Students win prize with banana-root cracker<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Bananas are known to be rich in nutrients, but most people were
\nprobably unaware of the benefits of its root until three senior
\nhigh school students from Yogyakarta found a use for it.<\/p>\n
Arko Jatmiko Wicaksono, Shaum Shiyan and Jalu Tejo Kumoro of
\nstate-run SMUN 6 won an international prize from the World
\nIntellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for inventing fried
\nbanana-root crackers and the equipment to produce it.<\/p>\n
The WIPO is an international organization dedicated to helping
\ncountries ensure that inventors and intellectual property are
\nprotected worldwide, and that new inventions are recognized and
\nrewarded. The WIPO currently has 179 member countries.<\/p>\n
The three students' invention was a runner-up in the national
\ncompetition held by the Directorate of Youth Affairs at the
\nMinistry of National Education late last month, defeating scores
\nof university students and graduates.<\/p>\n
"We never had an ambition to win the national competition,
\nwhen we were selected as one of the 12 finalists out of 364
\napplicants. We just did the best we could," said second-year
\nArko, who shared the Rp 10 million (US$1,176) cash prize with his
\nclassmates and has been nominated by the ministry for a foreign
\nexchange program in Canada next year.<\/p>\n
He said his invention was accidental, as he was trying to
\nproduce banana-root alcohol when he was experimenting in
\nFebruary. After the fermentation process, however, he found that
\nthe banana root contained more water than alcohol.<\/p>\n
"Just for fun, I tasted the boiled root. To my surprise, it
\ntasted good," said Arko. The discovery made him think of
\nproducing chips from the banana root.<\/p>\n
The second trial also failed -- the root crumbled every time
\nhe tried to flatten it into a thin disc for frying. He then
\nthought of making crackers instead, and succeeded.<\/p>\n
Arko went to the library to research the nutritional content
\nof the banana root and sent his crackers to a laboratory for
\nfurther analysis.<\/p>\n
When he told his teacher that he wanted to enter his invention
\nin a business innovation competition in July, his teacher
\nsuggested that he also submit the equipment needed to make the
\ncrackers.<\/p>\n
Arko thus asked help from Shaum, a third-year student, and
\nJalu, a second-year, to produce a pulper. The pulper mashes the
\nbanana root and extracts the inedible fiber to produce a paste
\nthat will be dried and fried to make the final cracker.<\/p>\n
"If you ask us why we won, we really don't know. Only, during
\nthe presentation, we told the jurors the crackers were very rich
\nin fiber. It has a higher fiber content than tempeh," Arko said.<\/p>\n
Some 100 grams of tempeh soybean cake, he said, contained 13
\ngrams of fiber, while the same quantity of banana-root crackers
\nhave 21.23 grams, enough to fulfill the recommended daily intake
\nof fiber.<\/p>\n
Ideally, he said, a person should consume between 20 and 35
\ngrams of fiber a day. Research, however, showed that most
\nIndonesians only consume between 10 and 15 grams of fiber a day.<\/p>\n
"By mass-producing the cracker, hopefully we can help cope
\nwith the fiber deficiency that more and more people in the world
\nare facing," said Arko.<\/p>\n
Born in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on Sept. 20, 1987, Arko is an
\nactive student researcher, as are Shaum, born on May 28, 1986,
\nand Jalu, born on Oct. 2, 1986.<\/p>\n
Arko said the achievement would motivate his team to conduct
\nmore research projects and participate in more competitions.<\/p>\n
"We still have a lot of research ideas in our heads. We hope
\nwe can contribute a great deal to the country and the people
\nthrough our research activities," said Arko.<\/p>\n
Among his next projects is research on millipedes, locally
\nknown as luwing.<\/p>\n
Instead of applying for a patent, the trio of young
\nresearchers plan to give their banana-root cracker invention to
\nGadjah Mada University or to the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
\n(LIPI) in the interest of the general public.<\/p>\n
"We don't care who holds the intellectual property rights, as
\nlong as it goes to an Indonesian or an Indonesian institution,"
\nArko said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-win-prize-with-banana-root-cracker-1447893297",
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