UNAIR Team wins Silver medal in international competition with Gelatah
UNAIR NEWS – The Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS) and CIS organized the World Young Invention Exhibition (WYIE) Competition 2023 in Malaysia from Tuesday, May 5, to Sunday, May 14, 2023. The competition was a platform to introduce and promote highly functional and creative innovative products internationally. One of the participating teams was Gelatah from Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR).
They won a silver medal in the competition. The team consisted of Abdul Rohman, Vita Amalia Hidayati, and Arfian Mulia Bagus Arijanto from the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) and Kariza Makanti from the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST).
As the team representative, Vita Amalia explained that their innovation was a product called Gelatah (Used Cooking Oil Gel). The gel served as a practical and eco-friendly food warmer.
“We brought a commercial product called Gelatah, a gel made from processed used cooking oil used as a practical, cost-effective, and eco-friendly food warmer,” she said.
Vita further explained that the product originated from the issue of used cooking oil waste accumulation in Indonesia and Malaysia. They recognized the potential to transform the waste into something new and beneficial, which led to the creation of the Gelatah product.
“This product exists due to the high use of cooking oil in Indonesia and Malaysia, resulting in an excessive accumulation of used cooking oil waste. From this, we initiated the development of a processed product from used cooking oil that is highly useful for household needs,” she added.
The Gelatah product is already available and affordable through various platforms, priced at Rp 10,000. With this price, they offer many advantages for consumers.
“This product can be purchased on Instagram, Facebook, Shopee, and Tokopedia for Rp 10,000. It can last for up to seven hours, with an initial boiling time of 7 to 15 minutes for a one-liter water capacity, and it provides a stable flame without generating soot or leaking. The product has undergone transesterification and clinical testing,” she explained.
The Gelatah team hopes that their product can become one of the solutions to address the issue of used cooking oil waste. They also aspire to market and distribute Gelatah for commercial purposes.
“We hope our product can soon be commercialized in stores and supermarkets in Indonesia and abroad,” she concluded.
Author: Muhammad Badrul Anwar
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
Source : unair.ac.id/en/unair-team-wins-silver-medal-in-international-competition-with-gelatah
