount in the range of from about 0.1 to about 10% w / w (and all one-tenth integer percentages therebetween) of the second particle, including about 0.3% to about 8%, about 0.5% to about 6%, about 1% to about 5% or about 1% to about 3% w / w of the second particle. In someembodiments, the attractant is present in an amount of about 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10% w / w of the second particle; such as about 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 or 3% w / w of the second particle.

[0101] The second particle may, in some embodiments, further comprise one or more micronutrients. When present, the micronutrients are in an amount of about 3% w / w or less of the second particle, such as about 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1, 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1 or 0.05% w / w of the second particle or less. The micronutrients may include, for example, fatty acids such as in lecithin (e.g. soybean lecithin), an amino acid such as DL-methionine, magnesium oxide, choline chloride, a vitamin such as vitamin C, bile acid, a calcium and / or phosphorous source (e.g. monocalcium phosphate) and one or more other minerals (e.g. a manganese, copper or zinc source). The second particle may, in some embodiments, further comprise a preservative, protectant or antioxidant, such as one or more organic acids (e.g. propionic acid, acetic acid, sorbic acid, valeric acid or butyric acid), butylhydroxytoluene, butylated hydroxyanisole, propyl gallate and combinations thereof. The preservative, protectant or antioxidant may be, for example, Myco CURB™ (Kemin Industries, Inc.; Des Moines, IA, USA) and / or Termox™ (Kemin Industries, Inc.; Des Moines, IA, USA). The preservative, protectant or antioxidant may be in an amount of about 3% w / w or less of the second particle, such as about 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1, 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1 or 0.05% w / w of the second particle or less.

[0102] In some embodiments, the second particle is substantially free from added micronutrients, an attractant and / or a binder. In some embodiments, the second particle is substantially free from added protein and / or carbohydrates (i.e. protein and / or carbohydrates added in addition to the dried microbial biomass).

[0103] The dried microbial biomass may comprise one or more microorganisms such as bacteria, microalgae, yeast, protists and / or fungi. The biomass may also include cellulosic organic matter. In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria.

[0104] The microbial biomass preferably includes a significant amount of bacterially derived biomass. For example, in some embodiments, the microbial biomass comprises greater than about 50% w / w of a mixed population of bacteria (including from about 50% to about 100% w / w and all integer percentages therebetween), such as greater than about 60%, 70%, 80%, 85%, 90% or 95% w / w of a mixed population of bacteria.

[0105] In alternative embodiments, particularly when the microbial biomass comprises microalgae, the bacteria is present in an amount of from about 5% w / w to about 25% w / w (and all integer percentages therebetween) on a dry matter basis, such as about 5% w / w to about 20% w / w of the biomass.

[0106] When present, the microalgae is present in the microbial biomass in an amount of from about 0.1% w / w to about 80% w / w (and all one-tenth integer percentages therebetween), including from about 0.1% to about 50%, about 0.1% to about 40%, about 0.1% to about 30%, about 0.1% to about 25%, about 0.1% to about 20%, about 0.1% to about 15%, about 0.1% to about 10% or about 0.1% to about 5% w / w on a dry matter basis. In some embodiments, the bacteria is present in the microbial biomass in an amount of from about 5% w / w to about 20% w / w on a dry matter basis and microalgae is present in the microbial biomass in an amount of from about 10% w / w to about 80% w / w on a dry matter basis.

[0107] In alternative embodiments, the dried microbial biomass consists essentially of bacteria. In such embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is substantially free of microalgae and other non-bacterial microorganisms.

[0108] In particular embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla. In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families, such as bacteria from the Microbacteriaceae and Mycobacteriaceae families and Methyloceanibacter spp. In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass further comprises Pseudomonas spp. and Zobellella spp.

[0109] A skilled person will readily be able to determine the composition of the microbial biomass. For example, quantification of the microalgae content may be based on the chlorophyll a content of the microbial biomass; and quantification of the bacteria may be based on the muramic acid content using conventional methods known in the art. The types of bacteria may be identified using, for example, genomic techniques.

[0110] The microbial biomass is prepared by culturing a mixed or heterogeneous population of microorganisms under controlled conditions where growth of bacteria and, optionally, microalgae are encouraged. Bacterial growth is encouraged by addition of a carbon source which is utilised by the bacteria. Methods for producing a microbial biomass are described in, for example, WO 2009 / 132392 Al and WO 2014 / 165936 Al. The microorganisms from which the biomass is produced may be naturally occurring in the water used in the culture system to produce the microbial biomass and may include raw, unfiltered seawater; waste water from aquaculture ponds; or recycled water from a previous culture.

[0111] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is a commercially produced biomass used as a prawn feed supplement and sold under the name Novacq™ or NovaqPro™. Novacq™ and NovaqPro™ used herein were manufactured by CommonwealthScientific and Industrial Research Organisation and Ridley AgriProducts (www.ridley.com.au), respectively, and comprise dried microbial biomass prepared according to the processes described in WO 2009 / 132392 Al and WO 2014 / 165936 Al, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

[0112] The process for producing the microbial biomass generally comprises: a) providing a population of microorganisms comprising bacteria and, optionally, microalgae; b) adding a carbon source to the mixed population of organisms; c) adding a nitrogen and phosphorous source to the mixed population of organisms; d) culturing the microorganisms under conditions suitable for the growth of bacteria and, optionally, microalgae to form a microbial biomass; and e) harvesting, drying and grinding the microbial biomass.

[0113] Processes for culturing, harvesting and drying the microbial biomass are described in WO 2014 / 165936 Al, WO 2009 / 132392 Al and WO 2020 / 019029 Al. In some embodiments, the carbon source is derived from waste, such as high volume, low value agricultural material and agricultural waste. In some embodiments, the carbon source is locally generated. The low value agricultural material may include products, byproducts or waste streams from the processing of sugar cane such as filtermud, cane tops, molasses or bagasse. Other sources include products, by-products or waste streams from the processing of rice, wheat, triticale, corn, sorghum, tapioca, oilseeds (including canola meal and lupin hulls) and elevator dust from grain handling facilities.

[0114] The harvested biomass is preferably dried and ground to form a dried microbial biomass. The biomass may be dried using any suitable means known in the art, including rapid drying under a high air flow at a moderate or high temperature, such as from about 40°C to about 220°C, for example about 100°C. Preferably, the dried product contains less than 10% by weight of moisture.

[0115] The grind size may be any size suitable to form a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule, mini-pellet or powder, such as a size in the range of from about 10 pm to about 500 pm (and all integer pm therebetween), including a size in the range of from about 20 pm to about 400 pm or about 25 pm to about 300 pm. In some embodiments, the grind size is in the range of from about 25 pm to about 270 pm, or about 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290 or 300 pm. In some embodiments, the grind size is about 25 pm or about 270 pm.

[0116] The microbial biomass is present in a particle, such as a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule, mini-pellet or powder. In some embodiments, the particle is a pellet, such as a pelletized or extruded pellet.

[0117] In some embodiments, the second particle has a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm (and all integer pm therebetween), including from about 10 pm to about 3 mm or from about 30 pm to about 2.2 mm. In some embodiments, the second particle has a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 3 mm. In some embodiments, the second particle has a diameter in the range of from about 30 pm to about 2.2 mm. The skilled person will readily appreciate that the size of the second particle will depend on the specific animal to be fed and the life-stage of the animal.

[0118] For example, when the animal is a larval form, the particle may be a powder, for example, having a diameter in the range of from about 1 pm to about 30 pm (and all integer pm therebetween).

[0119] When the animal is a post-larval form (e.g. a post-larval crustacean), the second particle may have a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 350 pm, including from about 30 pm to about 100 pm, about 150 pm to about 250 pm or about 250 pm to about 350 pm. In such embodiments, the particle may be in the form of a crumbled pellet.

[0120] When the animal is a juvenile form (e.g. a juvenile crustacean such as a shrimp), the second particle may have a diameter in the range of from about 400 pm to about 1.6 mm, including from about 400 pm to about 500 pm, about 500 pm to about 700 pm, about 700 pm to about 900 pm, about 700 pm to about 1.4 mm or about 1.2 mm to about 1.6 mm. In such embodiments, the particle may be in the form of a crumbled pellet.

[0121] When the animal is an adult or sub-adult (e.g. an adult or sub-adult crustacean, such as a shrimp), the second particle may have a diameter in the range of from about 1.4 mm to about 3 mm, such as from about 1.4 mm to about 1.8 mm, about 1.7 mm to about 1.9 mm or about 1.9 mm to about 2.2 mm. In such embodiments, the particle may be in the form of a mini-pellet (e.g. at a size of about 1.4 mm to about 1.8 mm) or a pellet (e.g. at a size of from about 1.7 mm to about 3 mm). Exemplary particle sizes and forms for shrimp life stages are provided in Table 1.TABLE 1EXEMPLARY PARTICLE SIZES AND PARTICLE FORMS FOR LIFE STAGES OF A SHRIMPwherein PL = post larvae.

[0122] The first particle may be in the form of a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule, mini-pellet or powder, suitable embodiments and sizes of which are as discussed supra.

