A Rich Harvest of Aquatic Technologies
The 2007 Aquatic Technology Competition yielded a rich harvest of technologies that could be commercialized. The competition, which is in its third year, is a brainchild of Dr Rafael D. Guerrero III and his colleagues at the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development. It is being implemented under the auspices of the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Systems.
A team of young engineers garnered the top prize of P150,000 cash for their underwater robot. The robot called Angel One was developed by Roboteknik headed by Michael Poblete, a youthful mechanical engineering graduate of Mapua Institute of Technology. He describes Angel One as an underwater robot with a video camera and propulsion system. Its primary function is to conduct visual inspection of underwater objects and structures.
In aquaculture, the robot can be used to monitor the fish inside the fishpen, their rate of growth using optional scaling lasers, and feed consumption by measuring the amount of falling feed in the bottom of the fishpen. It could be used to spot holes or breaks in the net where high-value fish could escape.
The robot could also be used for coral reef monitoring. Poblete says that using a robot like Angel One to regularly and more extensively monitor a coral reef is more convenient, easier, and less expensive than using human divers.
The machine could also be used in search and rescue operations. The robot can dive longer and deeper than any human can. It can also be useful in oil pipeline inspection and maintenance. The robot can scan long pipelines and detect sources of leaks and areas that need repair.
Oil tankers and other ships can make use of the robot to spot possible areas that may leak and prevent oil spills.
The robot could also be useful in underwater structure inspection. Poblete said that structures, both offshore and inland (dams, dikes, canals, potable water tanks, reservoirs) can be inspected more extensively even in tight spaces than by human divers, thus better protecting the structure from failure through early detection of possible failure points.
Actually, the underwater robot is not exactly new. There are models developed abroad like the one that checked the sunken tanker in the Guimaras oil spill. These foreign models are very expensive, each costing millions of dollars. That is why the young engineers of Roboteknik have worked during the last three years to come up with their low-cost but highly efficient model. Angel One only cost them R99,000 to produce a unit.
The unit weighs just 11 kilos. In case it malfunctions under water, what happens? The unit will float to the surface.
CREAM OF TILAPIA SOUP
The second prize winner of P100,000 cash is the instant Cream of Tilapia Soup developed by Dr. Perlita C. Tiburcio, dean of the Human Ecology College of the Nueva Vizcaya State University in Bayombong. All the parts of the tilapia - flesh, bones and intestines - are used in making the instant soup. The flesh and bones are powdered while the oil in the intestine is extracted. Dr. Tiburcio says that the oil contains omega 3 which is good for the health.
The instant soup does not only taste good, it is also highly nutritious. In addition to the tilapia parts, fine rice bran (Dz which is rich in vitamin B), soy protein and milk casein are added to the mixture. The product has the potential of becoming a bestseller if given the right packaging and promotion.
ONE VACCINE FOR TWO TILAPIA DISEASES
The third prize winner in the competition is a multivalent vaccine for two tilapia pathogens, namely Aeromonas hydrophila and Streptococcus iniae. These are two bacterial diseases that commonly infect Nile tilapia in ponds in Pampanga as well as in cages in Taal Lake and Magat Dam.
The vaccines that are used to cure the diseases are all imported. The danger is that the attenuated or killed bacteria in the imported vaccine may differ in the antigenic structure from those in the target pathogens although they may be of the same species. Because of that, the imported vaccine may not always be effective.
In addition, the imported vaccines are either only for A. Hydrophila or S. iniae. Thus, the fish have to be treated separately for the two diseases, requiring two different handlings.
In the case of the prize-winning tilapia vaccine developed by Dean Apolinario V. Yambot of the Central Luzon State University, the vaccine cures the two bacterial diseases. For fingerlings of the Nile tilapia, the vaccine is diluted with tap water and the fingerlings are immersed into the vaccine solution. For breeders, the vaccine may be introduced into the fish by intraperitoneal injection.
Also, Dr. Yambot said that the vaccine should be processed out of bacterial isolates taken from the target locality to ensure that same serotype is introduced.
The cost of one vial is P3,000. That’s enough to vaccinate 100,000 Size 22 fingerlings.
FERTILIZER FROM SEAWEED DRIPPINGS
One very practical and doable technology was presented by Graciela Caballero during the judging of entries in the competition. This is the production of organic foliar fertilizer simply by collecting drippings of Kappaphycus alvarezii, the most commonly cultured seaweed. Caballero is the head of the team of researchers from the Southern Philippines Agribusiness and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) in Digos City, Davao del Sur.
It turns out that the drippings which are normally thrown away make very good foliar fertilizer. The researchers have developed a simple technique of collecting the drippings. In just three days, the drippings are ready for use or for sale.
The newly harvested seaweeds are immediately cleaned. Diseased or infected parts, clinging epiphytes and other foreign materials are removed. Then the seaweeds are thoroughly washed with seawater to remove silt and other extraneous materials.
Immediately after washing, the seaweeds are laid on a drainage platform to allow excess sea water to drip off. After that, the clean seaweeds are placed inside big transparent plastic bags, sealed and placed on the draining bed. These bagged seaweeds are exposed to the sun for three days.
The drippings inside the bags are then collected and bottled. According to the researchers, a kilo of seaweeds usually yields 750 ml extract. In other words, one ton of seaweeds will produce 750 liters of foliar fertilizer. No additives or preservatives are needed.
