What is your PhD research about?
My research is mainly about developing a way to turn marine byproducts into something more usable. The marine industry generates a significant amount of waste, but even though we call it waste, it contains valuable proteins and bioactive compounds. We are looking at how to recover and transform these compounds using environmentally friendly technologies.
How are you doing that?
We obtain proteins from marine waste and investigate their properties and potential for bioactivity. Then we harness these properties to develop 3D-printed food products. Pure fish products can sometimes look unappetising, but with 3D printing you can make them more colourful and well-designed, and you can even personalise it to what someone wants to eat. Finally, we analyse the final product for texture, sensory, and microbiological properties.
How does the 3D printing part work?
3D printing is a layer-by-layer process, and in our case we also include bioactives and proteins obtained from byproducts like fish skin and heads into the layers of the marine paste. That creates 3D food products that we can design to help people who have difficulty eating or swallowing, and we can create appealing shapes and designs, which really helps with consumer satisfaction.
When did you first become interested in food science?
My interest goes back to childhood. I was always curious about food. I used to ask questions like, does popcorn weigh more after popping? Why does a cake become more delicious when baked? Why do jelly sweets have such a nice texture? That curiosity naturally developed into an interest in food science and engineering.
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What has been your journey to becoming a researcher?
I completed my bachelor’s degree in food engineering in Izmir (Turkey) and then my master’s degree in food engineering at Çukurova University in Adana. From there, I came to Cork to pursue my PhD at Munster Technological University.
I have been very grateful for the support of the MTU TU Rise scholarship, which is co-financed by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021–2027, and for the guidance of my supervisor, Saravana Periaswamy Sivagnanam.
What has undertaking a PhD taught you?
The most important thing I have learned is to see unexpected results not as failures, but as information that helps you decide on the next step. Research is never a straight line. I can design everything carefully in an experiment and then something doesn’t work. That is frustrating, but it is also where you learn the most. You have to rethink your approach and keep going.
And what do you enjoy doing outside the lab?
I love exploring Ireland, especially the nature, the seafood and the traditional music and dance. I am also very passionate about chess. I have been playing since I was young, and last year I was lucky enough to win a championship at a chess tournament and finish third in the women’s category at an intervarsity tournament representing the MTU chess team.
For me, chess and research have a lot in common, because in both you have to think ahead and adapt when things don’t go according to plan.