[0123] Methods of preparing pellets or mini-pellets, such as extruded pellets, are well known in the art and are described in the examples herein and in WO 2009 / 132392 Al, WO 2014 / 165936 Al and WO 2020 / 019029 Al, the entire contents of which are encompassed by reference herein. For example, the required ingredients are selected and combined in the required ratios. Preferably the dry ingredients are milled (e.g. to a desired size, such as a size of less than about 100 to about 500 pm for pellets) and combined by mixing (e.g. using a planetary mixer) to provide a homogenous composition. The dry ingredients may be combined with liquid ingredients if present, such as lipid ingredients, prior to extruding the resulting mixture. In some embodiments, the dry ingredients are combined with water in an extruder. The mixture is then extruded and dried prior to infusing the resulting pellets with a source of lipid if required. The water content of the pellet can be controlled to provide a floating pellet. The mixture may then be extruded through a suitable sized die to provide pellets of a suitable diameter for aquatic animals, such as shrimp. A suitable die may include a 0.9 mm to 3 mm die, for example a 2 mmdie. In some embodiments, the pellets are cut to about 4 mm to about 7 mm lengths (and all integer mm therebetween), for example 6 mm lengths, at the die face to give a suitable sized pellet. In some embodiments, the pellet or mini-pellet measures about 1 mm to about 3 mm in width and about 2 mm to about 6 mm in length.

[0124] For crumbled pellet formation, the pellets are placed into a tumbler or crusher, followed by a sieve with various size openings to prepare forms with the relevant smaller particle sizes.

[0125] The first and second particles may be present in amounts that are suitable for feeding and increasing the growth of an aquatic animal. For example, the second particle may be present in an amount of from about 1% to about 15% w / w of the composition (and all integer percentages therebetween), including about 1% to about 12%, about 1% to about 10% or about 5% to about 10% w / w of the composition. In some embodiments, the second particle is present in an amount of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10% of the composition, especially about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10% w / w of the composition. It follows that the first particle may be present in an amount of from about 85% to about 99% w / w of the composition (and all integer percentages therebetween), including about 88% to about 99%, about 90% to about 99% or about 90% to about 95% w / w of the composition. In some embodiments, the first particle is present in an amount of about 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99% w / w of the composition, especially about 90, 91, 92, 93, 94 or 95% w / w of the composition.

[0126] In some embodiments, the composition comprises the first particle and second particle in a weight ratio in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 17:3 (or 85: 15), especially about 99: 1 to about 9: 1 (and all integer ratios therebetween), including about 99: 1, 49: 1 (or 98:2), 97:3, 24: 1 (or 96:4), 19: 1 (or 95:5), 47:3 (or 94:6), 93:7, 23:2 (92:8), 91:9 or 9: l (or 90: 10).

[0127] In another aspect, there is provided a feed supplement for an aquatic animal comprising or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40% w / w.

[0128] In some embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of greater than about 40% w / w of the supplement (including from about 41 to about 100% w / w and all integer percentages therebetween), such as at least about 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100% w / w; more especially at least about 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100% w / w of the supplement. In particular embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100% w / w of the supplement.

[0129] Embodiments of the dried microbial biomass, including the microorganism content and identity and method of preparation thereof, are as described supra.

[0130] The feed supplement may optionally further comprise one or more ingredients such as a binding agent, attractant, one or more micronutrients and / or a preservative, protectant or antioxidant. Suitable binding agents, attractants, micronutrients, preservatives, protectants and antioxidants are as described supra.

[0131] In some embodiments, the feed supplement is in the form of a particle, such as a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule, mini-pellet or powder. In particular embodiments, the feed supplement is in the form of a pellet, such as a pelletized or extruded pellet. Suitable embodiments of the particles, including the size and method for preparation, are as described supra.

[0132] In some embodiments, the feed supplement is substantially free from added micronutrients, an attractant and / or a binder. In some embodiments, the second particle is substantially free from added protein and / or carbohydrates (i.e. protein and / or carbohydrates added in addition to the dried microbial biomass).

[0133] In a further aspect, there is provided a particle for supplementing feed of an aquatic animal consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.

[0134] Suitable embodiments of the particle and dried biomass are as described supra for the second particle.4. Methods of Use

[0135] The present invention is based, in part, on the determination that supplementing the diet of a shrimp with a separate, supplement composition comprising a dried microbial biomass resulted in greater growth of the shrimp compared to inclusion of the same amount of the dried microbial biomass in the feed product with other nutritional components. Accordingly, the inventors conceived that a supplement which comprises a dried microbial biomass but is substantially free of other nutritious components would be useful in combination with a nutritionally balanced feed product for feeding or rearing an aquatic animal and for increasing the growth rate, weight and food consumption of an aquatic animal.

[0136] Accordingly, in another aspect, there is provided a method of feeding an aquatic animal, comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of feeding to the aquatic animal a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass. Also provided is a use of a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass for feeding an aquatic animal. In some embodiments, the second particle consists essentially of a dried microbial biomass. Insome embodiments, the second particle comprises a dried microbial biomass in an amount of an amount of greater than about 40% w / w (including from about 41 to about 100% w / w and all integer percentages therebetween), such as at least about 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100% w / w; more especially at least about 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100% w / w of the particle. In particular embodiments, the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100% w / w of the particle.

[0137] Suitable embodiments of the first particle, second particle and dried microbial biomass are discussed in Section 3 supra.

[0138] The first particle and second particle may be fed to the aquatic animal concurrently. For example, in some embodiments, the first particle and second particle are fed to the aquatic animal simultaneously, separately or sequentially. In some embodiments, the first particle and second particle are fed to the aquatic animal separately.

[0139] The first particle and second particle may be fed to the aquatic animal in an amount sufficient for the animal to sustain growth. In some preferred embodiments, the animal is allowed to feed to satiety. The skilled person will readily be able to determine the amount of food required depending on the nutrient composition of the first particle and the species and size of the aquatic animal based on general knowledge in the field of aquaculture and the teaching in the examples herein.

[0140] The first and second particles may be fed to the animal in amounts that are suitable for feeding and increasing the growth of the animal. For example, the second particle may be fed to the animal in an amount of from about 1% to about 15% w / w of the total diet (and all integer percentages therebetween), including about 1% to about 12%, about 1% to about 10% or about 5% to about 10% w / w of the total diet. In some embodiments, the second particle is fed to the animal in an amount of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10% of the total diet, especially about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10% w / w of the total diet. It follows that the first particle may be fed to the animal in an amount of from about 85% to about 99% w / w of the total diet (and all integer percentages therebetween), including about 88% to about 99%, about 90% to about 99% or about 90% to about 95% w / w of the total diet. In some embodiments, the first particle is fed to the animal in an amount of about 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99% w / w of the total diet, especially about 90, 91, 92, 93, 94 or 95% w / w of the total diet.

[0141] In some embodiments, the first particle and second particle are fed to the animal in a weight ratio in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 17:3 (or 85: 15),especially about 99: 1 to about 9: 1 (and all integer ratios therebetween), including about 99: 1, 49: 1 (or 98:2), 97:3, 24: 1 (or 96:4), 19: 1 (or 95:5), 47:3 (or 94:6), 93:7, 23:2 (92:8), 91:9 or 9: l (or 90: 10).

[0142] A skilled person will be well aware of suitable methods for feeding the particles to the aquatic animal. For example, the particles may be fed to the animal by placing the particles in a tank, raceway or pond where the animal is being reared, for example, on a feeding tray. Each of the first and second particles may be fed to the animal at any suitable frequency, such as once a day, twice a day, three times a day, four times a day, five times a day, or continuously over a 24 h period (e.g. with an automated or demand feeder), or less often such as once every two days, once a week and the like. In some embodiments, the second particle is fed to the animal once a day, once every two days, once every three days, once every four days, once every five days, once every six days or once a week. In some embodiments, the second particle is fed to the animal once a day or once every three days. In some embodiments, the first particle is fed to the animal multiple times a day, such as once a day, twice a day, three times a day, four times a day, five times a day, or continuously over a 24 h period. In some embodiments, the first particle is fed to the animal multiple times a day, such as five times a day and the second particle is fed to the animal once a day, once every two days, once every three days, once every four days, once every five days, once every six days or once a week, such as once every three days.

[0143] In another aspect, there is provided a method of increasing the growth rate of an aquatic animal, comprising feeding to the aquatic animal a feed supplement or particle of the invention, and a use of a feed supplement or particle of the invention for increasing the growth rate of an aquatic animal.

[0144] Suitable embodiments of the feed supplement and particle are as discussed in Section 3.

[0145] In some embodiments, the growth rate is increased relative to a comparative aquatic animal in the absence of the feed supplement or particle of the invention, or the same aquatic animal prior to being fed the feed supplement or particle of the invention.

[0146] The feed supplement or particle may be fed to the animal at any suitable frequency to achieve an increased growth rate. For example, in some embodiments, the feed supplement or particle is fed to the animal once a day, once every two days, once every three days, once every four days, once every five days, once every six days or once a week. In some embodiments, the feed supplement or particle is fed to the animal once a day or once every three days.

