Corina Moya-Falcón

On Friday, 10 June 2005, Corina Moya-Falcón defends her doctoral dissertation on fat metabolism in salmon at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) in Ås, Norway. Results from Moya-Falcón’s research show that vegetable oils in feed promote increased self-synthesis of long, unsaturated fatty acids in salmon.

High quality fish oils for use in fish feed are in short supply. There is therefore a need to utilize alternative fat sources in feed for salmon. In her pioneering study of fatty acid metabolism in salmon, Moya-Falcón of AKVAFORSK has come closer to an understanding of how alternative fat sources are metabolized in salmon.

Several factors play a role

Moya-Falcón’s research has shown that vegetable oils in feed stimulate the ability of salmon to store long, unsaturated essential fatty acids. Her work has also shown that water temperature affects the salmons’ ability to store and metabolize various fatty acids. The addition of bioactive fatty acids (sulphurous fatty acids) to salmon feed resulted in a higher metabolism rate and increased level of omega 3-fatty acids in membrane lipids.

Corina Moya-Falcón, 32-years old, is a marine biologist educated at Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain. Employed as a research fellow at AKVAFORSK in 2001, she was also admitted to the doctoral programme at UMB the same year. Her dissertation adviser has been senior researcher Dr. Bente Ruyter of AKVAFORSK.

The evaluation committee consists of Professor Marisol Izquierdo (Instituto Canario de Ciencias marinas, Canary Islands, Spain), Dr. Philos. Laila Norheim Larsen (Epi-Gen, Akershus University Hospital) and Professor Kjell-Arne Rørvik (Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences (IHA), UMB).

About AKVAFORSK – Institute of Aquaculture Research AS

AKVAFORSK is a leading institution for research and knowledge transfer in the field of aquaculture. Our activities in Norway and abroad involve all stages of the value chain, with core areas of operation in selective breeding, genetics, nutrition, feed, production management and product quality. Working closely with aquaculture industry leaders, we focus our efforts on problem solving, product development and documentation. In the past 30 years AKVAFORSK has developed a portfolio of 18 species in 28 countries throughout the world. Our commitment to top-level research, two research stations and 100 employees make us well-prepared to meet tomorrow’s challenges in the field of aquaculture.

For more information on AKVAFORSK, visit www.akvaforsk.no