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Algae Brought Fame to This 23-Year-Old Girl | The Entrepreneurial Story of a Girl from Lorestan
Zahra Saki, a young woman from Lorestan province, although known as a successful 21-year-old entrepreneur, is now 23 years old, and two years have passed since she implemented her first idea. These days, Saki has launched her second idea, astonishing everyone.
According to Hamshahri Online, she first saw algae farms during a student trip to Khuzestan, sparking the idea of harvesting this “gold.” She began extracting nutrients from algae in a lab and subsequently produced the first algae-based aquatic feed product in Iran. On her entrepreneurial path, she managed to take a small step for young people in her province, creating direct employment for 40 people and indirect employment for more than 200. She later realized that producing aquatic feed must be cost-effective and invented a device to minimize production costs.
Over the years, through her work in aquaculture, she has made practical inventions. Zahra Saki, from Dorud county in Lorestan and a fisheries engineering graduate, answers questions from Hamshahri newspaper in this interview.
You are known as a young entrepreneur from Lorestan who has done great work in fisheries and especially aquatic feed. How did you enter this field?
When I was 19 or 20, close to graduation, I worked in an aquatic feed company’s lab. My responsibility was feed analysis, and I was concerned with improving feed formulations. At that time, aquatic feed based on algae was produced with different grades, and the challenge was to choose a useful grade. So everything started during my student years and with my studies, these issues came to my mind.
Your first idea was producing algae-based aquatic feed. How did this idea come to fruition?
Producing algae-based aquatic feed was my first idea, implemented two years ago. This feed has now been commercialized and even exported. Fortunately, I received good feedback on the feed, but to reduce costs, I invented a device which is now in production. The goal is to maximize efficiency while minimizing costs. In production, it is crucial to focus on maximum productivity and minimum cost.
Two years after implementing this idea, you invented a device that has gained much attention. Please explain.
The device I invented is based on making the feed more attractive to aquatic animals. To invent it properly, I researched foods that children often like. I studied why certain foods are so appealing to children. For the first time, I researched puffed snacks and found that their outer coating is attractive and tasty for kids. If you cut the puffed snack’s outer layer, the inside has little taste. I tried to apply this concept to aquatic feed, working on nutrients and aromatic flavorings. Using air pressure and compressors, a thin layer is sprayed onto the feed, increasing both productivity and attractiveness. Fish taste the outer layer and want to eat more feed to experience the flavor again. This causes higher feed consumption and increased fish weight. Also, the outer layer helps feed last longer in water, preventing waste.
What research did you conduct to build this device?
Studies worldwide have not yet clarified how fish taste feed—whether through taste buds, smell, or sensory lines on their body. I tried to make the feed absorbable through skin and also flavored with taste or smell enhancers. The feed contains heat-sensitive vitamins like vitamin C, so adding the outer layer afterward helps preserve these vitamins and ensures fish absorption.
Does this activity help with the export of aquatic products, especially fish?
Improving the quality of fish flesh is crucial in the market and foreign currency earning. My invention strengthens the color and texture of the fish flesh, giving it better firmness. This invention benefits both fish farmers and feed producers.
Apparently, making such a device involved many challenges. Can you tell us about the difficulties?
This technology did not receive much attention. I did not get financial support for my two ideas. To commercialize a product, proper advertising is essential. Even the best product will remain unknown without advertising. Commercialization requires costs and promotion. I only managed limited advertising on social media, and only one company allowed me to implement these ideas.
How much did it cost to build the nutrient bandage feed device?
We are still working on this device. I first designed it and then assembled it. Because I recently added compressors and pipes to cover the entire production, the device’s value is about 6 to 7 billion tomans. I am also working on AI-based smart features, so when completed, it might cost around 10 billion tomans.
As a young entrepreneur, what future do you envision for yourself?
I’m happy just to implement my ideas. Currently, my goal is to bring my ideas to fruition. All of them are about production and aquaculture.
منبع: روزنامه همشهریhttps://daryadaneh.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/VIDEO-2024-12-29-16-14-36.mov
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