[0147] A further aspect provides a method of increasing the weight of an aquatic animal, comprising feeding to the aquatic animal a feed supplement or particle of the invention and a use of a feed supplement or particle of the invention for increasing the weight of an aquatic animal.

[0148] Suitable embodiments of the feed supplement and particle are as discussed in Section 3.

[0149] In some embodiments, the weight is increased relative to a comparative aquatic animal in the absence of the feed supplement or particle of the invention, or the same aquatic animal prior to being fed the feed supplement or particle of the invention.

[0150] The feed supplement or particle may be fed to the animal at any suitable frequency as described supra.

[0151] The invention also contemplates the use of a feed supplement or particle of the invention for increasing the food consumption or food intake of an aquatic animal. Accordingly, the invention further provides a method of increasing the food consumption of an aquatic animal, comprising feeding to the aquatic animal a feed supplement or particle of the invention.

[0152] Suitable embodiments of the feed supplement and particle are as discussed in Section 3.

[0153] In some embodiments, the food consumption is increased relative to a comparative aquatic animal in the absence of the feed supplement or particle of the invention, or the same aquatic animal prior to being fed the feed supplement or particle of the invention.

[0154] The feed supplement or particle may be fed to the animal at any suitable frequency as described supra.

[0155] In some embodiments, the methods and uses described herein further comprise feeding a nutritionally balanced feed product to the aquatic animal. In some embodiments, the nutritionally balanced feed product is the first particle described in Section 3 supra. The nutritionally balanced feed product may be fed to the aquatic animal concurrently, including simultaneously, separately or sequentially, with the feed supplement or particle of the invention. In some embodiments, the feed product is provided in a separate particle to the feed supplement or particle of the invention, such as a separate pellet. In some embodiments, the feed product is substantially free of a microbial biomass, especially a dried microbial biomass.

[0156] The nutritionally balanced feed product may be fed to the animal multiple times a day, such as once a day, twice a day, three times a day, four times a day, fivetimes a day, or continuously over a 24 h period. In some embodiments, the feed product is fed to the animal multiple times a day, such as five times a day and the feed supplement or particle is fed to the animal once a day, once every two days, once every three days, once every four days, once every five days, once every six days or once a week, such as once every three days.

[0157] The feed supplement or particle may be fed to the animal in amounts that are suitable for feeding and increasing the growth, weight and / or food consumption of the animal. For example, the feed supplement or particle may be fed to the animal in an amount of from about 1% to about 15% w / w of the total diet (and all integer percentages therebetween), including about 1% to about 12%, about 1% to about 10% or about 5% to about 10% w / w of the total diet. In some embodiments, the feed supplement or particle is fed to the animal in an amount of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10% of the total diet, especially about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10% w / w of the total diet.

[0158] A particle comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40%, or a particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass, may also be used for supplementing the feed of an aquatic animal.

[0159] Suitable embodiments of the particles are as described in Section 3 supra.

[0160] In some embodiments, the feed of an aquatic animal is a nutritionally balanced feed. For example, in some embodiments, the feed is the first particle described in Section 3 supra. In some embodiments, the feed is provided as a separate particle to the particle of the invention, such as a separate pellet. In some embodiments, the feed is substantially free of a microbial biomass, especially a dried microbial biomass.

[0161] The particle may be fed to the animal at any suitable frequency as described supra.

[0162] The particle comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40%, or particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass may be fed to the aquatic animal concurrently, including simultaneously, separately or sequentially, with the feed. For example, in some embodiments, the feed may be fed to the animal multiple times a day, such as five times a day and the particle of the invention may be fed to the animal once a day, once every two days, once every three days, once every four days, once every five days, once every six days or once a week, such as once every three days.

[0163] The particle comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40%, or particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass may be fed to the animal to supplement the feedin an amount of from about 1% to about 15% w / w of the total diet (and all integer percentages therebetween), including about 1% to about 12%, about 1% to about 10% or about 5% to about 10% w / w of the total diet. In some embodiments, the particle is fed to the animal in an amount of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10% of the total diet, especially about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10% w / w of the total diet.

[0164] In some embodiments, the feed and particle comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40%, or particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass are fed to the animal in a weight ratio in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 17:3 (or 85: 15), especially about 99: 1 to about 9: 1 (and all integer ratios therebetween), including about 99: 1, 49: 1 (or 98:2), 97:3, 24: 1 (or 96:4), 19: 1 (or 95:5), 47:3 (or 94:6), 93:7, 23:2 (92:8), 91 :9 or 9: 1 (or 90: 10).

[0165] In any one of the aspects described herein, the particle or feed supplement is a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule, mini-pellet or powder. In particular embodiments, the particle or feed supplement is in the form of a pellet, such as a pelletized or extruded pellet.

[0166] The aquatic animal described herein may be any marine or fresh water animal, especially a crustacean, fish or mollusc. In preferred embodiments, the aquatic animal is one that is commercially reared.

[0167] Suitable crustaceans include, but are not limited to, a shrimp, prawn, crab, crayfish or lobster. In particular embodiments, the aquatic animal is a shrimp or prawn, such as a shrimp or prawn of the Penaeus genera [e.g. P. monodon, P. setiferus (also known as Litopenaeus setiferus), P. semisulcatus, P. esculentus, P. stylirostris or P. vannamei (also known as Litopenaeus vannamei) Fenneropenaeus genera [e.g. F. indicus (also known as Penaeus indicus) or F. merguiensis]; Macrobrachium genera (e.g. M. rosenbergii, M. nipponense or M. malcolmsonii); Melicertus genera; Farfantepenaeus genera; Litopenaeus genera; or Marsupenaeus genera. In some embodiments, the aquatic animal is a shrimp or prawn of the Penaeus genera, such as P. monodon or P. vannamei. In some embodiments, the aquatic animal is P. vannamei. The terms "shrimp" and "prawn" may be used interchangeably herein.

[0168] In some embodiments, the aquatic animal is other than a shrimp larvae.

[0169] Suitable fish include, but are not limited to, tilapia, salmon, barramundi (Asian sea bass), carp, catfish (e.g. shark catfish, pangasius or basa), cobia, trout, cod or kingfish. In some embodiments, the fish is from the tilapiine cichlid tribe, such as a fish of the genera Oreochromis, Sarotherodon, Alcolapia, Danakilia, Iranocichlia Steatocranus or Tilapia, including a GIFT (Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia) strain. In someembodiments, the fish is Nile tilapia, also known as Oreochromis niloticus, such as GIFT strain Nile tilapia.

[0170] Suitable molluscs include, but are not limited to, an abalone, oyster, clam, cockle, mussel or scallop.

[0171] While feeding to all life stages of aquatic animals is contemplated, including larval, post larval, juvenile, adult or sub-adult stages, in some embodiments, the animal is a post larval or juvenile animal. For example, in some embodiments, the methods and uses disclosed herein may be utilised for nursery rearing of aquatic animals, such as a shrimp. Nursery rearing is the rearing of post larval or juvenile animals once harvested after the larval rearing phase, but prior to the grow out phase.

[0172] In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, particular preferred embodiments will now be described by way of the following non-limiting examples.EXAMPLESEXAMPLE 1 - EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENT ON WHITE LEG SHRIMP GROWTHMaterials and MethodsCulture System and Fish Population

[0173] The white leg shrimp Penaeus vannamei) used for the trial were acquired as post larvae (PL) stage 8 from a specific pathogen free (SPF) commercial hatchery in Thailand. The health of the animals was assessed prior to stocking (tested negative for AHPND, IHHNV, IMNV, TSV, WSSV, YHV and EHP) and monitored through the nursery (pretrial rearing) period. A total of 26,000 PL were nursed at 30°C, 15 ppt seawater at a stocking density of 4.3 PL per L for 27 days. The seawater used for the nursery was disinfected by the addition of calcium hypochlorite (50 ppm) and de-activated by sodium thiosulphate. The culture system consisted of two circular 3000 L rearing tanks, recirculating external protein skimmer, 200 L settling tank, 540 L sump tank and submerged bioreactor. PLs were fed a pelleted feed by autofeeders every 20 mins, with water quality acceptable throughout (average temperature 29.7°C, maximum total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) 2 mg / L and nitrite 3 mg / L, minimum alkalinity 119 mg / L and dissolved oxygen 5.5 mg / L).

[0174] A total of 1200 shrimp were taken from the nursed population with an average weight of 0.67 g, with 15 randomly assigned to each experimental tank and their weight estimated using an Xpercount2 (XpertSea, Quebec, Canada). The shrimp were allowed two days to acclimatise to the tanks before the 42 day trial started. A total of 80 static tanks (n=4 per experimental treatments) holding the same treated seawater as fornursing, were constantly aerated, heated to 30°C and treated in situ using a filter floss (changed twice weekly) and 5 L submerged bioreactor with pre-conditioned biomedia.

[0175] The wet weight of all shrimp was measured at day 42 and used to assess growth performance. During the trial, if any moribund animals were observed they were removed from their culture tanks and euthanised.