The researchers conducted fertilizing trials on orchids, chrysanthemum, mango seedlings and pechay. Various rates were tried, including 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%: There was also a control which did not receive any seaweed fertilizer. The results showed that those fertilized with 25 to 75% showed much faster growth than those treated with zero and 100% dosages.
Aside from Caballero, the other researchers are Nellie Nanette S. Revilla, Della Grace Bacaltos, Augie Fuentes, Alexander Campaner and Joven Gultiano. They believe the seaweed fertilizer is also effective in rice, corn and all the other crops grown by farmers and gardeners. They recommend, however, that further trials be conducted to establish the optimum dosage for each crop.
The seaweed fertilizer has been analyzed to contain 0.14% nitrogen, 1.14% phosphorus, 3.25% potassium, 0.018% calcium, 0.041% magnesium, 112.50 ppm copper, 50 ppm zinc, traces of iron and manganese. These are the same minerals found in commercial seaweed fertilizers in the market. The big difference is the price. It may cost only P24 to produce and bottle one liter of Kappaphycus drippings.
SOFT-BONED SMOKED BANGUS
Researchers from the Naic campus of the Cavite State University have come up with a new way of making smoked bangus (tinapa) so that the bones become soft and edible. This is done by pressure cooking the fish (250-grams size) for two hours before smoking. Smoking is finished in just 30 to 45 minutes.
In the traditional method of making smoked bangus, the fish is steamed and then smoked for three hours. This does not make the bones soft, hence a hazard to consumers, especially children.
The improved method could also be adopted in making tinapa out of other species. By the way, the researchers are Solita R. Poblete, Cynthia N. Madlangbayan and Elisa B. Omipon.
SAMAR’S PODPOD IMPROVED
Another ethnic fish food that has been vastly improved is the Podpod of Eastern Samar. Podpod is boiled fish that is pounded, molded and then smoked usually over open fire. The finished product is ready to eat as viand, but it can also be fried, or cooked with vegetables such as squash or young jackfruit in coconut milk, laing and others. Usually, the finished smoked cake is wrapped with ordinary plastic or banana leaves and lasts for only three to seven days under ordinary room conditions.
Researchers from the Eastern Samar State University led by Nerlita Alura have developed a technique that could keep Podpod in good condition for as long as one month. The new method makes use of only fresh tuna which is plentiful in Eastern Samar. In the improved method, Podpod is processed by eviscerating, cleaning, brining, steaming, flaking, grinding, mixing with ingredients, molding and smoking the fish cake in a smoke chamber designed by engineers of ESSU.
They have come up with an attractive packaging which is vacuum-sealed, using nylon polyethylene material. The new Podpod is now produced commercially and is said to be a favorite of balikbayans who take them back to their homes in the United States or elsewhere.
BANGUS BONES-ENRICHED COOKIES
Now, researchers from the Don Mariano Marcos State University, Sto. Tomas campus, have come up with a way to make use of the bangus bones derived from the production of boneless bangus. Making boneless bangus is a big business in Pangasinan and a lot of bones are usually just thrown away. The researchers powdered the fish bones and used the same to make cookies that are rich in calcium. They have found that calcium-rich cookies could be made by mixing equal parts of ordinary flour and fish bone powder. They claim that the cookies are not only delicious, they are also nutritious and affordable.
Responsible for making the calcium enriched cookies are Aurora P. Afalla, Pemy G. Lachica and Cirila G. Domenden. Their research study was funded by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
CHIPS FROM GRACILARIA
The same researchers who came up with the calcium-enriched cookies have developed an easy method of making seaweed chips out of Gracilaria known in Ilocos as Suelsueldo. This is a common seaweed in Pangasinan and La Union which is only occasionally eaten as salad by the old folks. Younger people do not seem to relish the seaweed because of its weedy taste.
The researchers hope that with their method to make seaweed chips, the Suelsueldo could be made to good use and a new source of income for families near the sea could be developed. The researchers said that the best chips could be made by mixing 60% ground seaweed with 40% flour plus small amounts of garlic powder, white pepper, vetsin and salt. The chips are crunchy and make a very nutritious snack food.
CANDY FROM SEAWEED
Dr. Theresa S. Domingo of the Cagayan State University in Aparri, has come up with a doable technology for making a soft, pastilles-type candy out of the seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii. The candy is primarily made of seaweed puree, sugar and glucose, artificially flavored with tropical fruits or chocolate, and fortified with vitamin C.
Here’s how to make the candy. Take 100 grams of dried seaweed, wash and soak it overnight in clean water. Boil this in 15 cups of water for five minutes. Cool it and then osterize it until the material is finely ground.
The jelly candy is prepared from two cups puree, one cup granulated white sugar, and one-half cup glucose boiled over a low fire for 20 minutes. One tablespoon of corn starch, a pinch of vitamin C mixed with one tablespoon of artificial flavor/color are then added to the hot mixture. Boiling continues until the desired consistency is attained.
The hot mixture is poured into a molder, allowed to cool and set, cut to desired shape, sprinkled with granulated white sugar, then packed in an appropriate container.
Dr. Domingo says that Kappaphycus alvarezii is now grown in commercial volume in Cagayan, assuring enough raw materials for making candies.
