Bioactive compounds in aquaculture

Abstract

Bioactive compounds represent a rapidly advancing frontier in aquaculture nutrition, prom-ising solutions to reduce antibiotic dependence, enhance aquatic species resilience, andimprove feed sustainability. Yet, the global research landscape driving these innovationsremains fragmented. This comprehensive science mapping analysis employs bibliomet-ric and scientometric tools, including CiteSpace and R packages, to analyse the trajectoryand impact of research concerning bioactive compounds in aquaculture. Here, we presenta comprehensive scientometric synthesis of 17,932 publications and 818,643 cited refer-ences from the Web of Science Core Collection (1975–2023), spanning 160 countries andanalysed through co-citation, burst detection and cluster network mapping. Our analysisreveals a pronounced surge in publications from 2019 to 2023, reflecting rising demand forfunctional feeds under climate and disease stressors. Research is strongly concentrated inChina (~ 26% of outputs), the USA and Spain, while contributions from Africa and LatinAmerica remain limited, showing persistent regional disparities. The field is shaped by 31distinct knowledge clusters, with core themes focused on oxidative stress, gut microbiotaand alternative proteins, especially insect meals and algal sources. Oreochromis niloticusemerges repeatedly across clusters, and this shows its role as a nutritional model in feed tri-als and microbiome studies. Co-citation metrics identify seminal works (e.g. Dawood et al.,El-Saadony et al., Naylor et al.) that have guided functional additive research, though over-reliance on these few sources risks narrowing future inquiry. Papers with high sigma values(e.g. Turchini, Torstensen, Ng) signify conceptual turning points in lipid replacement strat-egies. Despite advances, long-term performance data, species-specific microbiota insightsand environmental fate assessments of bioactive feeds remain scarce. We recommend areorientation toward ecosystem-informed nutrition, integrating fish health, water qual-ity and socio-economic viability across diverse geographies and production systems. Thisreview offers a data-driven roadmap for funding bodies, researchers and policy stakehold-ers to strategically align innovation in bioactive compounds with the global imperatives ofsustainable and equitable aquaculture.