[0176] Water quality was monitored daily using Aquacare para test kits, Bluelab pH pen, YSI Pro handheld monitor and Hanna salinity checker. Dissolved oxygen, temperature, TAN, nitrite, pH and alkalinity were measured daily. Salinity, magnesium calcium and potassium were measured weekly. There was no significant difference in water quality parameters between treatments (P>0.05), with average daily temperature of 30.6°C, dissolved oxygen of 5.53 mg / L, pH of 8.03, TAN of 0.31 mg / L, NH3 of 0.024 mg / L, nitrite of 0.032 mg / L, alkalinity of 169 mg / L, and weekly salinity of 28.4 g / L, magnesium of 1126 mg / L, calcium of 204 mg / L and potassium 307 of mg / L all within optimal levels.Dietary Treatments

[0177] Twenty mostly iso-nitrogenous and iso-calorific dietary treatments were compared under satiation feeding as part of a single growth trial.

[0178] The formulated treatments consisted of an experimental control basal feed, the exact same feed mash including either 10% of Novacq™, 10% and 15% of NovaqPro™ by substituting wheat flour on an equivalent w / w and optionally an attractant (Table 2). Several dietary treatments were composed of a dual feeding method consisting of a ratio of 1 booster (supplement) feed to 10, 15, and 20 control feed (Table 2). Seven different recipes of booster feed were tested containing none or one of three different binders and three different attractants (Table 3). The effect of booster (supplement) feeding at a ratio of 1: 10 was also validated against two P. vannamei commercial feeds: commercial feed A (39.34% w / w protein, 6.93% w / w lipid, 6.88% w / w moisture and 13.24% w / w ash) and commercial feed B (44.4% w / w protein, 6.1% w / w lipid, 9.6% w / w moisture and 16.4% w / w ash).

[0179] The sources of the microbial biomass included Novacq™, a 7 tonne batch produced in a 0.5 Ha seawater-filled pond at Bribie Island in 2011 using a process outlined in Example 2 of WO 2009 / 132392 Al, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein. In brief, a small dose of NPK fertilizer (i.e. urea and KH2PO4) was added to the seawater-filled pond to first stimulate an algal bloom, then after 1-2 weeks all the remaining fertilizers (i.e. urea and KH2PO4) and the main carbon source (i.e. bagasse) were added at once. The pond was then aerated for about 1 month as the biofloc grew, and then aeration was stopped, the floc allowed to settle and the pond dewatered. The Novacq™ floc was allowed to solar dry on the pond bottom, before being collected, dried, ground and sieved through a 500 pm mesh size. Part of this batch was processed andstored in sealed bags at — 20 °C since production. NovaqPro™ was prepared using the same process described above, with some minor modifications as described below.

[0180] In brief, fertilizers (i.e. urea), molasses as a carbon source and inorganic N and P fertilizers were added gradually every day, as opposed to all at once, to a seawater- filled pond. After filling the pond, heavy aeration was started and maintained for a 30-45 day cycle. Aeration was stopped, the floc was allowed to settle for 3-7 days then the pond was dewatered. The NovaqPro™ floc was allowed to solar dry on the pond bottom, before being collected, dried and ground.TABLE 2 COMPOSITION OF THE BASAL FEED, AND THE BASAL FEED WITH THE INCLUSION OF NOVACQ™ OR NOVAQPRO™ IN THE FORMULATION*Micronutrients included: monocalcium phosphate (MCP) 2%; soybean lecithin 1%; DL- methionine 0.44%; vitamin and mineral premix (supplied by DSM Nutritional Products Australia Pty Ltd, Moorebank, Australia) 0.3%; magnesium oxide 0.34%; choline chloride (60%) 0.2%; Vitamin C (Aquavit C) 0.1%; and bile acid 0.1%.TABLE 3COMPOSITION OF THE VARIOUS SUPPLEMENTS (BOOSTER FEEDS), NQ 1 AND NQP 1 TO NQP 8Kemin Industries, Inc.; Des Moines, IA, USA).

[0181] Ingredients were milled to <500 m before batching, and all the feeds were mixed in a Hobart mixer with water and oil added to make up approximately 30% of a dough which was subsequently screw-pressed (Dolly, La Monferrina, Castell'Alfero, Italy) through a 2 mm die and cut to pellet length of about 2 to 4 mm. Pellets were then steamed for 3 mins and oven dried at 65°C for 24 h. Diets were stored at -20°C until required. Feeding Method, Feed Intake and Growth Metrics Calculations

[0182] A sample from each experimental diet was taken and the number of pellets in 1 g was counted in triplicate to adjust (e.g. increase or decrease) the amount of feed to be given for each tank to standardise the pellet size between diets. The feed was then weighed to the desired weight ± 0.01 g and offered to the shrimp in feeding trays three times daily at 08:00, 12:30 and 17:00 above satiation levels. After 90 mins the feeding trays were collected and number of remaining pellets were noted. The number of remaining pellets was used to calculate the amount of feed to be given for the next mealand feed consumption for all tanks daily. After 90 mins the feeding tray was lifted and the number of pellets scored as follows:0. empty feeding tray - increase feed for next meal by 15%1. few pellets remaining (~<25 pellets) - increase feed for next meal by 10%2. medium level pellets remaining (~25 - 75 pellets) - feed same amount for next meal3. large number of pellets remaining (~75- 150 pellets) - reduce feed for next meal by 10%4. >150 pellets remaining - reduce feed for next meal by 25%.

[0183] The amount of feed to be given for the first meal of the day (8 am) was based on the number of remaining pellets scored the previous day.<= 1 - maximum amount of feed given the day before + 20%<=4 - maximum amount of feed given the day before + 10%< = 13 - maximum amount of feed given the day before>14 - maximum amount of feed given the day before - 10%

[0184] The dual feeding strategy with control and supplements (booster feed; i.e. NQ 1 and NQP 1 to NQP 8) was performed by mixing a set ratio (e.g. 1: 10, 1 : 15 or 1 :20) of the two feeds in small batches. The feed was weighed using a weighing scale to ± 0.01 g and booster was added on top of the control feed. The booster and control feed pellets were mixed in a bowl and allocated to five feeding pots assigned to one tank replicate of a specific dietary treatment. Once the feeding pot was empty the feed and booster for that diet was mixed again following this method.

[0185] Tank counts were performed weekly and used to calculate daily individual feed intake over that time period. Feed intake, food conversion ratio (FOR), weight gain (g) and bioactivity were used as performance metrics in this study and calculated as per below:total feed intake per tank Food conversion ratio (FCR) = - — - total biomass gainFinal tank weight Initial weightAverage weight gain (g shrimp) = — — - - - — — - - - - -Final number of shrimp Initial number of shrimpStatistical Analyses

[0186] Differences in culture performance indices were tested by one-way ANOVAs followed by post-hoc comparisons using Tukey-Kramer tests. Before all analyses, the ANOVA assumptions of normality of residuals and homogeneity of variances were tested using the Shapiro-Wilk and Levene tests, respectively. All statistical analyses were performed using NCSS 11 (NCSS Statistical Software, Kaysville, Utah, USA). Significant differences (A, B, C) between treatments are represented by differing letters in the figures herein (Tukey- Kramer test, P < 0.05).Composition of NovaqPro™

[0187] The composition of NovaqPro™ was determined using whole-genome sequencing and 16S metagenomics to detect major bacterial families.ResultsEfficacy of Feeding of Novacq™ or NovaqPro™ as a Supplement Compared to Inclusion in Feed Product

[0188] The bioactivity of Novacq™ was improved when delivered as a high- concentration booster feed (i.e. supplement) in a similar amount (1 : 10 ratio with the basal control diet; NQ 1) to when formulated in the control basal formulation at 10% (10% Novacq diet) (Figure 1). Improvements of 15% in bioactivity when included in the control basal formulation were further increased to improvements of 27% in bioactivity when delivered as a separate supplement, with a significant difference in mean weight gain observed (Figure 1).

[0189] Similarly, the use of NovaqPro™ in a high-concentration supplement (NQP 1) in a 1 : 10 ratio with the basal control diet resulted in further bioactivity improvements (29%) compared to when included at 10% (19% bioactivity) and 15% (17% bioactivity) in the basal control formulation (Figure 2). The weight gain on the supplement treatment was significantly higher than on the control diet. The effect of attractant 1 on the overall consumption of the control feed with 10% NovaqPro™ included (10% NovaqPro diet 1) was tested and a non-significant improvement (21% bioactivity) was observed compared to the control feed, with a numerical improvement in the order of 2% bioactivity possibly associated with attractant 1 (Figure 2).

