Issues with Industrial Probiotic Scale‐up

Even though more research is necessary to elucidate the exact mechanisms behind the effects of specific probiotics, some promising candidates for applications in aquaculture have been identified and considered for industrial scale-up. In the last two decades aquaculture has embraced the industrial applications of probiotics, and this has truly taken off in some countries in South East Asia, Central and South America and more recently in Europe. However, the technical prerequisites for industrial probiotic scale-up that will be detailed at length in this chapter are overlooked in most cases, resulting in controversies around the actual consistency, efficiency and most importantly the safety of some of the products being used. This therefore highlights a crucial need to review the current probiotic product portfolio, define proper regulations and/or adhere to current regulations, specifically in countries where farmers are currently being presented with a plethora of so-called probiotics or bioremediation products with inconsistent quality and unsubstantiated benefits. The other central question that should be asked is: how can one go from a promising probiotic candidate identified at laboratory level to a commercial industrial scale application? This chapter will address these issues and will attempt to present some of the most important steps for optimal industrial scale-up of probiotics for use in aquaculture.