#ProudViscan: VSU Tolosa alumna wins in national fisheries confab

Ms. Ivy Jinky C. Briones, a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries alumna of VSU Tolosa, takes home the top prize of the spotlight presentation contest of the 9th Fisheries Scientific Conference (FishSciCon) organized by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI).

Her undergraduate thesis entitled “Evaluation of Antibacterial Property of Chitosan and Modified Chitosan from Cuttlefish (Sepia spp.) Bone Against Vibrio spp.” bested 29 other research papers from 12 different universities across the country.

This study delved into the use of cuttlefish bone, which is considered a local waste in Surigao–the home province of Ms. Briones. From this material, a sugar called chitosan was extracted and found to show significant potentials in eliminating disease-causing bacteria in aquaculture called vibrio.

Vibrio causes vibriosis, which is a foodborne infection that can be acquired by eating raw or undercooked shellfish. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States, there are about 80,000 cases of vibriosis each year in their country alone.

While no specific data is available on the number of local cases of vibriosis in the Philippines, it is assumed that the problem is also common in the country because Filipinos consume fish and fishery products at a mean per capita of 40 kilograms per year.

Prof. Maria Dulce L. Alibangbang who served as thesis adviser to Ms. Briones added on the importance of the research conducted by her advisee especially in the area of waste management.

“Crustacean shell waste is a problem that should be dealt with, which is why, utilizing and converting them into something very useful is quite an advantageous feat,” Prof. Alibangbang explained.

Joining Ms. Briones in the top 5 of the said competition were entries from University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), Western Philippine University (WPU), Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST), and the Don Mariano Marcos State University (DMMSU).

VSU Tolosa’s College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (CFAS) Dean Prof. Teresita C. Jocson extended her congratulations to Ms. Briones for continuing the research legacy of their campus.

“Congratulations and thank you for bringing the name of the campus to the national scene, alongside with other SUCs in the country,” the Dean said.

This is not the first victory in the annual FishSciCon of the NFRDI. In 2018, alumni Kin Charlie C. Daganzo and Julius D. Daganzo were adjudged as 2nd placer for their research on reproductive biology of the slender ponyfish.

This year’s FishSciCon was a weeklong virtual event that ran from September 1 to 8, 2021 with broadcast at the NFDRI’s official website.

Ms. Briones graduated Cum Laude in 2019, in the same year with her thesis also winning Best Undergraduate Research. She currently works as an Agricultural Technician in the Provincial Agricultural Office of Surigao.

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