[0190] These results indicate that the use of Novacq™ and / or NovaqPro™ as a high-concentration pellet (>90% w / w) to supplement a standard diet can have surprisingly better outcomes in terms of overall diet performance than when included in the feed itself at a similar ratio (i.e. 1 : 10 eq. to 10% inclusion in feed).Effect of Supplement Ratio on Bioactivity

[0191] No significant decrease in bioactivity was observed by reducing the ratio of supplement composition (NQP 1) to control diet from 1 : 10 (10% eq.; 29% bioactivity) to 1 : 15 (7.5% eq.; 24% bioactivity) and 1 :20 (5% eq.; 25% bioactivity) (Figure 3). A recent published study has shown a gradual increase in bioactivity with inclusion rates of NovaqPro™ in P. vannamei (Simon et al. 2023, Aquaculture, 579: 740176), which is in contrast to the present results. Without wishing to be bound by theory, one mechanism by which the supplement delivery enables a lower overall dosage to have the same or greater bioactivity could be due to the way the animals feed on and digest the control and supplement feeds. When included in a single feed, the dose is exactly managed by the formulation strategy (e.g. 10% of total nutrients ingested). When administered as a separate supplement (i.e. a dual feeding strategy), the shrimp are able to ingest variable quantities of the supplement, and due to their foregut size, are likely to ingest a significantly higher dose of NovaqPro™ occasionally from ingesting supplement pellets. This is further supported by Example 2. While the quantity eaten would average over many meals, the fact that higher concentration of NovaqPro™ can be delivered temporarily into the gut without negatively affecting the overall nutrition of the shrimp could result in an elevated post-prandial effect of several hours or days (in view of Example 2) which may result in increased bioactivity.Bioactivity Under Different Supplement Formulations

[0192] The results indicate that the ingredients in the supplement composition can have small effects on bioactivity, but that the absence of a binder and / or attractant does not compromise the bioactivity in P. vannamei. Indeed, the provision of a supplement with 99.7% NovaqPro™ without a binder or attractant added (NQP 8) at a ratio of 1 : 10 to the basal control diet resulted in 30% increased bioactivity compared to the control, which was not different to supplements formulated with different binders and attractants (Figure 4). The use of binder 3 (19% bioactivity) or attractant 3 (22% bioactivity) resulted in the lowest bioactivity effect (Figure 4).Booster Approach Bioactivity Against Commercial Feeds

[0193] The results indicate a significant improvement in bioactivity when the supplement composition (NQP 1) is fed at a ratio of 1 : 10 against two commercial diets, A and B. The bioactivity improvements were 24% compared to the diet A and 16% compared to the diet B respective control response (Figure 5). Statistical analyses indicated a significant effect of the supplement composition on weight gain of the shrimp.Composition of NovaqPro™

[0194] The microbial biomass contains over 50 taxonomically distinct Orders (determined by 16S metagenomics) that are classified to the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes, and Actinobacteria phyla.

[0195] Based on whole genome sequencing, the microbial product contains over 100 distinct taxonomic families including (but not limited to) Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae. The whole genome sequencing indicated the microbial biomass in NovaqPro™ is essentially bacteria. It is likely based on the abundance that there is >90% bacteria in NovaqPro™.EXAMPLE 2 - EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENT FEEDING FREQUENCY ON GROWTH OF GIANT TIGER PRAWNMaterials and Methods

[0196] A population of juvenile Penaeus monodon were sampled from a commercial farm using cast nets. 10 animals were stocked per tank (100 L, 800 mL / min flowthrough seawater, 30°C), with an average starting weight of 2.7 g (refer to Table 6). All treatments were performed in quadruplicate (n=4).

[0197] Prawns were fed to satiation 5 times per day by 1 manual feed (1100 h) and 4 auto feeds (1500 h, 1900 h, 2300 h, 0200 h), seven days a week for the duration of the experiment. Satiation ration was determined by a visual uneaten feed assessment to ensure that underfeeding or excessive overfeeding did not occur. Feed was portioned using premeasured scoops for each feed session with the allocated scoop number recorded daily.

[0198] The treatments consisted of an experimental control basal feed ("Group A"), the exact same feed mash including 10% of NovaqPro™ substituting wheat flour ("Group B") and two dietary treatments composed of a dual feeding method (i.e. via separate pellets) consisting of a ratio of 1 booster (supplement) feed to 19 control basal feed (5% NovaqPro™ eq. of total diet), wherein the booster feed was fed to the animals once a day ("Group C") as 25% of that particular meal, or once every three days ("Group D") as 75% of that particular meal. The composition of the feed is outlined in Table 4 and the feeding method is outlined in Table 5. The control feed and feed containing 10% NovaqPro™ compositions were similar at 38% protein, 9% lipid, and 20 kJ / g gross energy.TABLE 4FEED COMPOSITIONTABLE 5FEEDING METHOD AND AMOUNT OF NOVAQPRO™ BEING DELIVERED IN SINGLE MEAL EVENTS

[0199] The sources of the microbial biomass included NovaqPro™ produced by the process outlined in Example 1. The booster (supplement) feed was NQP1 (Table 3) prepared in accordance with Example 1.

[0200] The wet weight of the animals was measured at day 21 and used to assess growth performance.Results

[0201] The initial weight of the animals and weight of the animals after 21 days of feeding is provided in Table 6 and the average weight gain per day is provided in Figure 6.TABLE 6INITIAL WEIGHT AND WEIGHT AFTER 21 DAYS OF FEEDING FOR EACH GROUP*10 animals were weighed per replicate tank individually and the average weight is presented.

[0202] The incorporation of NovaqPro™ as part of the feed in an amount of 10% of the total diet resulted in an increase of 30% in weight gain against the control, defined as bioactivity. When the booster was delivered once a day (Group C) and once every 3 days (Group D) in the form of a separate pellet at an amount of NovaqPro™ equivalent to 5% of the total diet, an increase of bioactivity of 30% and a statistically significant increase in weight gain compared to the control feed was observed. This is significant, as a lower amount of NovaqPro™ when fed to the prawns in the form of a supplement (booster) pellet separate from the basal feed resulted in an equivalent increase in weight gain as double the amount of NovaqPro™ when incorporated into the same pellet as the basal feed.EXAMPLE 3 - COMMERCIAL SCALE TRIAL 1Materials and Methods

[0203] This trial was conducted at a commercial farm in India. The trial used 2 commercial 40 metric tonnes (MT) (working volume) nursery tanks stocked with 150,000 P. vannamei at PLll / tank @ 3.75 PL / litre. Both tanks were circular concrete tanks withcentral drains and supplied with aeration via leaky pipe air tubing and airlift pipes to maintain dissolved oxygen levels.

[0204] Two treatments were used with 1 replicate tank per treatment as follows: a) Control treatment (1 tank) fed commercial feed(a locally available, high quality commercial nursery diet) only, fed to satiation; and b) Booster (supplement) treatment (1 tank) fed 90% commercial feed pellets and 10% booster pellets, fed to satiation.

[0205] The control diet pellets used were in three sizes: 400 microns, 500 microns and 600 microns. These were matched with three booster pellet sizes of: 250- 400 microns, 400-500 microns and 500-680 microns, matching the size of the control diet throughout the trial. The proximate analysis of each feed is provided in Table 7.TABLE 7PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF CONTROL FEED AND BOOSTER PELLET

[0206] The sources of the microbial biomass included NovaqPro™ produced by the process outlined in Example 1. The booster (supplement) feed comprised (by weight) 86.7% NovaqPro™, 8% binder (wheat gluten), 2% soybean oil, 2% soybean lecithin, 1% attractant (taurine) and 0.3% micronutrients (Termox™ (0.5%) and Myco CURB™ (0.25%), both supplied by Kemin Industries, Inc.; Des Moines, IA, USA).

[0207] Both tanks were fed for 27 days to satiation by broadcasting the control feed (or the control feed pellets premixed with 10% booster feed pellets) throughout the pond 8 times per day and checking feed consumption via the use of 3 x 60 cm diameter feed trays per tank, checked every feed of every day and ensuring feeding was to slight excess each time.

[0208] Water quality was maintained through water exchange and bottom siphoning of wastes through a central drain, as required to maintain ammonia (<0.1 ppm NH3) and dissolved oxygen (>4 ppm) levels throughout the culture cycle. Water exchange averaged 10% exchange per day, with water siphoning through the central drain daily. Water quality was monitored and was within optimal limits throughout trial (except for high temperatures). Due to high ambient temperatures, the water temperature was in excessof 33°C for the duration of the trial. All other management practices were kept constant for both control and treatment tanks, including regular addition of probiotics and water treatment chemicals.Results

[0209] On day 27, both tanks were drain harvested and representative samples of 200 shrimp per tank were individually counted and weighed and then the entire stock was weighed and survival rates determined by division. The results are provided in Table 8.TABLE 8WEIGHT, SURVIVAL, FEED CONVERSION RATIO AND BIOMASS WEIGHT FOR SHRIMP IN THE CONTROL TREATMENT AND BOOSTER TREATMENT GROUPS

[0210] All production parameters measured were improved through the use of the booster pellets compared to the control diet. In particular, survival rates in the face of high temperatures (>33°C) throughout the trial, were improved by 34% through the use of the booster pellets. In addition, despite higher numbers of shrimp, growth rates were improved by 19% and the FCR was improved by 14%. In addition, the size variation between juvenile shrimp on harvest were improved when the booster pellet was used.EXAMPLE 4 - COMMERCIAL SCALE TRIAL 2Materials and Methods

[0211] The trial was conducted in P. vannamei at a commercial nursery farm in Fiji. This nursery trial used 2 treatments with 1 replicate per treatment as follows: a) Control treatment, fed control commercial feed pellets: one 78,000 L (working volume) tank stocked with 45,900 PL6 (P. vannamei post larvae) at 0.6 PL / litre for 19 days; andb) Booster (supplement) treatment, fed 90% commercial feed pellets and 10% booster pellets: one 176 m3tank stocked with 81,000 PL6 at 0.5 PL / litre for 20 days.

