loading…
Coronation of Professor Sukardi at Brawijaya University. (Photo: UB Public Relations)
JAKARTA – Technological innovation created by the nation's children is no less than abroad. One of them is a tool called Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) created by academics at Brawijaya University (UB) Malang, Prof. Sukardi.
This pulsed electric field technology is useful for making extraction easier. This technology is inspired by the many raw materials from leaves, flowers, seeds, for the perfume, beauty, flavor and medicine industries found in Indonesia.
Unfortunately, the majority of abundant raw materials in Indonesia are still exported in raw or semi-finished condition. From these raw materials, importers then take the bioactive compounds and purify them until the added value reaches 300 – 500 percent.
“That's what our neighbors enjoy, semi-finished materials that are exported, and then come back into finished materials. Including our expensive perfumes, which are used by rich people, many of us use the raw materials and then process them there,” said Sukardi in his oration inaugurating his professorship at Brawijaya University, Malang, Wednesday (28/2/2024).
According to him, the processing of raw materials can be done by extraction within the country. But unfortunately he said, the raw materials for the perfume, beauty, flavor and grain industries are only exported.
“We have not yet obtained the added value, because we export raw or semi-finished raw materials. In fact, the extraction and purification technology for these bioactive materials can already be done domestically, so the added value can be increased,” he said.
So far, Sukardi said, most extraction techniques in Indonesia are still carried out using conventional methods, so the maximum efficiency is still at 70 percent of the extraction results. From there, Sukardi made an innovation with a pulsed electric field device called Pulsed Electric Field (PEF).
“PEF is part of a new technology for extracting bioactive ingredients (extraction). Objects in the form of flower leaves and seeds which can contain fragrant ingredients. Other medicines can be extracted in components,” said the lecturer at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology ( FTP) this.