Indonesia wants to become world's tempeh center
Indonesia wants to become world's tempeh center
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto ordered the National
Institute of Sciences (LIPI) to take necessary measures to ensure
that Indonesia's position as a leading producer and center for
studies on tempeh remained.
The President expressed concern that tempeh was often claimed
as a national product of other foreign countries, while Indonesia
was unaware of its benefits.
"Indonesians have consumed tempeh for centuries, even during
the Majapahit kingdom era," LIPI chairman Soefjan Tsauri quoted
the President as saying in their meeting at the Bina Graha
presidential office yesterday.
The President ordered LIPI to conduct a thorough study on
tempeh early this year because it has become an international
food.
According to Tri Susanto, a professor in food technology at
Brawijaya University's School of Agriculture in Malang, tempeh is
a health food which contains complete protein, eight kinds of
essential amino acids, antibiotic elements and growth
stimulation. It is also high in vitamin B12, low in fat and
cholesterol and easy to digest.
The processing of tempeh could be the oldest food technology
in the history of Javanese people. Serat Centini 12, a book
published in the 16th century, indicates that tempeh was produced
and consumed by the time of the book's publication.
"We must move quickly before other people grab this national
asset," Soeharto said when Tsauri reported that a book on tempeh
was recently published in Japan and in the U.S.
Tri said, in Europe, tempeh is known by the Dutch who once
colonized Indonesia.
In America, tempeh has been known since 1946. In Japan, Kiku
Mirata, a professor at Osaka University, founded the Japanese
Tempeh Society.
"We will register patents on tempeh technology, especially the
processing technology," Tsauri said.
There are about 100 companies in the U.S. and Europe producing
tempeh and tempeh-based products, including sausage, burgers and
drinks, Tri said.
Tsauri revealed to the President on the institute's success in
producing a high quality yeast, now popular among tempeh
producers in Java.
"We have also used soybean seed which can produce much better
tempeh," he said.
There are about 60 similar companies in Japan, which no longer
concentrate on first or second generation tempeh products (like
tempeh teriyaki) but now develop third generation products like
tablets, biscuits and enzymes.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, soybean
consumption of the nation reaches two million tons per year, 70
percent of it is used for producing tempeh and tofu ketchup.
Soeharto said people should be proud of the cheap food because
it attracted international attention.
People, said Tsauri, tend to degrade the food with sayings
like "tempeh nation" or "tempeh mentality", meaning something
negative.
"We shouldn't feel inferior as a tempeh nation," the President
said. (prb)