# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/aquaculture-nutrition-and-growth/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth research in the Class of 2026?

The 2026 cohort in Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth highlights a strong focus on commercially vital species like Nile tilapia and Litopenaeus vannamei. Research is rapidly shifting toward immunological responses, stress indicators, and functional interventions such as probiotics and selenium nanoparticles, moving beyond generalized nutritional profiling.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 8,907 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Nile tilapia, Litopenaeus vannamei, Feed conversion ratio, Malondialdehyde |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 22–34 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Effects of chronic cold stress and thermal stress on growth performance, hepatic apoptosis, oxidative stress, immune response and gut microbiota of juvenile hybrid sturgeon (Acipenser baerii ♀ × A. schrenkii ♂) | Tianyu Liu, Ling Li, Yanchao Yang, Jiarou Li, Xutong Yang, Lei Li, Ziyao Zheng, Boyu Yang, Peiyu Zhang, Haiyan Liu | Ling Li, Haiyan Liu, Haiyan Liu | Hebei Normal University, China | Fish & Shellfish Immunology | 34 | 10.1016/j.fsi.2024.110078 |
| 2 | Acute stress response in gill of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei to high alkalinity | Ruiqi Zhang, Xiang Shi, Jintao Guo, Xue Mao, Baoyi Fan | Ruiqi Zhang | Gansu Agricultural University, China | Aquaculture | 33 | 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.740766 |
| 3 | Effects of different thermal methods and degrees on the flavor of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fillets: Fatty acids, volatile flavor and taste compounds | Qixing Jiang, Haifeng Zhang, Pei Gao, Fang Yang, Dongxing Yu, Wenshui Xia, Dawei Yu | Dongxing Yu, Dawei Yu | Jiangnan University, China | Food Chemistry | 32 | 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140887 |
| 4 | Effects of dietary tryptophan levels on growth performance, plasma profile, intestinal antioxidant capacity and growth related genes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fingerlings | Imtiaz Ahmed, Ishtiyaq Ahmad, Bashir Ahmad Malla | Imtiaz Ahmed | University of Kashmir, India | Aquaculture | 29 | 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.740710 |
| 5 | Application of nutrition interventions strategy to enhance fish flesh quality | Zhe Yu, Muyang Li | Zhe Yu, Muyang Li | Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China | Journal of Food Composition and Analysis | 28 | 10.1016/j.jfca.2024.107010 |
| 6 | Characterization of Selected Microalgae Species as Potential Sources of Nutrients and Antioxidants | Natália Čmiková, Przemysław Łukasz Kowalczewski, Dominik Kmiecik, Aneta Tomczak, Agnieszka Drożdżyńska, Mariusz Ślachciński, Jakub Królak, Miroslava Kačániová | Przemysław Łukasz Kowalczewski, Miroslava Kačániová | Slovak University of Agriculture, Slovakia | Foods | 27 | 10.3390/foods13132160 |
| 7 | Effect of myosin-kappa carrageenan pickering emulsions on the quality of bighead carp surimi gels | Zhongyang Ren, Xianglan Huang, Yongqiang Zhao, Linfan Shi, Shen Yang, Ritian Jin, Rong Lin, Shuji Liu, Zhiyu Liu, Yucang Zhang, Wuyin Weng | Yongqiang Zhao, Wuyin Weng | Jimei University, China | Food Hydrocolloids | 27 | 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2024.110890 |
| 8 | Effects of saline and alkaline stresses on the survival, growth, and physiological responses in juvenile mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) | Yan Li, Pengcheng Gao, Kai Zhou, Zongli Yao, Zhen Sun, Hecai Qin, Qifang Lai | Qifang Lai | Key Laboratory of Inland Saline-alkaline Aquaculture, China | Aquaculture | 26 | 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.741143 |
| 9 | Effects of Temperature and Light on Microalgal Growth and Nutrient Removal in Turtle Aquaculture Wastewater | Xiaosong Tian, Xiaoai Lin, Qing Xie, Jinping Liu, Longzao Luo | Longzao Luo | Chongqing Vocational Institute of Engineering, China | Biology | 26 | 10.3390/biology13110901 |
| 10 | Life cycle assessment on environmental feasibility of microalgae-based wastewater treatment for shrimp recirculating aquaculture systems | April J Arbour, Pankaj Bhatt, Halis Simsek, Paul B Brown, Jen-Yi Huang | Jen‐Yi Huang | Purdue University, United States | Bioresource Technology | 25 | 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130578 |
| 11 | Efficacy of nutritional selenium nanoparticles on growth performance, immune response, antioxidant capacity, expression of growth and immune-related genes, and post-stress recovery in juvenile Sobaity seabream (Sparidentex hasta) | Seyed Eisa Abdollahi-Mousavi, Saeed Keyvanshokooh, Mansour Torfi Mozanzadeh, Ahmad Ghasemi | Saeed Keyvanshokooh, Mansour Torfi Mozanzadeh | Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, Iran | Fish & Shellfish Immunology | 25 | 10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109452 |
| 12 | Dietary nanocomposite of vitamin C and vitamin E enhanced the performance of Nile tilapia | Ahmed H Sherif, Riad H Khalil, Talaat S Talaat, Mohamed Z Baromh, Mahmoud A Elnagar | Ahmed H. Sherif | Research Institute AHRI, TW | Scientific Reports | 25 | 10.1038/s41598-024-65507-1 |
