UNAIR NEWS – Another good news came from UNAIR students. They are Sulthan Fathi (FST ’19), Ardelia Bertha (FK ’19), Syadilla Rahmansyah (FKM ’19), Lidya Ayu (FKM ’20), Dennis Muhammad (FTMM ’20), and Bernika Citra (FISIP ’20) . The six of them won the gold medal in an international competition, Thailand Inventors Day, on February 1-6, 2023.

In the competition organized by the National Research Council of Thailand, they brought up an innovation entitled “Brem-D: Utilization of Durio Zibethinus Skin Waste as a Neutral-Stabilizer for Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) Addicts”.

Syadilla Rahmansyah, representing the team, said that their idea came from the traditional food of Madiun City, brem. “So, the work or innovation we presented was alternative food innovation, brem, traditional food well known from the city of Madiun. The difference with the original from Madiun is how we use a mixture of flour with the durian skin, the mesocarp part,” he explained.

Furthermore, the student often called Rama explained that the use of durian skin as a mixture of brem is beneficial as a serotonin bioregulator in the brain. With a combination of durian skin, he said, the brem they created could be an alternative to eliminating bad effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) on health.

“In Southeast Asia, this type of LSD drug is on the rise. So, we take advantage of the durian skin content to increase serotonin levels in the brain, so it can reduce symptoms of depression, withdrawal, and other symptoms,” he said.

Beside the enormous benefits of durian skin, Rama’s idea with the team was also based on concern for conditions in Indonesia. Instead of using natural pectin, Indonesia still imports tons of synthetic pectin.

“Usually, brem uses synthetic pectin. Indonesia still imports as much as 100 tons of synthetic pectin per year, even though this pectin can be obtained from durian, which is truly abundant in Indonesia. From there, we try to take advantage of that potential, “explained Rama.

Even though they have made an outstanding achievement, Rama and the team do not want to feel complacent. He hopes their success will motivate them to make more achievements internationally.

“Hopefully, the results of this competition can motivate us to continue to grow and learn to be better. We are happy to have such experiences that we meet international people and see innovations from other countries,” he said.

Author: Yulia Rohmawati

Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia

Source: https://unair.ac.id/en/creating-brem-from-durian-skin-unair-students-make-international-achievement/