Dr. Rachma Wikandari, a Food Technology and Agricultural Products lecturer at the UGM Faculty of Agricultural Technology, has secured 2nd place in the Young Scientist Award from the Indonesian Association of Food Technologists (PATPI).
The award was presented at the PATPI Annual Meeting and the 2nd International Conference on Food Technology and Nutrition 2023 in Bali on November 2-4.
This recognition by PATPI is an appreciation for Dr. Wikandari’s dedication to the world of food science, research, and innovation and her commitment to developing products that positively impact public health.
In her statement to the press on Monday (November 27), Dr. Wikandari expressed her joy and pride, conveying her gratitude for the award given by PATPI. She did not expect to receive such an honor.
“I am thrilled and proud of this award, and it motivates me to continue researching in the field of food technology that I am involved in,” she said.
Dr. Wikandari has conducted numerous research and innovations in food processing. One of her outcomes is synthetic meat made from filamentous fungi, which has high protein content, low fat, complete amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids.
“This food can be an alternative healthy protein source,” she said.
Additionally, she has developed research on tempeh mushrooms with high folic acid and a prebiotic drink powder premix from elephant foot yam called Fidrink. The latter research has undergone a series of lab tests and sensory evaluations.
“Clinical trials have shown that Fidrink can reduce hunger and decrease food intake after consumption,” she added.
Before this award, Dr. Wikandari had achieved accolades as the recipient of the IUFoST Young Scientist Award 2022, Best Scientific Publication in the Agro Cluster from UGM in 2022, and High-Quality Scientific Articles in the Health and Medicine Field from the Ministry of Research and Technology in 2022.
Dr. Wikandari is also active in scientific activities at both national and international levels. She was a speaker at the 21st World Congress of Food Science and Technology in 2022 and the 9th International Forum on Industrial Bioprocessing in 2021.
Additionally, she served as a member of the Indonesian Delegation at the 46th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) in 2021.
In research and innovation, Dr. Wikandari has conducted joint research with international institutions such as the University of Borås in Sweden, the University of Minho in Portugal, and the University of York in the United Kingdom, receiving research funding from national and international sources.
Author: Luqlun Arghani/Gusti Grehenson