SEAFDEC/AQD Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center | Aquaculture Department
By Development Communication Section
The Philippine Phycological Society Inc (PPSI) in cooperation with SEAFDEC/AQD held its fifth national symposium and scientific meeting on 16 April at AQD’s Tigbauan Main Station (TMS) in Iloilo, Philippines.
“Our theme this year which is ‘Exploring algae diversity for health, environment and industry’ reflects our continuing commitment to bring to the public mind the strategic importance and manifold usefulness of algae in our quotidian and long-term concerns.” said PPSI president Dr. Maribel Dionisio-Sese during the opening ceremonies. AQD Chief Dr. Felix Ayson also pointed out that only a few of the algal species have been successfully cultivated, hence, there are still a lot of algal species that need to be explored and studied.
During the event, six scientific papers were presented which focused on the human consumption & health benefits, importance in the aquaculture industry, and pharmaceutical applications of algae.
Around 100 participants from the academe and government agencies (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Department of Science and Technology) attended the symposium.
In addition, PPSI also organized a training workshop on nutritional products of algae held 17-18 April at TMS with about 15 participants. The training workshop included lectures and practical sessions on uses of agar, alginates & carageenan; agar & carageenan extraction; gel testing; growth kinetics; and lipid, protein & carbohydrates analysis.
