UPV Aquatic Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐋’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬!

Two student researchers from AMBL showcased their undergraduate studies at the recently concluded 2026 CFOS Thesis Colloquium.

Under the Oral Competition category, 𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞 presented her study entitled: “Isolation, Characterization, and Identification of Amylolytic, Proteolytic, Lipolytic, and Phospholipolytic Bacteria from Salt-Fermented Skipjack Tuna (𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘴) Viscera.” The study explored the diversity and functional potential of microbial isolates from 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘬 as promising sources of industrially relevant enzymes.

Meanwhile, 𝐗𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐨𝐠 participated in the Poster Presentation category with the study: “Influence of Backslopping on the Fermentation Profile and Presence of Histamine-Degrading Bacteria of Fish Sauce from Skipjack Tuna (𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘴) Viscera.” The research highlights backslopping as a viable technique for the tuna industry to minimize waste generation and support the production of standardized, high-quality, and compliant fish sauce products.

Both studies were conducted under the advisership of Ms. Audrey Mae V. Orillaza and co-advisership of Dr. Rhoda Mae C. Simora. These were further supported by Ocean Deli Packing Corp and funded through the OVCRE Regular In-House Research Program (SP26-06) and the DA-BIOTECH CRISPR Project.

AMBL proudly congratulates both student researchers for their commendable participation and meaningful contributions to this year’s colloquium 🌟🔬

𝓑𝓾𝓲𝓵𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓒𝓪𝓹𝓪𝓬𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓽𝓲𝓬 𝓜𝓸𝓭𝓲𝓯𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 (𝓖𝓜) 𝓡𝓲𝓼𝓴 𝓐𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓕𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓐𝓺𝓾𝓪𝓬𝓾𝓵𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓢𝔂𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓶

The Fish CRISPR Project organized a workshop on Genetic Modification (GM) Risk Assessment for Fisheries and Aquaculture Systems on May 6–8, 2026 at BFAR-NFTC, CLSU Compound, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and students to advance knowledge and best practices in biosafety and risk assessment for genetically modified and genome-edited aquatic organisms. Participants included representatives from the DOST-Biosafety Committee, staff from BFAR-NFTC, Department of Agriculture (DA)–NFRDI-FBC, DA-Biotechnology Program Office (BPO) and MS Post-harvest Fisheries students of the University of the Philippines Visayas.

The workshop featured a series of technical lectures delivered by international and national experts in fisheries biotechnology and risk assessment. These lectures included “𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙠 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙚-𝙀𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙁𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨” (via zoom) by 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐌. 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧, Professor Emeritus and Fellow of the American Fisheries Society; “𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙋𝙍-𝘾𝙖𝙨9 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙚 𝙀𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨,” “𝙂𝙈 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙠 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝙪𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮,” and “𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙂𝙈/𝙂𝙀 𝙁𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙍𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙂𝙈/𝙂𝙀 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨” by 𝐑𝐞𝐱 𝐀. 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐦, Butler-Cunningham Eminent Scholar in Agriculture & Environmental Science, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture & Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University; and “𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙞𝙤𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙅𝘿𝘾 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙂𝙈 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨/𝙂𝙈 𝙁𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙒𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙” by 𝐌𝐚. 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐒. 𝐀𝐠𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐚, DOST-BC Head Secretariat.

In addition, the workshop highlighted institutional development through the presentation of the FBC-CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing Facility led by Dr. Casiano H. Choresca, Jr. and the Fish CRISPR Project Team. A technical consultation followed, focusing on the design and rehabilitation plan of the facility to ensure alignment with biosafety standards and the requirements of genome editing research in aquatic systems.

The workshop served as a platform for strengthening collaboration among researchers, regulatory bodies, and academic institutions, while emphasizing the importance of science-based risk assessment, responsible innovation, and biosafety governance in fisheries biotechnology.

𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝘆-𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Congratulations to Dr. Rhoda Mae C. Simora, Mary Ann G. Serrano, Rosana G. Alama, and Karmelie Jane M. Monaya for securing two newly registered Utility Models (UMs).

(1) 2/2025/050914 – “A Process of Producing Fish-Flavored Liquid Sauce from Tuna Cooking Juice” discloses an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sound process for producing high-quality fish-flavored liquid sauce from tuna cooking juice.

(2) 2/2025/050913 – “Fish-Flavored Liquid Sauce from Tuna Cooking Juice” presents a novel formulation of fish-flavored liquid sauce derived from tuna cooking juice, featuring improved consistency and desirable sensory qualities.

These achievements highlight the critical role of research and innovation in transforming fish processing waste into value-added products that promote sustainability within the fisheries industry.

