Analyzing trends in prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics applications in finfish aquaculture with an insight from a bibliometric study

Aquaculture has grown rapidly over the past thirty years, contributing to food security and employment. However, increased production demands have caused stress in fish, resulting in poor growth, weakened immune systems, and increased disease risk. To address these issues and promote sustainable practices, functional feed additives—specifically probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics—are gaining popularity over traditional antibiotics. Probiotics improve feed efficiency, growth, metabolic processes, gut health, and pathogen resistance. Common prebiotics such as fructooligosaccharides, mannanoligosaccharides, β-glucan, and inulin promote beneficial gut bacteria and stimulate the fish’s innate immune system. Supplementing diets with these additives enhances growth, strengthens immunity, and reduces disease, largely due to a more robust gut microbiome. Recent research highlights the synergistic benefits of combining probiotics and prebiotics (synbiotics), which improve the survival and integration of beneficial microbes in the gut. This review conducted a bibliometric analysis of studies on these additives in finfish aquaculture, summarizing their benefits and limitations to guide future research. The development of species-specific probiotic formulations, the evaluation of natural sources as alternatives to expensive commercial prebiotics, and the appraisal of microbial metabolites as postbiotics warrant further investigation. The field is increasingly focused on using Bacillus strains and synbiotic combinations, reflecting a shift toward safer, environmentally friendly alternatives to antibiotics, with synbiotics often proving more effective than individual additives.