Rice bran as an agro-industrial by-product in aquaculture: types, properties, and applications.

The intensification of aquaculture systems is accompanied by a need for raw materials, primarily food. Sustainability appeals have gained prominence, and reusing agro-industrial waste could be an alternative to reintegrating by-products into the food production chain. Rice, an essential food worldwide, is the second most produced grain globally and is cultivated on all continents except Antarctica. From the polishing of rice grains, bran is generated as an agro-industrial by-product, offering characteristics that allow various applications in aquaculture. The resulting rice bran is of different types, including whole rice bran, stabilized rice bran, defatted rice bran, and organic rice bran. The main difference among these types is the fat content. In aquaculture, studies have mainly focused on defatted and whole rice bran, although some studies have not specified which type of bran is used in the diet. The objective is to explore using defatted and whole rice bran in aquaculture for diet formulations, supplementary feeding, pond fertilization, and as a carbon source in biofloc systems to enhance sustainability and reduce reliance on conventional feed ingredients. This study highlights the potential for rice bran to support the development of more sustainable aquaculture practices through innovative applications. Our findings underscore the importance of specifying the rice bran used in research to ensure consistency and reproducibility. The diverse applications and benefits of rice bran in aquaculture make it a promising ingredient for future sustainable practices in the industry. The diverse applications of rice bran, coupled with its availability in tropical regions, make it a promising ingredient to address economic and environmental challenges in aquaculture.