Anantharaja, K.; Krishnan, P.; Menaga, M.; Abuthagir Iburahim, S.; Hemaprasanth, K.P.; Swain, S.K.; Rani, B.; Panigrahi, A., and Routray, P., 2024. Global trends of biofloc research in the aquaculture sector: A metadata scientometric analysis. Journal of Coastal Research, 40(1), 167–178. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208.

Biofloc technology is a sustainable tool for aquaculture production. This study is the first of its kind to provide insights into the quantitative visualization of global biofloc research trends in the aquaculture sector for the last two decades based on metadata analysis. The metadata on biofloc research retrieved during the period 1999–2021 from Web of Science was analysed. The results indicate that Brazil is the most active contributor to biofloc research—followed by China, Mexico, the United States, and India—in terms of number of publications; however, Israel holds the highest average citations per paper. The most cited paper in biofloc research has been cited 513 times, and Avnimelech from Technion Israel institute of Technology is the author of the most cited paper (513 citations) in biofloc research. The most widely studied species are shrimp and tilapia, specifically Penaeus vannamei and Oreochromis niloticus. The journal Aquaculture published a maximum number of research papers on biofloc (153 papers), followed by Aquaculture Research (96 papers) and Aquaculture International (47 papers). The trend analysis revealed that the topics related to disease resistance, different carbon sources, and microbial community are emerging in recent times. This study highlights the trends in biofloc research for its further advancements to guide researchers and policymakers to expedite the adoption of robust aquaculture practices to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth.