For those interested:

http://www.nottingham.edu.my/CFFRC/Student...rojects%29.aspx

Project title:

Use of isolated plant organelles as food for farmed fish (2 projects)

Project description:

The Malaysian population represents one of the largest consumers of fish in the world with an estimated intake of in excess of 50kg pa/per person. While approximately 75% of the fish harvested in Malaysia are wild caught from the marine environment, global declines in wild fish stocks put increased emphasis on expanding and improving the efficiency of production of fish through aquaculture. While this sector has shown steady growth over recent years, further developments are hindered by the high costs of existing fish feeds (particularly fish meal and fish oil). While plant derived materials are routinely used in aquaculture their use often results in suboptimal growth and low health status of fish. Isolated plant organelles (e.g. oil bodies) may represent energy-dense, nutrient-rich ingredients that could be directly incorporated into fish feed to improve its nutritional value.

The objectives of these projects include: a comparison of the nutritional composition of organelles isolated from a range of ‘conventional’ and ‘novel’ plant species; undertaking a pilot scale trials of the impact of supplementing fish feed with isolated organelles on the growth and health of a selected fish species. The students will be expected to spend some time at the University’s Campus in the UK learning techniques in isolation and characterization of plant organelles, prior to transferring this technology to the Malaysia campus and undertaking the feeding trials. Subject to satisfactory progress and further funding, it is possible that one, or both, of these projects could be extended into a PhD programme.

Level: 2 x MRes

Supervisors names and contact details:

Seok Tyug Tan, School of Biosciences, UNMC (Tan.SeokTyug@nottingham.edu.my)


Further information:

Crops for the Future Research Centre (CFFRC) is pleased to announce its support for a wide range of scholarship opportunities for postgraduate projects (PhD and MRes) registered at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Funded studentships will relate to the research themes and programmes of CFFRC.

Applicants should have a good first degree from an accredited institution in a relevant field. Students who do not speak English as a first language must also meet the relevant English language qualifications as determined by the School of Biosciences.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the first supervisor listed in each instance for further information about the scholarship, including application details and entry requirements.

Please quote I.D. code on all correspondence