Ahmad Zaki Mubarok’s research while affiliated with University of Brawijaya and other places

Real-time quality information on chicken freshness can be obtained using pH-sensing packaging. Real-time quality information on chicken freshness is crucial for ensuring food safety, as chicken is a highly perishable animal product prone to rapid spoilage. This study aimed to develop an pH-sensing film using red pitaya (red dragon) peel (RPP) to monitor chicken freshness. RPP containing 22% pectin, showed promise in forming a film and contains betacyanin, which is commonly used in pH-sensing films. The addition of konjac glucomannan (KGM) as a co-biopolymer to RPP films enhanced their physical and mechanical properties. We utilised Central Composite Design (CCD) within the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) framework, with varying concentrations of KGM from 0.80% to 2.20% and RPP from 0.40% to 1.10%. The optimal treatment involved using 1.74 g of KGM and 0.85 g of RPP powder. The variation in KGM and RPP powder concentrations resulted in the following outcomes: film thickness ranged from 0.11 to 0.15 mm, tensile strength from 2.4 to 7.03 MPa, elongation ranged from 22.50% to 49.17%, opacity from 3.68 to 6.50 mm⁻¹, water solubility from 82.70% to 97.82%, lightness from 61.20 to 74.70, redness from 12.90 to 30.80, and yellowness from 0.20 to 2.80. The incorporation of KGM as a co-biopolymer demonstrably enhanced the physical and mechanical properties of RPP powder-based pH-sensing films. The results highlight RPP/KGM-based films as a novel, sustainable option for intelligent packaging, while promoting red pitaya peel waste as a renewable source of pectin and natural colorants. The freshness of chicken breast is indicated by the color change in RPP/KGM coatings, caused by betacyanin degradation from purple-red to yellow (betalamic acid). Graphical Abstract Schematic illustration of the production of konjac and red pitaya peel pH-sensing films

Porang tubers (Amorphophallus muelleri Blume) are known as konjac in Indonesian prominent glucomannan sources. The research objective is to compare the dry and wet extraction methods. Two extraction methods (dry and wet) were carried out. First, porang flour was obtained from a centrifugal grinder and purified twice with 70 % ethanol solution for 2 h, respectively. Next, the sample was milled with ethanol solution and precipitated twice with 70 % ethanol solution. The 2 samples were compared to a konjac commercial glucomannan for physicochemical and molecular properties. The study revealed that the physical characteristics of glucomannan extracted through the wet method significantly differed from those obtained via dry extraction and the commercially available Konjac glucomannan. Specifically, the glucomannan from dry extraction demonstrated poorer physical qualities compared to its wet-extracted counterpart, and even more so when compared to commercial Konjac. The wet-extracted porang glucomannan’s viscosity (33,000 cPs) and whiteness level (70.04) were markedly different from the commercial Konjac, which had a viscosity of 39,000 cPs and a whiteness level of 83.17. In contrast, the dry extraction method yielded lower values, with a viscosity of 22,000 cPs and a whiteness level of 63.43. While FTIR, XRD and DSC analyses produced similar results across the board, the thermal properties of the wet-extracted porang glucomannan displayed a higher resistance to decomposition compared to the other 2 samples. HIGHLIGHTS Reliable and economical technique production of glucomannan Glucomannan obtained through wet extraction methods is of higher quality compared to that obtained via dry extraction. The molecular characteristics of konjac glucomannan and glucomannan extracted from wet porang are remarkably similar. Konjac glucomannan and glucomannan from wet porang exhibit comparable solubility profiles. The viscosity levels of glucomannan derived from wet porang align with the food industry’s standards. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Soy milk is a typical soy protein product and a good source of essential nutrients, however “beany” off-flavor makes soy milk unpleasant or unacceptable to many consumers. The addition of ginger extract in this research is intended to mask the “beany” off-flavor in soy milk. Soy milk is a beverage with an emulsion system that exhibits unstable characteristics during storage. Creaming and sedimentation in protein-rich beverages can be addressed by enhancing system stability using polysaccharides such as glucomannan from the porang plant. Glucomannan has the ability to bind water effectively, restricting molecular movement and thereby improving the stability of soy milk. The objective of this research is to determine the optimal values for volumetric ration of soy milk and concentration of porang gel that yield the desired responses in terms of physical stability, viscosity, and antioxidant activity of soy milk using response surface methodology. The models predicted that the optimal formula was soy milk volumetric ratio of 69.3 (v/v) and porang gel concentration of 1.3%. The verification experiments were conducted in three replications. The results showed that physical stability, viscosity and IC50 value of soy milk were 0.90±0.05, 132.0±5.5 cP and 187.5±35.2 ppm under optimal formulation. The optimization results were validated and found no statistically significant differences at a 5% significance level. Soy milk with good physical stability, viscosity, and antioxidant activity can be prepared with this formulation.

