Pontus Gunnarsson has defended his thesis and earned a doctoral degree in biology

On 18 September, Blue Food doctoral student Pontus Gunnarsson, SLU, defended his thesis and earned a doctoral degree in biology. In his dissertation,“The Colors of the Rainbow Trout: Effects of Feed and Rearing Conditions on Gut Microbial Composition, Metabolism, and Product Quality,”he investigated how alternative and more sustainable feed ingredients affect farmed rainbow trout.

The research focuses on how feed based on larvae, mussels, sea squirts, and fungi, among other things, affects the fish’s gut flora, metabolism, and growth, as well as the quality of the final food product. The work also includes studies of how different aquaculture environments affect the fish and what happens when fish are moved between farms while maintaining the same diet.

In addition to Pontus’s research, the examination committee noted the language used in the dissertation, which was compared to that of Ernest Hemingway, who, of course, also featured fish and fishing as recurring themes in his novels.

Warm congratulations to Pontus Gunnarsson on his doctoral degree, and best of luck in his future research career.