Yeast grown on trees project wins Nutreco’s Young Researchers’ Prize 2022

Agboola Jeleel Opeyemi from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences was the winner with a project that evaluates the potential of yeasts produced from wood sugars as sustainable fish feeds.

First prize winner Jeleel Agboola Opeyenami and CEO Nutreco Fulco van Lede

October 12, 2022

Agboola Jeleel Opeyemi has been crowned the winner of this year’s Young Researchers’ Prize, securing the top €12,000 cash prize to help further his research.

The prize-winning project Can fish grow on trees? Yeast as future feed ingredient, presented by Agboola Jeleel, a graduate of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NBMU), caught the judges’ eye because of its exploration into the nutritional and functional potential of yeasts produced from wood sugars as sustainable fish feeds.

“I’m extremely honored and excited to be named this year’s Young Researchers’ Prize winner. Having my research recognized in such a way reassures me that I’m making a proactive and meaningful contribution toward feeding our growing population more sustainably. I’m looking forward to using the prize money to further my aquaculture research as well as dedicating some time to my own personal and professional development,” Agboola Jeleel said.

The second-place cash prize of €8,000 went to Chiara Guidi from the University of Ghent whose research explores a means of tackling antimicrobial resistance through the production and use of Chitooligosaccharides that target pathogens in the guts of weaning piglets, improving their immunity and growth, whilst preventing illness and reducing the need for antibiotics.

Finally, the third winner of the Nutreco Young Researchers Prize is Giulio Giagnoni from Aarhus University, Denmark. Giulio received a cash prize of €5,000 for his research project, which aims to identify climate-efficient phenotypes of dairy cows and reduce methane emissions by amending their diets.

Nutreco’s Young Researchers’ Prize challenged PhD students and first- and second-year post-doctorate researchers to put forward innovative ideas that could contribute to Nutreco’s overarching purpose of Feeding the Future. A total of 37 applications from young academics from across the world showcased innovative solutions toward sustainable and environmentally conscious farming practices.

Nutreco’s Young Researchers’ Prize will be back in 2024.