[0212] The sources of the microbial biomass included NovaqPro™ produced by the process outlined in Example 1. The booster (supplement) feed was the booster (supplement) feed used in Example 3.

[0213] Both tanks were circular plastic tanks with central drains and supplied with aeration via leaky pipe air tubing and airlift pipes to maintain dissolved oxygen levels.

[0214] Control feed was a locally available commercial nursery diet (150 and 300 micron) with 55% protein and 10% lipid, fed to satiation and the treatment used the same diet with a 10% replacement of the control feed pellets with booster pellets (fine grind: 35% protein, 4% lipid) also fed to satiation. The booster pellets were provided at 2 sizes: 250-400 micron and 400-500 micron matching the size of the control nursery diet.

[0215] The feeding schedule was 1,000 g control pellets plus 111 g booster pellets (10% replacement), all fed to satiation. The control pellets and the mixture of control pellets and booster pellets were each fed by hand 5 times per day to satiation, by being broadcast over the tank, with 2% of each feed being placed on feed trays and checked after 2 hours to ensure they were being fed to satiation at all times. Other feeds were only artemia nauplii fed at same relative rate to each tank throughout nursing period.

[0216] Water quality was monitored and maintained at ideal levels throughout the trial through water exchange (average 5-10% per day) throughout the trial. All other management practices were kept constant for both control and treatment tanks, including regular addition of probiotics and water treatment chemicals.Results

[0217] The results are provided in Table 9.TABLE 9WEIGHT, SURVIVAL, FEED CONVERSION RATIO AND BIOMASS WEIGHT FOR SHRIMP IN THE CONTROL TREATMENT AND BOOSTER TREATMENT GROUPS

[0218] Overall biomass improvement achieved in the tank fed the control pellets and booster pellets (the booster diet) was 82.4% over the control diet alone. This was due to improvements in both growth rate (31.4%) and survival rate (38.8%). There were additional benefits in terms of reduced (improved) FOR by 34.5%.EXAMPLE 5 - COMMERCIAL SCALE TRIAL 3Materials and Methods

[0219] This trial was conducted in a super-intensive, tank-based P. vannamei shrimp farm in Thailand.

[0220] 6 tanks of 2.5 MT / tank (3 replicates per treatment) were used. All tanks were run on a common filtration system with constant water exchange of about 10% per day. 2 treatments were used with 3 replicate tanks per treatment: a) Control treatment fed a locally available, high quality commercial nursery feed (nursery crumbles with 2 sizes: 400 micron from days 1-7 and 700 micron from days 8-21); and b) Booster (supplement) treatment fed 90% commercial feed pellets and 10% booster pellets (in 3 particle sizes: 250-400 microns, 400-680 microns and 680-1000 microns to match size of control feed).

[0221] The proximate analysis of each diet is provided in Table 10.TABLE 10PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF CONTROL FEED AND BOOSTER PELLET

[0222] The sources of the microbial biomass included NovaqPro™ produced by the process outlined in Example 1. The booster (supplement) feed was the booster (supplement) feed used in Example 3.

[0223] Dry control feed and control feed plus booster pellets were all fed continuously over 24 hours by an autofeeder to satiation. Animals were also fed frozen artemia biomass 6 times per day equally between control and treatment tanks to satiation.

[0224] Thailand origin domesticated P. vannamei were stocked into each tank at PL11 at 30-50 mg and ongrown for 3 weeks to 0.6 g. Stocking rates were 16,667 PL per tank which is equal to 6.7 PL / litre.

[0225] Normally in this system the survival rate is expected to be >80% and the FCR about 0.8. However, the final FCR could not be calculated as all tanks were deliberately fed to satiation and total feed fed / eaten was not calculated. However, the FCR was estimated to be 1.27 for all tanks / treatments.

[0226] Water quality was monitored and maintained at ideal levels throughout the trial through constant flowthrough of recirculated water through biological, mechanical and UV filtration systems at about 100% per day throughout the trial. All other management practices were kept constant for both control and treatment tanks, including regular addition of probiotics and water treatment chemicals.Results

[0227] The growth rates of the animals on each treatment are presented in Table 11 and Figure 7, and the survival, final weight and biomass weight after the treatments are provided in Table 12. The booster treatment resulted in a 10% greater growth rate, a survival rate 21% higher and a yield 21% higher than the control treatment. The booster treatment also had a significantly greater biomass gain, with a 21% greater gain than the control treatment (P = 0.09) (Figure 8).TABLE 11GROWTH RATESTABLE 12WEIGHT, SURVIVAL, FEED CONVERSION RATIO AND BIOMASS WEIGHT FOR SHRIMP IN THE CONTROL AND BOOSTER TREATMENT GROUPSEXAMPLE 6 - EFFECT OF BOOSTER SUPPLEMENTS WITH DIFFERENT GRIND SIZESMaterials and Methods

[0228] The trial was conducted in Nakon Nayok, Thailand. 6 x 3 MT (2.5 MT working volume) nursery tanks were stocked with 5,250 P. vannamei at PL8 / tank @ 2.1 PL / Litre at an initial weight of 0.002 + / - 0.01 g.

[0229] All tanks were circular plastic tanks with independent recirculation systems and supplied with aeration via leaky pipe air tubing to maintain dissolved oxygen levels.

[0230] 3 treatments were used with 2 replicate tanks per treatment as follows: a) Control treatment (2 tanks) fed commercial feed (Propel™ Nursery Diet, Ridley AgriProducts; Australia), fed to satiation; b) Fine grind booster (supplement) treatment (2 tanks) fed 90% Propel™ Nursery Diet (Ridley AgriProducts; Australia) pellets and 10% booster pellets (containing fine (25 micron) grind NovaqPro™), fed to satiation; and c) Coarse grind booster (supplement) treatment (2 tanks) fed 90% Propel™ Nursery Diet (Ridley AgriProducts; Australia) pellets and 10% booster pellets (containing coarse (270 micron) grind NovaqPro™), fed to satiation.

[0231] Both the control diet and the booster pellets were manufactured on site using cold-extrusion through a pasta maker, steamed at 120°C for 15 minutes and thendried in oven at 60°C for 12 hours. The pellets were then crumbled and sieved to the appropriate particle sizes prior to use.

[0232] The control diet used was in 5 sizes: 300 micron (PL8-11), 400 micron (PL12-19), 500 micron (PL20-24), 700 micron (PL25-29) and 1,000 micron (PL30-34).

[0233] These were matched with 5 booster sizes, matching the size of the control diet throughout the trial.

[0234] The proximate analysis of each diet is provided in Table 13.TABLE 13PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF CONTROL FEED AND BOOSTER PELLET

[0235] The sources of the microbial biomass included NovaqPro™ produced by the process outlined in Example 1. The booster (supplement) feed was the booster (supplement) feed used in Example 3, with different grind sizes of NovaqPro™ (from a single batch) as detailed above.

[0236] All tanks were fed for 34 days to satiation by broadcasting the control treatment feed or the booster treatment feed (i.e. the control feed pellets premixed with 10% booster pellets) throughout the tanks by autofeeders over 21 hours per day, 7 days per week and checking feed consumption via use of 1 x 60 cm diameter feed tray per tank, checked 3 times every day and ensuring feeding was to slight excess each time.

[0237] Water quality was maintained through water exchange at an average of 1% / day through independent filtration systems (1 / tank), including mechanical, and biological filtration, ozone and protein skimming, and bottom siphoning of wastes, as required to maintain ammonia (<0.1 ppm NH3) and dissolved oxygen (>4 ppm) levels throughout the culture cycle.

[0238] Water quality was monitored and was within optimal limits throughout the trial (pH 7.8-8.3, total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) <2.0 ppm, nitrate <5 ppm, alkalinity 120- 180 ppm, dissolved oxygen >4 ppm, temperature 28-32°C and salinity 20-30 ppt).

[0239] Shrimp PL on arrival were tested for 3 pathogens: EHP, AHPND and WSSV by PCR in local government lab both before and after trial and found to be free from these potential pathogens throughout the trial period.

[0240] Additionally, vibrio levels (total yellow and green colonies) in the water were monitored every 4-5 days and never exceeded 1,000 colony forming units (CFU) / mL for green or 2,500 CFU / mL for yellow colonies throughout the trial. All other management practices were kept constant for both control and treatment tanks. No antibiotics or probiotics were used throughout the trial.Results

[0241] On day 35, all tanks were drain harvested and representative samples of 200 shrimp per tank were individually counted and weighed and then the entire stock was weighed and survival rates determined by division.

[0242] Survival rates for the two booster treatments were over 100% due to difficulty of counting such small shrimp accurately.

[0243] The results are provided in Table 14 and biomass increase following treatment is presented in Figure 9.TABLE 14WEIGHT, SURVIVAL, FEED CONVERSION RATIO AND BIOMASS WEIGHT GAIN FOR SHRIMP IN CONTROL, FINE GRIND BOOSTER AND COARSE GRIND BOOSTER TREATMENT GROUPS

[0244] All treatments performed well. The fine grind booster diet had the highest biomass gain of 3.39 kg + / - 0.18 kg (37% above control without boosters), with the third treatment involving the coarse-ground NovaqPro™ booster, showing a biomass gain of 3.24 kg + / - 0.85 kg (12% above control without boosters). Meanwhile the control diet fed animals (without added boosters) showed a biomass gain of just 2.91 kg + / - 0.26 kg. Although the difference was not statistically significant, there was a clear trend that showsthat adding a NovaqPro™ feed booster to an already high-performance nursery diet, promotes improved biomass gain during nursery culture of P. vannamei post larvae.

[0245] The survival of the animals increased and there was a marked improvement in FCR in the animals on the fine grind and course grind booster diets (from 2.21 for the control to 0.85-0.99 for the booster-fed shrimp).EXAMPLE 7 - EFFECT OF POST LARVAL (PL) AND GROWER FORMULA BOOSTERS CONTAINING NOVAQPRO™ ON WHITE LEG SHRIMP GROWTH AND YIELDMaterials and Methods

[0246] This example was conducted in the same facility and to the same specifications as Example 1.

[0247] The trial was conducted in Nakon Nayok, Thailand. 12 x 135 litre (working volume) tanks were stocked with 15 P. vannamei at PL8 / tank @ 45 / m2at an initial weight of 0.50 + / - 0.05 g.

[0248] All tanks were circular plastic tanks with independent recirculation systems including bio-reactor, heater, clarifier and aeration to maintain dissolved oxygen levels.

[0249] 3 treatments were used with 4 replicate tanks per treatment as follows: a) Control treatment (4 tanks) fed commercial feed (Propel™ Nursery Diet (Ridley AgriProducts; Australia) without NovaqPro™ supplement), fed to satiation; b) Post larval (PL) Booster (supplement) treatment (4 tanks) fed 90% Propel™ Nursery Diet (Ridley AgriProducts; Australia) pellets and 10% PL formula booster pellets fed to satiation; and c) Grower Booster (supplement) treatment (4 tanks) fed 90% Propel™ Nursery Diet (Ridley AgriProducts; Australia) pellets and 10% Grower formula booster pellets fed to satiation.

[0250] Both the control diet and the booster pellets were manufactured on site using cold-extrusion through a pasta maker, steamed at 120°C for 15 minutes and then dried in oven at 60°C for 12 hours. The pellets were then crumbled and sieved to the appropriate particle sizes prior to use.

[0251] The control diet used was in 3 sizes: 0.7-1.0 mm, 1.0-1.4 mm, and 1.4- 1.8 mm as required as the shrimp grew

[0252] These were matched with 3 booster sizes, matching the size of the control diet throughout the trial.

[0253] The proximate analysis of the control diet and the booster pellets is provided in Table 15 and the final proximate analysis of the control diet and the mix of control diet plus the 2 booster pellets is provided in Table 16.TABLE 15 PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF CONTROL DIET AND BOOSTER PELLETSTABLE 16PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF FINAL TREATMENTS

[0254] The sources of the microbial biomass included NovaqPro™ produced by the process outlined in Example 1. The PL formula booster (supplement) pellets comprised (by weight) 71.7% NovaqPro™, 15% bacterial protein meal, 8% binder (wheat gluten), 2% soybean oil, 2% soybean lecithin, 1% attractant (taurine) and 0.3% micronutrients (Termox™ (0.5%) and Myco CURB™ (0.25%), both supplied by Kemin Industries, Inc.; Des Moines, IA, USA). The Grower booster (supplement) pellets comprised (by weight) 86.7% NovaqPro™, 8% binder (wheat gluten), 2% soybean oil, 2% soybean lecithin, 1% attractant (taurine) and 0.3% micronutrients (Termox™ (0.5%) and Myco CURB™ (0.25%), both supplied by Kemin Industries, Inc.; Des Moines, IA, USA).

[0255] The formulation and proximate analyses of the PL formula booster pellets are designed to feed post-larval stage prawns up to 1 g, and the Grower formula booster pellets are designed to feed shrimp during grow-out from 1 g onwards to harvest.

[0256] All tanks were fed for 42 days to satiation by broadcasting the control treatment feed or the booster treatment feed (i.e. the control feed pellets premixed with 10% booster pellets) throughout the tanks by hand, 5 times per day (8 am, 12 pm, 5 pm, 9 pm and 12 am), 7 days per week and checking feed consumption via use of 1 x 20 cm diameter feed tray per tank, checked 4 times every day (9:30 am, 1:30 pm, 6:30 pm and 10:30 pm) one and a half hours post-feeding, and ensuring feeding was to slight excess each time.

[0257] Water quality was maintained through water exchange at an average of 10% / day through a common filtration system, including mechanical, and biological filtration, ozone and protein skimming, and bottom siphoning of wastes, as required to maintain ammonia (<0.1 ppm NH3) and dissolved oxygen (>4 ppm) levels throughout the culture cycle.

[0258] Water quality was monitored and was within optimal limits throughout the trial (pH 7.8-8.3, total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) <2.0 ppm, nitrate <5 ppm, alkalinity 120- 180 ppm, dissolved oxygen >4 ppm, temperature 28-32°C and salinity 20-30 ppt).

[0259] Shrimp PL on arrival were tested for 3 pathogens: EHP, AHPND and WSSV by PCR in local government lab both before and after trial and found to be free from these potential pathogens throughout the trial period.

[0260] Additionally, vibrio levels (total yellow and green colonies) in the water were monitored every 4-5 days and never exceeded 1,000 colony forming units (CFU) / mL for green or 2,500 CFU / mL for yellow colonies throughout the trial. All other management practices were kept constant for both control and treatment tanks. No antibiotics or probiotics were used throughout the trial.Results

[0261] On day 42, all tanks were drain harvested and representative samples of 200 shrimp per tank were individually counted and weighed and then the entire stock was weighed and survival rates determined by division.

[0262] The results are provided in Table 17 and biomass increase and weight gain following treatment is presented in Figures 10 and 11, respectively.TABLE 17WEIGHT, SURVIVAL, FEED CONVERSION RATIO AND BIOMASS WEIGHT GAIN FOR SHRIMP IN THE CONTROL, PL FORMULA BOOSTER AND GROWER FORMULA BOOSTER TREATMENT GROUPS

[0263] All treatments performed well. The treatment fed the addition of the PL formula booster pellets had the highest biomass gain of 238.1 g + / - 11.8 g (34% above control without boosters), with the third treatment involving the Grower formula booster pellets, showing a biomass gain of 224.5 g + / - 20.6 g (26% above control without boosters) (refer to Figure 10). Meanwhile the control diet fed animals (without added boosters) showed a biomass gain of just 178.1 g + / - 26.4 g. These differences between the control and the two treatments with boosters were statistically significant (P<0.05), showing that adding either NovaqPro™ booster pellet to an already high-performance diet, promotes improved biomass gain during culture of P. vannamei shrimp.

[0264] Similarly, the treatment fed the addition of the PL formula booster pellets had the highest mean weight gain of 17.08 g + / - 0.88 g (19% above control without boosters), with the third treatment involving the Grower formula booster pellets, showing a mean weight gain of 15.78 g + / - 0.48 g (10% above control without boosters) (refer to Figure 11). Meanwhile the control diet fed animals (without added boosters) showed a mean weight gain of just 14.39 g + / - 0.49 g. These differences between all three treatments were statistically significant (P<0.05), showing that adding a NovaqPro™ booster pellet (especially the PL booster) to an already high-performance diet, promotes improved weight gain during culture of P. vannamei shrimp.

[0265] The survival of the animals increased (from 83% to 93-95% when fed boosters) but there was no significant effect of FOR when fed control compared to boosted diets.

[0266] The differences in the results obtained by adding boosters at 10% of the total diet cannot be explained by differences in final dietary specifications (in terms of proximate analysis) as these were similar in the final diets fed for all three treatments (refer to Table 16).

[0267] The disclosure of every patent, patent application and publication cited herein is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0268] The citation of any reference herein should not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as "Prior Art" to the instant application.

