S(He)-Can, Eco-Friendly Active Packaging by IPB Students
Packaging technology keeps developing over time and it has created a lot of new innovations. The innovation is the answer to consumer's demands to have a longer shelf-life product that is also practical and high quality. One of the crucial parameters of a food product is the product's temperature. Food products like coffee, tea, porridge, and soup have bigger sensory value if consumed warmly.
Three students of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) develops an innovative active packaging technology that can heat the food without conventional heating process. This technology was named "S(He)-Can (Self Heating Can)". The students are Sri Utami, Erza Fanan Nafidza, and Yanuru Guratu Ayun. Sri Utami, the team leader of S(He)-Can stated that heating device that is currently available in the market has a heat source that is difficult to be recycled. "This becomes a challenge for us to find a more eco-friendly heat source as an alternative," she said.
The technology of S(He)-Can utilizes the exothermal reaction from active chemical substances to heat the food in the packaging without conventional heating, namely stove, oven, or microwave. "Consumers can enjoy food product in warm condition quickly wherever they are", she added.
Sri and her friends use activated zeolite as a heat source. Zeolite can release heat quickly when it is reacted with water, thus can accelerate heating process. Zeolite is also eco-friendly and can be dehydrated, so it can be reused as a heat source.
Under the supervision of Dr. Nugraha Edhi Suyatma, STP, DEA, teaching staff of Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, IPB, S(He)-Can becomes one of the Student Creativity Program of Karsa Cipta 2018. This packaging's prototype can be used by everyone, especially by those who have high mobility but not sufficient time to heat their food conventionally. According to Seri, S(He)-Can may also be used by the hikers, army, and even by the victim of a natural disaster since it can be used everywhere when the conventional method cannot be done.
Sri and her friends hoped that S(He)-Can could give a reference that packaging technology innovation is getting more sophisticated. "We also hope that S(He)-Can could get simple patent rights." she said. (CN).
