Perak: Armed with little more than the facilities in their school laboratory, a team of six students, guided by their biology teacher, made a mark in the field of innovation by developing a calcium supplement from the bones of the invasive suckermouth catfish or ikan bandaraya as it is commonly known in Malay. The achievement by the students of Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM) Pasir Salak in Perak demonstrates that, with the right guidance and a supportive learning environment, Malaysia's education system is capable of nurturing outstanding young talent in science and innovation.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the innovation could also contribute to efforts to address the proliferation of the suckermouth catfish (Hypostomus plecostomus), an invasive alien species that has increasingly threatened the ecological balance of the country's rivers. Originally from South America, the suckermouth catfish can be found in many rivers in Malaysia. These fish breed rapidly and dominate rivers and lakes, outcompeting native fish for space and food.

MRSM Pasir Salak biology teacher Mahfuza Mansor told Bernama the idea of producing a calcium supplement from suckermouth catfish bones stemmed from research she had conducted with students two years ago using discarded chicken bones. 'At the time, we collected chicken bones from the school hostel's dining hall after noticing that most of them were simply thrown away, even though they had the potential to be put to good use. Through that research (carried out over a period of five months), we successfully processed the (chicken) bones into calcium supplement powder,' she said, adding that this particular innovation also earned them the gold medal in the national-level IDEA'24 Innovation Development Through Educational Activities Competition in September 2024.

The idea evolved into a structured research project in April 2025 under the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM), which is a key component of the MRSM education system to foster higher-order thinking and creative productivity. Before carrying out any experiment, the selected MRSM Pasir Salak students were required to review scientific journals, academic articles, and research papers to understand the composition and potential of the suckermouth catfish.

With the scientific evidence in hand, Mahfuza began sourcing suckermouth catfish specimens for laboratory experiments. The samples were obtained from social media content creator Mohd Nur Badri Mat Sidek, better known as Dunia Badol on Facebook, who is well-known for catching the invasive fish. 'I contacted him to ask for several samples of the fish. When he asked how many I needed, I told him I only wanted the bones. He was quite surprised because, according to him, people are usually interested in the fish's roe and flesh.'

Once the samples were obtained, the students began a series of laboratory experiments to produce the calcium supplement from the fish bones. The powder was subsequently sent to Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) for composition analysis using an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Spectroscopy instrument. The analysis was conducted to determine the product's mineral content while also ensuring that heavy metal levels were within safe limits.

Mahfuza said the project achieved global recognition at an innovation competition in Jakarta last month. The awards included emerging champion in the Sustainable Development Goals category and winning the gold medal at the International Invention and Innovation Competition (13C). It also won the gold medal at the Innovation World Cup (IWC), also held in Jakarta last month.

For Muhammad Danish Iman Ahmad Daud, 16, who led the team, participating in his school's research project provided invaluable exposure to scientific studies, although balancing the project's demands with his academic responsibilities required considerable commitment. His teammate Muhammad Rayyan Zafri Che Amat, 16, said the project gave him the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in scientific research, particularly laboratory experiments that required precision and strict adherence to procedures.

MRSM Pasir Salak principal Mohd Fadzli Muhammad said the success of the school's innovation is a testament to its efforts to cultivate a strong culture of research and innovation among its students. He added that the programme enables students to develop initial ideas into innovations possessing greater value and impact under the guidance of trained teachers.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency