Isolation of alginate lyase‐producing bacteria and screening for their potential characteristics as abalone probionts.

This study is aimed at the isolation and screening of alginate lyase‐producing bacteria from the gastrointestinal tracts of hybrid abalone, Haliotis rubra x H. laevigata, as probiotic candidates. Six bacterial isolates were detected to produce alginate lyase. Of these, the isolate with the highest alginate‐lyase activity was identified as Enterobacter ludwigii strain EN‐119, displaying 99% similarity of 16S rDNA sequence. Further assays indicated that E. ludwigii showed good viability and stability when it was incorporated into manufactured pellets and stored at 4°C for 7 days. The isolate also had high tolerance of high salinity (35 mg/L), low pH in simulated stomach juice (5) and to simulated intestinal juice containing surfactants such as bile salts and gastric enzymes (pepsin and trypsin). Additionally, a short, preliminary study indicated that supplementation of E. ludwigii via manufactured pellets improved the total weight gain and specific growth rate of hybrid abalone. These results suggest that E. ludwigii is a potential probiont for shortening the culture period of hybrid abalone.