ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.

Sec. Marine Biology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1574890

Response of Black Tea Powder and Its Fermentation Products on Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity, and Gut Microbiota of Cherax quadricarinatus

Provisionally accepted
XIANJING  ZHANGXIANJING ZHANG1,2Jiao-Fen  LinJiao-Fen Lin1Cheng-Jian  WuCheng-Jian Wu3Jie-Quan  XieJie-Quan Xie4You-Shu  CaiYou-Shu Cai5Xuyin  LinXuyin Lin1,6*
  • 1Xiamen Ocean Vocational College, Xiamen, China
  • 2City University of Macau, Macao, Macao, SAR China
  • 3Fujian Vocational College of Agriculture, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
  • 4Jiuyu Tea Co., Ltd., Zhangzhou, China
  • 5Haiyo Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Xiamen, China
  • 6Xiamen Key Laboratory of Intelligent Fishery, Xiamen Ocean Vocational College, Xiamen, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The overuse of antibiotics in aquaculture necessitates sustainable alternatives. This study evaluated the effects of black tea powder (BTP) and black tea powder-probiotics mixed fermentation product (TPMFP) on Cherax quadricarinatus growth, antioxidant capacity, and gut microbiota. Cherax quadricarinatus were fed diets supplemented with BTP (1-6%) or TPMFP (2%) for 84 days. Results showed that BTP≤2% significantly improved growth, muscle protein content, and HDL-C, while reducing TG, TC, and LDL-C. Hepatopancreatic antioxidant enzymes (T-AOC, SOD, GSH-Px, CAT, AKP) were elevated, with TPMFP showing the highest activity. BTP>2% impaired growth and microbiota diversity, increasing Proteobacteria and Aeromonas while reducing Fusobacteria and Tenericutes. TPMFP enhanced α-diversity, promoting beneficial taxa and functional pathways. Correlation analysis revealed a microbiota-antioxidant axis, linking Proteobacteria abundance to SOD/GSH-Px activity.This study provides a foundation for using tea-derived additives as a sustainable alternative to antibiotics in aquaculture.

Keywords: Cherax quadricarinatus, Black Tea, probiotic fermentation, Antioxidant Enzymes, Gut Microbiota

Received: 11 Feb 2025; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 ZHANG, Lin, Wu, Xie, Cai and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Xuyin Lin, Xiamen Ocean Vocational College, Xiamen, China

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