Red pitaya, one of Indonesia’s most abundantly produced horticultural products, offers a sustainable solution for reducing waste by utilizing its peel in the production of an edible film. The edible film was prepared from red pitaya peel (RPP) flour and Kappa Carrageenan (K-Carr). Konjac glucomannan (K) was added to improve the brittleness and compactness of the film specimens. The central composite design (CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM) evaluated the effects of two variables: the proportion of RPP and K-Carr. The physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of RPP/K-Carr film were profoundly influenced by the proportion of K-Carr (0.29–1.71% w/v), and RPP powder (0.4–1.1% w/v). The optimized proportions of 0.50% (w/v) RPP powder and 1.28% (w/v) K-Carr resulted in the production of edible film with a tensile strength (TS) value of 7.75 MPa, elongation at break (EAB) of 103%, thickness (T) of 99.8 μm, color: brightness (L: 72.5), redness (a*: 13.9), yellowness (b*: 0.5), opacity (O) of 4.56 mm⁻¹, water solubility (WS) of 81%, water absorption capacity (WAC) of 863%, and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of 7.56 g/m²/h. The addition of K-Carr to RPP film can improve its thermal properties. All the obtained data is corroborated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results. Graphical Abstract

Red pitaya, one of Indonesia's most abundantly produced horticultural products, offers a sustainable solution for reducing waste by utilizing its peel in the production of an edible film. This research aimed to develop an edible film from red pitaya peel (RPP) flour and Kappa carrageenan (Carr) with the optimal physical and mechanical properties. Konjac (K) was added to improve the brittleness and compactness of the film specimens. This study employed a central composite design (CCD) with two variables, RPP and Carr, with proportions ranging from 0.4% − 1.1% (w/v) and 0.29% − 1.71% (w/v), respectively. The optimized proportions of 0.50% (w/v) RPP and 1.28% (w/v) K-Carr resulted in the production of edible film with a tensile strength (TS) value of 7.75 MPa, elongation of 103%, thickness (T) of 99.8 µm, color L (72.5), a* (13.9), b* (0.5), opacity (O) of 4.56 mm − 1 , water solubility (WS) of 81%, and water absorption capacity (WAC) of 863%.

Growing awareness of the environmental devastation caused by plastic packaging, particularly in the food industry, has led to the emergence of the concept of a renewable and environmentally safe consumable film as an alternative to plastic. Red pitaya (dragon fruit) peel (RPP), which has a high pectin content, can be used as an additional ingredient or co‐biopolymer to enhance the functional properties of fish gelatin (FG) edible film. Edible films were produced using casting techniques and varying concentrations of FG (3.2%–8.8% w/v) and RPP (0.2%–1.0%) with the aid of Central Composite Design (CCD) of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) by Design Expert 13's software. The optimal formulation consisted of 5.97% (w/v) FG and 0.45% (w/v) RPP. Increasing the concentrations of RPP and FG affected the thickness (0.18–0.36 mm), water solubility (46.72%–66.78%), brightness (60.04–79.02), redness (7.08–28.36), yellowness (2.48–8.44), and opacity (0.85–2.58) of the physical properties. Mechanical testing revealed a tensile strength between 2.76 and 9.34 MPa and a break elongation between 82.78% and 153.89%. The results suggested the physical and mechanical properties of RPP‐based films were greatly affected by concentration of gelatin.

