Shrimp gut microbiome under carotenoid-enriched diet (56 d)
This study investigated the effects of dietary carotenoid supplementation on the gut microbial diversity of Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Shrimp were fed with basal diets supplemented with different levels of mixed carotenoids or pure astaxanthin for 56 days. At the end of the feeding trial, intestinal contents were collected for high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4 region) to analyze the composition, structure, and diversity of the gut microbiota. This project aims to reveal the modulation of shrimp intestinal microbiota by dietary carotenoids and to provide a scientific basis for the application of mixed carotenoids as an alternative to pure astaxanthin in shrimp aquaculture.