Thanks to the MORA Porridge, IPB Students win the First Place
Society develops dynamically, therefore innovation in various lines is needed, especially in terms of food which is a basic human need. Niswana Wafi Alfarda and Sures Setiadi Tarigan took the initiative to make instant porridge made of cassava starch and Moringa leaf flour.
According to these Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) students, the dependence of Indonesians on rice consumption as a staple food is increasing. The increase in rice consumption is not offset by an increase in the amount of rice produced by farmers in Indonesia. This becomes the main cause of the high import of rice every year.
On the other hand, cassava can be used as an alternative source of carbohydrate. Likewise with moringa plant which has been known throughout the world as nutritious plants. The World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced moringa as an alternative food to overcome nutritional problems (malnutrition). Moringa gets the nickname as Miracle Tree and Mother's Best Friend, which means that it can grow quickly and is very tolerant of extreme climate. However, the use of moringa plant as a nutrient-rich food in Indonesia is still not optimal.
"We want to utilize nutrients in moringa and cassava. We also see the trend of people who are increasingly addicted to instant products. For these reasons, we think to pack the moringa and cassava in the form of instant porridge. Moreover, the Indonesian people are very familiar with porridge," explained Wafi.
"MORA is a short name for Moringa Esculenta which is a combination of two Latin names, cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and Moringa oleifera. MORA is more practical and durable because it is packed in an air-tight plastic package. The nutritional contents of the plants are also not lost," added Sures.
They submitted this innovation in the National Student Scientific Writing Competition held by the Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Diponegoro University (LKTI-N FPP UNDIP) on 27-29 September 2018. Both are students of the Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology of IPB (ITP FATETA IPB).
"We are happy because our efforts for the competition finally produce something. We are also shocked because there was no expectation to win from the beginning of the competition," said Sures when knowing that his team won first place.
"We hope that MORA can be mass-produced and enjoyed by the people of Indonesia," he concluded. (Ama/ZSP/Zul)