Desa Bendosari, Kecamatan Sanankulon, Kabupaten Blitar memiliki komoditi unggulan masyarakat desa yaitu nanas, belimbing, dan sirsak. Keberadaan BUMDes Makmur Abadi membuat Desa Bendosari semakin maju. BUMDes memiliki produk unggulan berupa minuman susu pasteurisasi dan minuman olahan buah. Permasalahan mitra yang utama saat ini adalah belum standarnya peralatan yang digunakan untuk proses produksi, terutama di proses penyaringan. Selain itu, mitra perlu evaluasi tentang cara pengolahan pangan yang baik. Oleh karena itu, program pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan produktivitas minuman olahan buah dengan teknologi penyaringan menggunakan alat pemeras mekanik (expeller press) serta memberikan pengetahuan dan pemahaman kepada mitra agar mitra dapat menghasilkan produk olahan minuman buah yang memiliki kualitas baik dan bisa bersaing dengan produk dari daerah lain. Hasil evaluasi menunjukkan bahwa penerapan CPPB-IRT di BUMDes Makmur Abadi tergolong ke dalam kategori baik dengan beberapa catatan perbaikan yang harus ditindaklanjuti. Hasil penggunaan alat pemeras mekanik dapat meningkatkan volume proses penyaringan/pemerasan menjadi 2,5 kali lipat dari penyaringan dengan metode gravitasi biasa.

The novel SARS-CoV-2 that causing global pandemic COVID-19 known to enter the host cell using the hACE2 as cell receptor. SARS-CoV S1 protein cleaves the ACE2 receptor, then the S2 subunits facilitates the cell membrane fusion, the inhibition of S1-ACE2 interaction can help develop anti SARS-CoV-2 medication. Porang glucomannan is a polysaccharide known as immunomodulator but never reported as anti-virus by direct inhibition of viral entry. Glucohealth was developed to investigate its potential. Method: Glucohealth is a glucomannan hydrolysate (HGM) that made from porang (Amorphophallus muelleri). Hydrolysis was carried using HCl in different concentration (0.25N, 0.5N, 1N) then analyzed its inhibitor activity using ELISA kit. Result: Higher HCl concentration produced HGM with smaller average particle size and lower glucomannan content. However, ELISA studies showed that glucomannan, including its hydrolysates, have the potency to bind with S1 protein and inhibit the binding activity of S1-ACE2. Degraded glucomannan proven to have better bioactivity and able to interact with pathogen to inhibit its cell entry. This project should be a gateway for further biomedical study of glucomannan from Indonesia’s local tuber and new approach to produce more natural therapy against COVID-19.

ABSTRAK Cookies dapat diformulasikan dari bahan baku lokal, misalnya tepung sorgum. Cookies sorgum berwarna gelap dan bertekstur keras sehingga perlu ditambahkan pati jagung untuk meningkatkan kecerahan dan kerenyahan. Penelitian bertujuan menganalisis pengaruh proporsi tepung sorgum : pati jagung dan proporsi margarin : whey terhadap karakteristik fisikokimia cookies. Penelitian dirancang dengan Rancangan Acak Kelompok Faktorial. Faktor I proporsi tepung sorgum : pati jagung (70:30; 50:50; 30:70) dan Faktor II proporsi margarin : whey (80:0; 70:10; 60:20 dalam satuan g). Analisis data menggunakan Anova (α=0.05), BNT, DMRT, dan Derringer’s Desirability Function. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan peningkatan proporsi tepung sorgum menyebabkan peningkatan kadar air, ALB, kemerahan, daya patah, dan kekerasan tetapi menyebabkan penurunan kecerahan, kekuningan, dan penyusutan berat. Cookies perlakuan terbaik adalah tepung sorgum 50% dan whey 10g, dengan kecerahan 57.1, kemerahan 7.0, kekuningan 21.57, susut berat 18.0%, daya patah 8.4N, kekerasan 6.7N, kadar air 2.7%, dan ALB 0.2%. Kata kunci: Bubuk whey, Cookies, Pati jagung, Tepung sorgum ABSTRACT Cookies can be formulated from local raw material, such as sorghum flour. Sorghum produced dark and hard cookies, and required corn starch addition to increase lightness and decrease fracturability of cookies. This study aims to analyze the influence of sorghum flour : corn starch proportion and margarine : whey to the physico-chemical characteristics of cookies. This research was conducted by Factorial Randomized Complete Design consist of sorghum flour:corn starch proportion (70:30 ; 50:50 ; 30:70) and margarine:whey proportion (80:0; 70:10; 60:20). The data was analyzed using ANOVA (α=0.05), LSD, DMRT and Derringer’s Desirability Function. The results showed that sorghum flour increase water content, free fatty acid, redness, fracturability and hardness, and decrease lightness, yellowness, and weight loss. The best cookies formulated from sorghum flour 50% and whey powder 10g with water content 2.7%, FFA 0.2%, lightness 57.1, redness 7.0, yellowness 21.57, weight loss 18.0%, fracturability 8.4N, and hardness 6.7N. Keywords: Cookies, Corn starch, Sorghum flour, Whey powder