Depok, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI) Through the Special Work Unit of the Applied Science Institute (UKK LST) agreed to collaborate in developing innovative palm oil industry products with PT Nusantara Green Energy (NGE) through research on “Increasing the added value of Steamless Palm Oil (SPO) as a Highly Nutritious Oil Containing Natural Phytonutrients for Body Health and Prevention of Stunting and Malnutrition (Malnutrition)”.
The signing ceremony for the cooperation agreement (PKS) between the two parties was carried out by the Chair of the UKK LST FMIPA UI, Prof. Dr. Jatna Supriatna, M.Sc., and the President Director of PT NGE, Ir. Sahat M. Sinaga, on Tuesday (September 27, 2022) at the Sinarmas Hall, Multidisciplinary Research Laboratory Building, FMIPA UI – PT Pertamina (Persero), UI Campus, Depok.
This collaboration focuses on raw material exploration and the development of innovative palm oil products in the health and pharmaceutical sectors to maintain the natural nutritional content of palm oil.
PT NGE President Director Ir. Sahat M. Sinaga explained that collaboration with UI is very important because, according to him, UI has faculties with very diverse scientific disciplines, so it is considered capable of supporting research activities.
“Collaboration is crucial because we have a comprehensive faculty here. We’re making history on September 27, 2022,” said Sahat at the opening ceremony.
On the same occasion, Prof. Bambang Permadi Soemantri Brojonegoro, President Commissioner of PT Nusantara Green Energy (NGE), expressed his desire to strengthen the role of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) of the University of Indonesia (UI) in the field of research that benefits the community.
“Of course, today’s event is very relevant to the field at FMIPA UI, so it will be a driving force for good basic research,” he said.
This basic research, said Prof. Bambang, will eventually become an innovation that can be used, both commercially by companies and for direct benefit to the community, while still carrying a mandate that can help improve the welfare of society.
Furthermore, he said, Indonesia’s ability to develop basic research, if properly pursued and accompanied by a clear plan and roadmap, could help meet the needs of the community.
“One way is through the potential of palm oil resource management, which can help the Indonesian economy. It is hoped that steamless palm oil management efforts can help reduce stunting in Indonesia as a form of food substitution that benefits the lives of the community and existing farmers,” he said.
UI’s Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Abdul Haris, M.Sc., emphasized that UI fully supports this collaboration. He believes UI needs to collaborate with industry to produce research and innovation that directly benefits the Indonesian people.
“UI strongly supports the innovative work of UI researchers, and UI also consistently collaborates with all sectors, including industry. That’s why today we signed a collaboration agreement between the SPO research and development with PT NGE,” said Prof. Haris.
Since 2006, Indonesia has been the world’s leading palm oil producer. In 2020, oil palm plantations reached 16.38 million hectares. Crude palm oil from Indonesia naturally contains phytonutrients, including carotenoids (as provitamin A); tocopherols and tocotrienols (Vitamin E); phytosterols (which lower cholesterol); and others. Unfortunately, with current technology, these phytonutrients are lost or damaged, starting from the processing of oil palm fruit into CPO (Crude Palm Oil), and then further lost during the refining, bleaching, and deodorizing processes.
Stunting is a health issue that receives special attention from the government. In Indonesia, stunting is a widespread health problem that requires serious attention. One of the causes of stunting is Vitamin A deficiency. Accelerating stunting reduction is regulated in Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 72 of 2021.
In an effort to increase the added value of SPO produced from SPOT (Steamless Palm Oil Technology) and IRU (Impurities Removable Unit) technology that processes palm fruit into highly nutritious cooking oil, PT NGE together with FMIPA UI will develop applications of SPO to various health and pharmaceutical fields that are far more useful than the achievements of CPO and RBD PO products so far.
The SPOT and IRU technologies are designed with a production capacity of 10 tons per hour of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB), making them easily located near smallholders’ oil palm plantations. To make oil palm plantation management more effective and efficient, oil palm farmers are being encouraged to form corporations, and thus, these Oil Palm Farmers Corporations will have… bargaining power which is higher than what has been in effect so far, and with this new technology, farmers’ income no longer depends solely on a single product, namely FFB.
Still within the framework of this collaboration, PT NGE and FMIPA UI will also conduct field research in five stages, namely identifying, characterizing and analyzing the content of SPO (Steamless Palm Oil) qualitatively and quantitatively; increasing the added value of SPO oil; application of the liquid fraction of SPO or SPOOL (Edora = Edible Oil Right Away, can be eaten directly) and its heavy fraction SPOStearin (Megavite = Media for Gaining Vital Energy) for other food applications including for cosmetic ingredients; conducting efficacy tests of products developed to improve health and cosmetics, including 3-MCPDE and GE tests.
