Saturday, August 13, 2022. The Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI) held the first offline webinar and workshop as part of the Community Service Program series aimed at biology teachers and high school students.
This activity, held in collaboration with the Indonesian Microbiology Association (PERMI) Jakarta, is titled “Coliforms as Bioindicators of Food Sanitation and Hygiene.” It also received support from Biology Alumni of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI), PT. Merck, and PT. Behrindo Nusaperkasa.
The event was attended by 265 participants, consisting of teachers and high school students from various regions in Indonesia, including North Sumatra, Riau, and East Kalimantan. The webinar was also attended by participants residing in the United States.
The Head of the Biology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, Anom Bowolaksono, Ph.D., opened the webinar. In his remarks, Anom explained that the purpose of involving high school biology teachers in this activity was because he believes teachers play a vital role not only as educators but also as spearheads in disseminating knowledge to their students.
So he hopes that this activity can bring new enthusiasm to teachers, also remind them that science is important, and then this enthusiasm can be instilled in students as an effort to foster interest in science, and increase students’ potential in developing simple research.
“Through this activity, in addition to sharing knowledge, we also want to establish a network between high schools and universities. For us, this is important because through high school teachers as the spearhead, we can obtain superior seeds who will become the successors of biology.”
Present as a speaker was Drs. Iman Santoso, M. Phil., a microbiology expert from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia. Through his presentation, Iman introduced coliform as a bioindicator of hygiene in food products, especially school snacks, to biology teachers and high school students.
Coliform is the name of a group of bacteria that typically live in the digestive tracts of warm-blooded animals and can therefore be isolated from feces or manure. Furthermore, coliform bacteria can also be found in the environment, such as soil and water. Coliform bacteria are used as bioindicators of product hygiene because they can reflect the health status of a product.
“The presence of fecal coliforms in the environment indicates fecal contamination. Studying coliforms is crucial for maintaining food hygiene and sanitation in food processing environments,” Iman explained to the participants.
Clean food, said Iman, will certainly have a positive impact on the health of the people who consume it.
By explaining the function of coliforms, he hopes to raise awareness about the importance of a clean environment and healthy food products.
Following the webinar, the event continued with a workshop held at the Merck Collaboration Lab in the Biology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia. Participants were high school teachers and students invited from 10 selected schools in Jakarta, Depok, and Bogor.
Each school was represented by a biology teacher and two students who brought samples, including food, drinks, and water. These samples, including ice cubes, street food, and pool water, were tested for hygiene during the workshop.
Participants had the opportunity to experience firsthand the coliform test method in samples. The coliform test used was a new generation medium, chromogenic-fluorogenic medium, which is more accurate and faster at detecting the presence of coliforms.
