High temperatures (>34°C) of water in aquaculture production systems potentially generate oxidative stress in white shrimp ( Penaeus vannamei ), which could result in high mortality rates and/or poor production performance of organisms. Protein hydrolysates elaborated with fishery byproducts have shown high nutritional and antioxidant potential, which can be used as functional ingredients in the formulation of nutraceutical feeds for shrimp. In the present study, two protein hydrolysates made with tuna dark muscle (TDM) protein ( Thunnus albacares ) (TDM hydrolysate (TPH)) at 10% and 20% degree of hydrolysis (DH) were supplemented on two shrimp feeds, FH10 and FH20, respectively. A total of 180 juvenile whiteleg shrimp ( P. vannamei ) were fed for 5 weeks with the experimental feeds. The best results in productive performance (final weight; weight increment; protein efficiency ratio [PER]; feed conversion ratio [FCR]; specific growth rate [SGR%/days] and survival %) were obtained with FH20, being these organisms subjected to an acute thermal stress by high temperature (35°C) for 12 and 24 h of exposure. The results indicated that the organisms fed with FH20 obtained a better enzymatic response of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the first 12 h of exposure to thermal stress, compared to a control feed (CF) without TPH.

Modern aquaculture is essential for meeting the increasing global demand for fish and seafood, but its rapid expansion has exposed limitations that threaten long-term sustainability. Major challenges include high disease outbreaks, low nutritional efficiency, and the instability and poor solubility of nutraceuticals and plant-derived compounds. These challenges often create a self-reinforcing feedback loop, amplifying the detrimental effects of one another. Conventional approaches, including antibiotics, chemical treatments, aquafeeds, and chemotherapeutic agents, have shown limited effectiveness, partly due to inefficient delivery systems that can contribute to environmental contamination and antimicrobial resistance. This review discusses nanotechnology-enabled strategies to improve these traditional methods, focusing on nanocarriers and nanoencapsulation techniques, and also mentioning other synthetized nanoparticles and microencapsulation strategies. These systems have succeeded in reducing oxidative degradation and improving bioavailability by enhancing the stability and activity of encapsulated bioactives. The review also evaluates their functional performance, limitations, environmental effects, interactions with different organisms, and regulatory constraints in the industry. Overall, while safe and scalable use of biodegradable nanoscale delivery systems in modern aquaculture has shown great potential, it still depends on careful design, harmonized regulations, and economically feasible manufacturing.

Marine protein hydrolysates are valuable sources of antioxidant bioactive peptides but are susceptible to degradation during processing and storage. Encapsulation can improve their stability and facilitate their incorporation into food matrices. This study evaluated the encapsulation and antioxidant activity retention of a sardine protein hydrolysate (SPH) from Opisthonema bulleri, O. libertate, and O. medirastre. The SPH contained 61.88 ± 0.84 g kg⁻¹ crude protein, with 71.58 ± 1.54% of peptides ranging from 1.35 to 17 kDa. SPH was encapsulated by spray drying using maltodextrin and gum arabic under three processing conditions. FTIR revealed spectral changes after encapsulation, while AFM showed differences in nanoscale surface features. Processing conditions significantly affected production yield, surface feature size, and antioxidant activity retention. ESPH1 (150 °C inlet temperature, 60 °C outlet temperature, and 9.4 mL min⁻¹ feed flow rate) showed the highest production yield (69.13 ± 0.72%), smallest surface features (141 ± 32 nm), and antioxidant activity retention of 67.41% for ABTS, 70.76% for DPPH, and 99.85% for FRAP. These findings support spray-dried SPH as a potential powdered antioxidant functional ingredient for incorporation into food formulations.