Diana Chilmawati, Pranata Candra Perdana Putra, Slamet Budi Prayitno, Sabta Amalia
The Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) cultivation is highly vulnerable to environmental stress, particularly salinity fluctuations during heavy rainfall, which impair osmoregulation and weaken immune defense. This study evaluates the effect of dietary supplementation with encapsulated phycocyanin extract from Spirulina platensis on the growth and immune response of shrimp under salinity shock conditions. A completely randomized design (CRD) with four treatments and four replicates was applied: 0g kg-1 (control), 2.5g kg-1, 5g kg-1, and 7.5g kg-1 phycocyanin extract in feed. Shrimp (DOC 44) were reared for 35 days at 25ppt, followed by a salinity shock from 25 to 10ppt for 7 days. Parameters measured included specific growth rate (SGR), absolute weight gain, proximate composition, molting, Total Haemocyte Count (THC), survival, and water quality. Results showed that supplementation had a significant effect on growth (P<0.5). The 5 g kg-1 treatment achieved the highest SGR (3.46 ± 0.16% day-1), absolute weight gain (2.36 ± 0.16 g), and stable haemocyte count, indicating enhanced immune response. The 7.5g kg-1 treatment induced the highest molting rate (80%), suggesting physiological adaptation to salinity stress. Survival remained 100% across treatments, confirming the safety of phycocyanin supplementation. These findings demonstrate that encapsulated phycocyanin extract at 5g kg-1 feed optimizes growth and immunity in P. vannamei, while higher doses enhance molting response under stress. This study highlights the potential of phycocyanin as a functional feed additive to improve shrimp resilience and support sustainable aquaculture under fluctuating environmental conditions. © 2026, Egyptian Society for the Development of Fisheries and Human Health. All rights reserved.
Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Marine and Science, Diponegoro University, Indonesia; Environmental Science Study Program, Post Graduate Program, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia
