Ludhiana: Fish ointment draws a crowd at Pashu Palan Mela at vet varsity
The ointment, named as Aqua Dramahas, was developed after two years of research by Dr Siddhnath, an assistant professor at the college; he said that it is helpful in healing 45 percent of wounds in 24 hours, and is rich in moisture
Ludhiana: Scientists from Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University (GADVASU) have prepared an ointment using fish skin which can heal wounds and be used as a moisturiser. The ointment was the college of fisheries’ main attraction at Pashu Palan Mela which concluded on Saturday.
The ointment, named as Aqua Dramahas, was developed after two years of research by Dr Siddhnath, an assistant professor at the college. He said that it is helpful in healing 45 percent of wounds in 24 hours, and is rich in moisture. Generally, the skin of fish is thrown away as waste. He added that it can be an additional source of income for farmers involved in fish farming.
“We used to visit the Tajpur fish market here and saw the skin of pangas fish being thrown away. The pangas skin has an important component called collagen. Collagen plays a huge role in keeping our skin healthy and healing wounds. So, we used collagen in fish skin to develop this ointment,” said Dr Siddhnath.
Besides this fish protein powder for those looking to supplement their protein intake was also on display at the college’s stall at the mela. The fish protein powder has been prepared by Assistant Professor Dr Siddhnath and Dr Vijay Reddy after one and a half year of research. This powder can be used in other food items.
“The fish consumption in Punjab is at .4 kg per person per year against the national average of 8 kg per person per year. Fish is an important source of protein with a complete amino acid profile. Vegetarian sources of protein like pulses lack the important lysine and methionine amino acids. And the protein in fish is east to digest than the protein in chicken and mutton. Hence making fish an ideal source of protein,” said Dr Siddhnath. He added that this powder makes fish consumption simpler and easier.
“Fish contains various nutrients like calcium, iodine, selenium, zinc, omega three, PUFA, vitamin A, D and B12. This nutrient keeps you away from many kinds of diseases,” he added.