May this milestone inspire continued responsible resource utilization that benefits both the community and the environment. 🐟🍃

Gene editing is the future! 🧬

Catch us tomorrow, February 9, 2026, as we LIVE STREAM via AMBL Page at 1:00 PM, an exciting lecture in the CFOS Foundation Week, Lecture Forum lineup, “𝓕𝓲𝓷-𝓣𝓾𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓕𝓾𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮: 𝓡𝓮𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓸𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓷 𝓕𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓮 𝓔𝓭𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰,” to be presented by Rhoda Mae C. Simora, PhD, at the FC Conference Room.

AMB laboratory congratulates Ms. Karmelie Jane Monaya, for successfully passing her MS final thesis defense on January 29, 2026 and public presentation on February 5, 2026. Ms. Monaya is a MS student member of the AMB laboratory.
Thesis title: Bioactivity and functional properties of tuna fish solubles hydrolyzed by papain and pepsin
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Rhoda Mae Simora
Panel members: Asst Prof Leonilo Endoma Jr
Ms. Audrey Mae Orillaza
Critic: Dr. Yu Wei Chang (NTOU, Taiwan)

New Paper is Out! 🌟

Find out how marination can significantly improve sensory appeal, nutritional quality, and storage stability of flying fish fillets, demonstrating its potential for developing value-added seafood products from this underutilized species.

Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.31398/tpjf

Flying fish (𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘴) is an underutilized yet abundant species in the Philippines with potential for value addition. This study evaluated the effects of different marinating solutions on the sensory quality, microbial safety, nutritional value, and shelf life of flying fish fillets. Fillets were prepared using three marinades: M1 (ham flavor), M2 (salty-sour flavor), M3 (spiced flavor), and C (un-marinated control).

Sensory evaluation showed that the ham-flavored marinade consistently received the highest scores for color, texture, flavor, and overall acceptability (9.64 ± 0.27). Consumers also preferred this flavor the most, while the plain fillets were the least popular.

All marinated fillets were safe to eat, meeting food safety standards. They also had more protein and calories than the un-marinated fish. In terms of shelf life, marinated fillets lasted much longer, especially the spiced version, which stayed acceptable for over two weeks in the chiller and several months in the freezer.

Overall, marination significantly enhanced the sensory appeal, nutritional quality, and storage stability of flying fish fillets, demonstrating its potential for developing value-added seafood products from this underutilized species.

To learn more, read the full article here https://doi.org/10.31398/tpjf

Please help us serve you better. For feedback on our publications and other IECs, please go to: https://tinyurl.com/2026IEC

The Philippine Journal of Fisheries (TPJF) is a semi-annual, open-access journal published by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI). TPJF is indexed in Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals, Committee on Publication Ethics, and ASEAN Citation Index, among others.

In the photo: The three marinades used in the study: M1 (ham flavor), M2 (salty-sour flavor), M3 (spiced flavor).

Bioactive carotenoids found in oyster processing waste!

Two classes of carotenoids commonly found in plants were found in oyster residue, a waste product from oyster processing. Zeaxanthin and zeaxanthin/lutein mixture were identified in oyster residue via HPLC, LC-MS and UHPLC-MSe analyses. These carotenoids possessed notable antioxidant, antibacterial, anti inflammatory and cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. These findings suggest that the observed bioactivities may be consequences of the adaptive response and filter-feeding behaviors of oysters.
Read the full article here:

https://www.jfda-online.com/journal/vol33/iss4/7/

This paper was published in the Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, a Q2 journal in Food Science and Pharmacology.

Off-flavor producing genes is affected by seasonal variations!

We are pleased to share our recently published paper on PCR detection of off-flavor producing genes and bacterial identification of species implicated in off-flavors in pond-raised African catfish, Clarias gariepinus.

To know more about the influence of seasonal variations on microbial abundance and off-flavor production, you may access our paper through this link:

https://journal.lu.lv/eeb/issue/view/248

This important work is a product of hard work and diligence of Julia, Nicole and Jane as output of their BS thesis, and now Julia and Nicole are active MS student members of the AMB laboratory. Congratulations!

Off-flavor producing genes is affected by seasonal variations!

We are pleased to share our recently published paper on PCR detection of off-flavor producing genes and bacterial identification of species implicated in off-flavors in pond-raised African catfish, Clarias gariepinus.

To know more about the influence of seasonal variations on microbial abundance and off-flavor production, you may access our paper through this link:

https://journal.lu.lv/eeb/issue/view/248

This important work is a product of hard work and diligence of Julia, Nicole and Jane as output of their BS thesis, and now Julia and Nicole are active MS student members of the AMB laboratory. Congratulations!

View of Bacterial identification and detection of microbially off-flavour producing genes in African catfish, Clarias gariepinus: seasonal variations

Congratulations to AMB Laboratory’s MS student member, Janne Angelique Ravelas for passing your MS final defense!
Thank you panel members Sir Nilo Endoma and Maam Audrey Orillaza, and critic Dr. Jade Pahila.
Road to sablay soon❤️