Accra, May 8, GNA - A Ghanaian student in the University of Maryland Eastern Shores (UMES) in the United States of America, has won the first place in the 59th annual Pacific Fisheries Technologist (PFT) Research contest.

Ms Lauretta-Lyn Katsriku, a 27-year-old student who graduated from the university in December 2007 with a Master of Science degree in food and agriculture sciences competed with other 46 international entries at a conference in San Francisco, a document copied to GNA on Thursday said.

Ms Katsriku's research titled: "Development of a Restructured Crabmeat Product: Examining the Physical, Chemical and Microbiological attributes" was based on her Master's thesis at the Centre for Food Science and Technology at the University.

The restructured crabmeat product that she produced during her research attracted the attention of some seafood processors and she is currently working on the feasibility of commercialising the product in collaboration with the Maryland Sea Grant Programme.

Ms Katsriku expressed her gratitude to Dr Jurgen Schwarz, Director of the Food Science and Technology Programme who served as her academic advisor and Mr Tom Rippen, Sea Food Technology Specialist with the Maryland Sea Grant Extension Programme who supervised her research project.

The Pacific Fisheries Technologist Conference (PFT) is an international conference that provides an exchange of technical, scientific and regulatory information among those working and interested in Seafood technology.

Attendees from all segments of the seafood industry, research institutes, universities and governmental agencies engaged in aquatic food products convene at PFT.

This year's conference hosted 106 presentations, which include 60 oral, and 40 poster presenters. Presenters were from the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Ghana, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom.