12:07, 12/07/2020

Student's research project on calcium extraction from tuna bones

With a project on calcium extraction from tuna bones and supplement to cookies, Khanh Hoa has won the third prize at the 2019 – 2020 National Scientific & Technical Creation Contest...

With a project on calcium extraction from tuna bones and supplement to cookies, Khanh Hoa has won the third prize at the 2019 – 2020 National Scientific & Technical Creation Contest held by the Ministry of Education & Training in Da Nang City. The project was conducted by Trinh Hoang Long, a 12th-grader at Nguyen Van Troi High School, Nha Trang City. 
 
Sharing the reason for choosing the project, Trinh Hoang Long says Khanh Hoa has the highest tuna productivity in the country with many seafood processing plants and abundant quantity of tuna bone scraps which are a source of calcium in its natural form, hydroxyapatite - the type that the human body absorbs the best. However, during the processing, fish bones have not been effectively used, mainly as fertilizer and animal feed. With a passion for science, Trinh Hoang Long and his instructor conducted the research "Extracting calcium from tuna bones and experimenting supplements to cookies".
 

 

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Trinh Hoang Long and his instructor.
 
According to the student, there used to be some other researches on calcium extraction from fish bones by various methods but it took a long time (21 days) or the heating temperature required is high (1,200oC) which may cause  environmental pollution and it can’t work well with small-scale production.
 
Therefore, he conducted experiment on conditions for calcium extraction from tuna bones by chemical hydrolysis with NaOH at appropriate concentrations to reduce the time and temperature needed down to 90oC. Calcium products obtained are natural calcium preparations with fairly high purity. The production can be done at small-scale plants or households, contributing to reducing environmental pollution. Calcium products obtained can be experimented as calcium supplement to cookies for all ages.
 
His school provided materials for experiments as well as contacted Nha Trang University for permission to use its lab for the research. The student wished to further complete the project by reducing the size of calcium products, minimizing waste during the implementation, making the most of discarded parts of the fish such as head, skin, scale and intestines to extract collagen, gelatin, etc applied in life. With the national third prize, he has won admission to university and he has chosen Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology as a place to continue pursuing his scientific research passion.
 
The highlight of the research is that it is easier to conduct than previous research projects and it can be done on small scale. The calcium extraction uses common chemicals and heat devices. Waste water is actively treated. Abundant raw materials can be used to create natural calcium supplements which are in demand.
 
The success of the project contributes to spreading the love of science among other students, helping them to understand the meaning and importance of science in life, and inspiring connection to create an initial basis for future scientific research, according to Instructor Tran The Quang, Nguyen Van Troi High School.
 
H.Ngan
Translated by N.T