Sago and Purple Sweet Potato Turned into Chicken Meat Freshness Indicator

The level of broiler chicken consumption in Indonesia is relatively high. Throughout 2025, consumption was recorded at 13.60 kilograms per capita per year, with abundant availability of 15.29 kg per capita per year. However, this high figure needs to be accompanied by strict quality control, given that chicken meat is a highly perishable food.

So far, the public has generally assessed meat freshness subjectively through sensory observation. To provide a more objective solution, five students from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Yogyakarta have developed an innovation called Seftin. This product is an edible film food freshness indicator made from natural ingredients that is able to detect the condition of chicken meat through colour changes.

The innovator team, part of the Student Creativity Programme for Entrepreneurship (PKM-K), consists of Novita Nurul Latifa, Nabila Aurora Banuwati, Nabila Putri Herviana, and Andinar Zahranayla Y. Under the supervision of Purwanto, they utilised sago starch and anthocyanin extract from purple sweet potato as the main ingredients.

Seftin exploits the natural property of anthocyanin, which is highly sensitive to changes in acidity (pH). During storage, chicken meat that begins to lose freshness undergoes chemical changes on its surface. This pH change is then responded to visually by the edible film.

Team leader Novita Nurul Latifa explained that the mechanism for using Seftin is very simple. Users simply observe the colour change on the indicator sticker and match it with the integrated colour scale.

“The level of food freshness can be detected through the colour change on the edible film, and the colour is then matched with the colour scale sticker that is already integrated on the indicator. So, users can determine the condition of food freshness in real time simply by looking at the colour change,” said Novita in a written statement on Monday (24/8).

To make it easier for consumers, Seftin is designed as a sticker that can be attached to the lid of packaging, such as a thinwall container. In this way, the colour change indicator remains clearly visible from the outside without needing to open the packaging, so the sterility of the meat is maintained.

The development process for this innovation was carried out through a comprehensive series of research, from literature studies and market surveys to repeated formulation testing to obtain the most effective results. Technically, the production of Seftin involves three main stages.

Although currently focused on broiler chicken meat, Novita mentioned that Seftin has great potential to be applied to various other high-protein foods that are also susceptible to spoilage.

The team hopes that Seftin can soon become a commercial product that is affordable for the public and food business operators. This innovation is expected to become a new standard in meat freshness monitoring that is more objective, sustainable, and reliable in Indonesia.