[0269] Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe the preferred embodiments of the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. Those of skill in the art will therefore appreciate that, in light of the instant disclosure, various modifications and changes can be made in the particular embodiments exemplified without departing from the scope of the present invention. All such modifications and changes are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.EMBODIMENTS

[0270] Exemplary embodiments include, but are not limited to:1. A composition for feeding an aquatic animal, comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.2. The composition according to embodiment 1, wherein the first particle comprises a nutritionally balanced feed product.3. The composition according to embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 40% w / w of the second particle.4. The composition according to embodiment 3, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80% w / w of the second particle.5. The composition according to embodiment 4, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 90% w / w of the second particle.6. The composition according to any one of embodiments 1-5, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria.7. The composition according to any one of embodiments 1-5, wherein the dried microbial biomass consists essentially of bacteria.8. The composition according to embodiment 6 or embodiment 7, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla.9. The composition according to any one of embodiments 6-8, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.10. The composition according to any one of embodiments 1-9, wherein the first particle and / or second particle have a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm.11. The composition according to any one of embodiments 1-10, wherein the first particle and / or second particle are a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.12. The composition according to any one of embodiments 1-11, wherein the second particle further comprises a binding agent.13. The composition according to any one of embodiments 1-12, wherein the second particle further comprises an attractant.14. The composition according to any one of embodiments 1-12, wherein the weight ratio between the first particle and the second particle is in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 9: 1.15. A feed supplement for an aquatic animal comprising or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40% w / w.16. The feed supplement according to embodiment 15, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80% w / w.17. The feed supplement according to embodiment 16, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 90% w / w.18. The feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15-17, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria.19. The feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15-17, wherein the dried microbial biomass consists essentially of bacteria.20. The feed supplement according to embodiment 18 or embodiment 19, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla.21. The feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 18-20, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.22. The feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15-21, wherein the feed supplement is in the form of a particle.23. The feed supplement according to embodiment 22, wherein the particle has a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm.24. The feed supplement according to embodiment 22 or embodiment 23, wherein the particle is a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.25. The feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15-24, further comprising a binding agent.26. The feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15-25, further comprising an attractant.27. A particle for supplementing feed of an aquatic animal consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.28. The particle according to embodiment 27, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 40% w / w.29. The particle according to embodiment 28, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80% w / w.30. The particle according to embodiment 29, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 90% w / w.31. The particle according to any one of embodiments 27-30, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria.32. The particle according to any one of embodiments 27-30, wherein the dried microbial biomass consists essentially of bacteria.33. The particle according to embodiment 31 or embodiment 32, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla.34. The particle according to any one of embodiments 31-33, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.35. The particle according to any one of embodiments 27-34, wherein the particle has a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm.36. The particle according to any one of embodiments 27-35, wherein the particle is a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.37. The particle according to any one of embodiments 27-36, further comprising a binding agent.38. The particle according to any one of embodiments 27-37, further comprising an attractant.39. A method of feeding an aquatic animal, comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of feeding to the aquatic animal a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.40. The method according to embodiment 39, wherein the first particle comprises a nutritionally balanced feed product.41. The method according to embodiment 39 or embodiment 40, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 40% w / w of the second particle.42. The method according to embodiment 41, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80% w / w of the second particle.43. The method according to embodiment 42, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 90% w / w of the second particle.44. The method according to any one of embodiments 39-43, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria.45. The method according to any one of embodiments 39-43, wherein the dried microbial biomass consists essentially of bacteria.46. The method according to embodiment 44 or embodiment 45, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla.47. The method according to any one of embodiments 44-46, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.48. The method according to any one of embodiments 39-47, wherein the first particle and / or second particle have a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm.49. The method according to any one of embodiments 39-48, wherein the first particle and / or second particle are a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.50. The method according to any one of embodiments 39-49, wherein the first particle and second particle are fed to the aquatic animal simultaneously, separately or sequentially.51. The method according to any one of embodiments 39-50, wherein the second particle further comprises a binding agent.52. The method according to any one of embodiments 39-51, wherein the second particle further comprises an attractant.53. The method according to any one of embodiments 39-52, wherein the weight ratio between the first particle and the second particle fed to the aquatic animal is in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 9: 1.54. A method of increasing the growth rate of an aquatic animal, comprising feeding to the aquatic animal a feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15-26 or particle according to any one of embodiments 27-38.55. A method of increasing the weight of an aquatic animal, comprising feeding to the aquatic animal a feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15-26 or particle according to any one of embodiments 27-38.56. A method of increasing the food consumption of an aquatic animal, comprising feeding to the aquatic animal a feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15- 26 or particle according to any one of embodiments 27-38.57. The method according to any one of embodiments 54-56, further comprising feeding a nutritionally balanced feed product to the aquatic animal.58. The method according to any one of embodiments 39-57, wherein the aquatic animal is a crustacean, fish or mollusc.59. The method according to embodiment 58, wherein the aquatic animal is a crustacean.60. The method according to embodiment 59, wherein the crustacean is a shrimp, prawn, crab, crayfish or lobster.61. The method according to embodiment 60, wherein the crustacean is a shrimp.62. The method according to embodiment 61, wherein the shrimp is other than a shrimp larvae.63. Use of a particle comprising or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40% w / w for supplementing feed of an aquatic animal.64. Use of a particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass for supplementing feed of an aquatic animal.65. The use according to embodiment 64, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 40% w / w.66. The use according to any one of embodiments 63-65, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80% w / w.67. The use according to embodiment 66, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 90% w / w.68. The use according to any one of embodiments 63-67, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria.69. The use according to any one of embodiments 63-67, wherein the dried microbial biomass consists essentially of bacteria.70. The use according to embodiment 68 or embodiment 69, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla.71. The use according to any one of embodiments 68-70, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.72. The use according to any one of embodiments 63-71, wherein the particle has a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm.73. The use according to any one of embodiments 63-72, wherein the particle is a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.74. The use according to any one of embodiments 63-73, wherein the particle further comprises a binding agent.75. The use according to any one of embodiments 63-74, wherein the particle further comprises an attractant.76. Use of a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass for feeding an aquatic animal.77. The use according to embodiment 76, wherein the first particle comprises a nutritionally balanced feed product.78. The use according to embodiment 76 or embodiment 77, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 40% w / w of the second particle.79. The use according to embodiment 78, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80% w / w of the second particle.80. The use according to embodiment 79, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 90% w / w of the second particle.81. The use according to any one of embodiments 76-80, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria.82. The use according to any one of embodiments 76-80, wherein the dried microbial biomass consists essentially of bacteria.83. The use according to embodiment 81 or embodiment 82, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidietes and Actinobacteria phyla.84. The use according to embodiment 83, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises bacteria from the Pseudomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Aeromonadaceae, Mycobacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Hyphomonadaceae and Bacillaceae families.85. The use according to any one of embodiments 76-84, wherein the first particle and / or second particle have a diameter in the range of from about 10 pm to about 5 mm.86. The use according to any one of embodiments 76-85, wherein the first particle and / or second particle are a pellet, crumbled pellet, granule or mini-pellet.87. The use according to any one of embodiments 76-86, wherein the second particle further comprises a binding agent.88. The use according to any one of embodiments 76-87, wherein the second particle further comprises an attractant.89. The use according to any one of embodiments 76-88, wherein the weight ratio between the first particle and the second particle is in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 9: 1.90. Use of a feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15-26 or a particle according to any one of embodiments 27-38 for increasing the growth rate of an aquatic animal.91. Use of a feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15-26 or a particle according to any one of embodiments 27-38 for increasing the weight of an aquatic animal.92. Use of a feed supplement according to any one of embodiments 15-26 or a particle according to any one of embodiments 27-38 for increasing the food consumption of an aquatic animal.93. The use according to any one of embodiments 90-92, wherein the feed supplement or particle is to be fed to the aquatic animal simultaneously, separately or sequentially with a nutritionally balanced feed product.94. The use according to any one of embodiments 63-92, wherein the aquatic animal is a crustacean, fish or mollusc.95. The use according to embodiment 94, wherein the aquatic animal is a crustacean.96. The use according to embodiment 95, wherein the crustacean is a shrimp, prawn, crab, crayfish or lobster.97. The use according to embodiment 96, wherein the crustacean is a shrimp.98. The use according to embodiment 97, wherein the shrimp is other than a shrimp larvae.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A composition for feeding an aquatic animal, comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.

2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80% w / w of the second particle or at least about 90% w / w of the second particle.

3. The composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria or consists essentially of bacteria.

4. The composition according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the second particle further comprises a binding agent.

5. The composition according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the second particle further comprises an attractant.

6. The composition according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the weight ratio between the first particle and the second particle is in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 9: 1.

7. A particle for supplementing feed of an aquatic animal consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.

8. The particle according to claim 7, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80% w / w or at least about 90% w / w.

9. A method of feeding an aquatic animal, comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of feeding to the aquatic animal a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first particle comprises a nutritionally balanced feed product.

11. The method according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the dried microbial biomass is in an amount of at least about 80% w / w of the second particle or an at least about 90% w / w of the second particle.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9-11, wherein the dried microbial biomass comprises microalgae and bacteria or consists essentially of bacteria.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9-12, wherein the second particle further comprises a binding agent.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9-13, wherein the second particle further comprises an attractant.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9-14, wherein the weight ratio between the first particle and the second particle fed to the aquatic animal is in the range of from about 99: 1 to about 9: 1.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9-15, wherein the second particle is fed to the animal once a day.

17. The method according to any one of claims 9-16, wherein the second particle is fed to the animal once every three days.

18. A method of increasing the growth rate, weight or food consumption of an aquatic animal, comprising feeding to the aquatic animal a particle according to claim 7 or claim 8.

19. The method according to any one of claims 9-18, wherein the aquatic animal is a crustacean.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the crustacean is a shrimp.

21. Use of a particle comprising or consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass in an amount of greater than about 40% w / w for supplementing feed of an aquatic animal.

22. Use of a particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass for supplementing feed of an aquatic animal.

23. Use of a first particle comprising a feed product, and a second particle consisting essentially of a dried microbial biomass for feeding an aquatic animal.

24. Use of a particle according to claim 7 or claim 8 for increasing the growth rate, weight or food consumption of an aquatic animal.

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