Garlic (Allium sativum) as a Growth and Health Promoter Feed Supplement in Aquaculture

The aim of this chapter was to provide an overview of the use of garlic (Allium sativum) as a natural growth promoter and immunostimulant in aquaculture. Numerous studies have shown that various garlic products have improved growth and health parameters in various fish species, including Acipenser ruthenus, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Sparidentex hasta, Astronotus ocellatus, Oreochromis niloticus, Tilapia zillii, and Rutilus rutilus, with garlic powder being the most studied garlic product in aquaculture. The response of fish to garlic administration is reported to be dose-dependent, with high mortality occurring at high concentrations. The studied garlic inclusion levels ranged from 0.5% to 6.0%, and dosages between 1.0% and 4.0% have been shown to significantly increase growth and improve health parameters across fish species. However, there is a limitation in the experimental research designs where single concentration and culture period shorter than 60 days were used to study growth and health parameters, which makes it challenging for optimization. Therefore, better research designs are needed for some fish species, and toxicological studies may help in the optimization of garlic in aquaculture.