| 13 | Effects of calcium chloride on the gelling and digestive characteristics of myofibrillar protein in Litopenaeus vannamei | Kexin Zhang, Yefan Wang, Xin Fan, Na Li, Zhifeng Tan, Huilin Liu, Xiaoyang Liu, Dayong Zhou, Deyang Li | Na Li, Deyang Li | Dalian Polytechnic University, China | Food Chemistry | 24 | 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.138348 |
| 14 | Shrimp Cultured in Low-Salt Saline–Alkali Water has a Better Amino Acid Nutrition and Umami─Comparison of Flavors between Saline–Alkali Water- and Seawater-Cultured <i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i> | Kangxiang Qin, Weihao Feng, Zhaoxiong Ji, Xiaosong Jiang, Yun Hu, Yuntao Li, Chenxi Che, Chunlin Wang, Changkao Mu, Huan Wang | Huan Wang | Ningbo University, China | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry | 24 | 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c08435 |
| 15 | Effects of ammonia nitrogen stress on the physiological, biochemical, and metabolic levels of the gill tissue of juvenile four-finger threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum) | Jing-Hui Jin, Eric Amenyogbe, Ye Yang, Zhong-Liang Wang, Yi Lu, Rui-Tao Xie, Eric Kwabena Droepenu, Jian-Sheng Huang | Jiansheng Huang | Guangdong Ocean University, China | Aquatic Toxicology | 24 | 10.1016/j.aquatox.2024.107049 |
| 16 | Omega-3 fatty acids from fish by-products: Innovative extraction and application in food and feed | Matilde Rodrigues, Ana Rosa, André Almeida, Rui Martins, Tânia Bragança Ribeiro, Manuela Pintado, Raquel F.S. Gonçalves, Ana C. Pinheiro, António J. M. Fonseca, Margarida R. G. Maia, Ana R. J. Cabrita, Lillian Barros, Cristina Caleja | Lillian Barros | Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Portugal | Food and Bioproducts Processing | 23 | 10.1016/j.fbp.2024.02.007 |
| 17 | Dietary multi-strains Bacillus spp. enhanced growth performance, blood metabolites, digestive tissues histology, gene expression of Oreochromis niloticus, and resistance to Aspergillus flavus infection | Hagar Sedeek Dighiesh, Nouf Alharbi, Ohaad F. Awlya, Walaa E. Alhassani, Shahira A. Hassoubah, Najah M. Albaqami, Nesreen Aljahdali, Yasmin M. Abd El‐Aziz, El‐Sayed Hemdan Eissa, Mohammad Bodrul Munir, Salah El‐Sayed Sakr | Hagar Sedeek Dighiesh, El‐Sayed Hemdan Eissa, Mohammad Bodrul Munir, Salah El‐Sayed Sakr | Suez University, Egypt | Aquaculture International | 23 | 10.1007/s10499-024-01502-7 |
| 18 | Comprehensive analysis of histophysiology, transcriptome and metabolome tolerance mechanisms in black porgy (Acanthopagrus schlegelii) under low temperature stress | Yue Wang, Mingjun Shen, Guangping Xu, Han Yu, Chaofeng Jia, Fei Zhu, Qian Meng, Dafeng Xu, Shuran Du, Dianchang Zhang, Zhiwei Zhang | Zhiwei Zhang | Shanghai Ocean University, China | The Science of The Total Environment | 23 | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172318 |
| 19 | Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis on growth, immunity and intestinal flora of largemouth bass(Micropterus salmoides) | Wangyang Jin, Lihua Jiang, Siling Hu, Aiyi Zhu | Lihua Jiang, Aiyi Zhu | Zhejiang Ocean University, China | Aquaculture | 22 | 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.740581 |
| 20 | Unraveling novel antioxidant peptides from Asian swamp eel: Identification, in silico selection, and mechanistic insights through quantum chemical calculation and molecular docking | Xiao Wang, Khushwant S Bhullar, Juan Fu, Bingjie Chen, Hongru Liu, Di Su, Songheng Wu, Hui He, Qiankun Wang, Yongjin Qiao, Wenzong Zhou | Yongjin Qiao, Wenzong Zhou | Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China | Food Chemistry | 22 | 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141668 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The class of 2026 is largely defined by research focused on specific commercially important species such as Nile tilapia and Litopenaeus vannamei (Pacific white shrimp). Studies prominently measure standard aquaculture metrics like the Feed conversion ratio (FCR) alongside stress and immune indicators such as Malondialdehyde (MDA), Catalase (CAT), and Superoxide dismutase (SOD). There is a distinct emphasis on probiotic supplementation and its effects on antioxidant status and overall growth performance in these key aquaculture species, indicating a move toward optimizing both health and yield.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

We observe a pronounced shift toward immunological and environmental stress responses. Mentions of Interleukin-1β, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and osmoregulation surged dramatically, indicating increased attention on fish health under changing environmental conditions and disease pressures. Research into specific interventions, such as selenium nanoparticles and Bacillus species (e.g., B. subtilis, B. licheniformis), has also grown significantly. Conversely, generalized topics like digestive enzymes declined steeply, suggesting the field is moving beyond basic nutritional profiling toward targeted functional foods, immune status enhancement, and precise stress mitigation strategies in aquaculture.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/aquaculture-nutrition-and-growth/2026. Accessed 2026-07-16.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```