BRIN develops nuclear technology for health and food security

The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is focusing on developing innovations based on nuclear technology for use in the health and food or agricultural sectors.

“Nuclear technology for health and food are two areas we must develop, including how we perform food irradiation for fruit products intended for export,” stated the Head of BR_IN, Arif Satria, during the 72nd Anniversary International Conference of UMI in Makassar on Monday.

He explained that Indonesia has previously relied on facilities owned by other countries. For instance, before exporting to certain destinations, products often had to transit through specific countries for irradiation before being re-exported. According to Arif Satria, this dependency increases production and export-import costs.

Consequently, BRIN has developed food irradiation facilities in Jakarta. This allows exporters to utilise BRIN’s facilities to irradiate products to preserve food, maintain nutritional content, and ensure safety from microbes and pests before shipment.

Arif Satria added that BRIN has already produced ‘Sidenuk’, a variety developed using nuclear technology that boasts very high productivity and pest resistance. “I believe this is an important solution for ensuring our food security can compete at a global level through nuclear technology,” he said.

Regarding the health sector, Arif Satria emphasised the importance of further development, noting that nuclear technology is already widely utilised in medical fields, such as in radiology.