The biggest fruit market in Yogyakarta supplies up to 750 tonnes of fruit daily, which are from all over Indonesia. The long distribution process has caused the fruit to decay, making up to 4 tonnes of fruit unusable. Such a regretable thing. A creative solution is required to resolve this.
Meanwhile, Nata is a favourite among people due to its taste, nutritious and rich in fibers. The commercialised Nata de coco is made from coconut liquid. Research done by Wahyu Aristyaning Putri S.Si showed that unusable fruits can actually be made into nata (Nata de fruity).
Seeing the opportunity, the students through the student creativity programme funded by the Education and Culture Ministry teached twelve fruit sellers from the market to make Nata de Fruity. The Biology and Chemical Engineering students of UGM aimed at using the waste fruit into high economic product.
“The programme is fully supported by the market’s co-operative and the Waste Refinary Center (WRC) UGM that facilitates it,” said chairman of the programme, Wiko Arif Wibowo, on Tuesday (25/6).
Wiko explained up to this time, the fruit waste in the market has been processed into biogas. Now, the juice of the fruit waste can be made into nata de fruity first before it is dumped into the biogas reactor.
The programme will continue until all the participants are able to make the nata de furity by themselves, making it into a marketable product.