Aquaculture is one of the developing sectors with around 8% average annual growth rates [1]. It addresses the deficiency in meat production y farming of various aquatic animals. To achieve high production and sustaina ility of farmed aquatic animals, an intensive aquaculture system must e applied on a wide scale [2, 3]. Similarly, intensive tilapia culture aims to exploit production with trifling use of water [4]. However, challenges such as deteriorated environmental quality and out reaks of diseases tremendously affect in• tensive aquaculture, resulting in significant financial losses. Tere has een a growing interest in researching novel active iological su stances to address these challenges and achieve sustaina le intensive aquaculture [5, 6]. One of these novel su stances is medium• chain fatty acids (MCFAs). MCFAs have received more attention recently due to their potential as an anti acterial su stance and as an immune system and meta olic modulator [7–10]. Meta olically, MCFAs are directly a sor ed into the liver after digestion and processed through β• oxidation in the mitochondria for energy supply use [11, 12]. Additionally, MCFAs maintain the optimum pH of the fish intestine [13], modulate the eneficial micro iota of the gut, and decrease pathogens [14]. MCFAs can also enhance the a sorption of nutrients and stimulate the transport of nutrients into the enterocytes of the villi [9]. MCFAs can decrease amino acid oxidation, there y, allowing increased protein utilization and reducing ody fat deposition [15].
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