Research Overview
My research addresses challenges across the aquatic food supply chain, from animal production to post-harvest preservation. By integrating aquaculture, biomaterials, food engineering, and analytical science, I investigate how environmental factors affect aquatic animal health, develop biodegradable delivery systems for disease prevention, design sustainable cooling materials for post-harvest preservation, and uncover the mechanisms that underlie seafood quality deterioration during processing and storage. Together, these efforts aim to improve the sustainability, safety, and quality of aquatic foods from farm to plate.
1. Aquaculture Environment, Animal Health, and Seafood Quality
My earlier research examined how farming conditions and environmental stressors influence the physiology, biochemical composition, and flavor-related quality of shellfish. Working primarily with oysters and mussels, I investigated how parameters such as temperature, salinity, and microplastic exposure influence physiological responses, metabolic status, and the accumulation of flavor compounds. Using physiological, biochemical, and metabolomic approaches, this work demonstrates how aquaculture environments ultimately shape seafood quality at harvest by affecting animal physiology and metabolism. These findings provide scientific guidance for optimizing aquaculture practices that improve animal health, product quality, and production sustainability.
Research topics:
- Aquaculture environmental stressors
- Shellfish physiology and metabolism
- Flavor biochemistry
- Microplastic ecotoxicology
- Metabolomics
2. Aquaculture Health and Oral Delivery Systems
An important component of my doctoral research focuses on developing biodegradable delivery platforms for probiotics and inactivated pathogens in aquaculture. Oral delivery represents the most scalable strategy for disease prevention in fish and shrimp, yet maintaining the stability and bioavailability of bioactive compounds during feed storage and gastrointestinal transit remains challenging. To address this challenge, I investigate PLGA-based microparticle systems that are spray-coated onto extruded feed pellets as a post-processing step. These systems are designed to protect encapsulated cargo during storage and enable controlled release in the digestive tract. By improving the effectiveness of oral therapeutics, this research aims to advance sustainable disease prevention strategies and reduce production losses in aquaculture.
Research topics:
- PLGA-based microparticle delivery
- Oral vaccines and probiotics
- Controlled-release systems
- Functional aquafeeds
- Disease prevention
3. Sustainable Cold Chain and Thermal Management
My doctoral research focuses on developing bio-based composite films from naturally derived materials that integrate passive radiative cooling with evaporative cooling, enabling sub-ambient cooling without external energy input. Derived from renewable natural materials, these films combine efficient thermal management with the mechanical robustness required for practical food-packaging applications. By integrating sustainable biomaterials with passive cooling technologies, this research aims to reduce reliance on conventional refrigeration and promote environmentally friendly cold-chain solutions for aquatic foods and other perishable products.
Research topics:
- Passive radiative cooling
- Evaporative cooling
- Bio-based composite films
- Food cold-chain technologies
4. Seafood Processing, Storage, and Flavor Quality (Post-harvest)
Whereas Section 1 focuses on how farming conditions shape shellfish quality before harvest, this research examines the mechanisms underlying seafood quality deterioration after harvest. During my earlier training, I investigated the physiological, biochemical, and flavor-related changes in oysters and mussels during post-harvest processing, live holding, and storage to identify the factors driving quality deterioration and inform more effective preservation strategies. These findings provide scientific guidance for optimizing post-harvest processing and storage conditions to preserve flavor and freshness, reduce post-harvest losses, and deliver higher-quality seafood products to consumers.
Research topics:
- Seafood preservation
- Shellfish flavor chemistry
- Live storage
- Shelf-life extension
- Quality evaluation
Research Interests
Sustainable Aquaculture • Seafood Quality and Preservation • Biomaterials and Delivery Systems • Passive Radiative Cooling • Food Biochemistry