PhD defence Awot Teklu Mebratu (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine)

28-03-2023

 

Waste to nutrition: Use of local resources as feed for poultry and fish

 

PhD candidate: Mebratu, Awot Teklu

Curriculum

The author, Awot Teklu (1982) was born in Gonder, North Ethiopia and grown in Khartoum, Sudan until 16 before coming back to Ethiopia. Awot has done his first degree in veterinary medicine (Doctor of veterinary medicine) at Haramaya University, Ethiopia in 2008 after which he was recruited as a lecturer at Mekelle University, Ethiopia. Then after, Awot has obtained his Masters in Aquaculture at Ghent University in 2014 after which he was serving back his organization (MU) till 2019. Since, 2019 Awot has been conducting his Ph. D. research work in Ghent University with a scholarship gained from VLIR-UOS TEAM project, KU Leuven and Ghent University as well. During his Ph. D. research stay he has been aiming towards a sustainable animal feed formulation through the use of wasted animal protein and fibrous resources as feed ingredients and exploring their promising effects in chickens and fish. Promising performance, metabolic and functional results on feeding garra meal to chickens and fibrous dietary by-product to a tropical omnivorous fish were obtained amongst others. Hence, findings of this work could act as base towards sustainable animal feed production for the Global South in general and Ethiopia in particular.

 

Supervisors: Prof. dr. ir. Geert P.J. Janssens, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UGent - Dr. Yohannes Tekle Asfaw, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Mekelle University, Ethiopia

 

Short description

The demand for meat is rising worldwide. Over the past few decades, significant expansions in population, production and trade have shaped the global demand and supply of food. Of the different types of meat consumed, poultry and fish are the most accessible production sectors in the Global South countries. In Ethiopia, Garra spp., an indigenous fish, are commonly considered a waste from fisheries despite its importance as a valuable nutrient source of nutrients. Using local garra “waste” to produce fishmeal could improve the ecological sustainability of poultry diets in Ethiopia, and improve their nutritive value. Similarly, the low availability and formulation of low cost feed have largely limited the expansion of fish farming. Feeds for farmed fish can account for up to 80% of the total farming costs, of which protein sources are the most expensive components of the diet. Hence, optimizing feed costs and maximizing production is paramount in either cases.

 

Practical

Date: Tuesday 28 March 2023, 16:00

Location: Diergeneeskunde AUD D, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke

If you would like to attend, please register before Thursday March 23, by email to awotteklu.mebratu@ugent.be The defense can also be followed online via Microsoft Teams. The link will be shared with registered individuals.