Prof Budi Setiawan Explains Innovation in Food Product Development for Nutrition Intervention

Professor Budi Setiawan, a distinguished lecturer at the Faculty of Human Ecology (Fema) at IPB University, introduced innovations in food product development for nutrition intervention (Food-based Nutrition Intervention). He made these remarks during a Pre-Inaugural Press Conference for Academic Professorship via Zoom on May 8th.

Prof Budi stated that the development of food products to address nutrition issues must be holistic. Additionally, it should consider the technical, social, and financial aspects of the target groups.

“These products must meet stringent technical standards, be socially accepted by the community, and be financially viable for production and access by those in need,” he said.

Prof Budi revealed that food-based nutrition interventions can be achieved through the development of new food products tailored to the nutritional needs of the target groups, using potential and abundant local Indonesian food ingredients.

As such, several product innovations resulting from his research have been designed to meet the needs of the target groups. These products utilize local ingredients, possess preferred organoleptic characteristics, and have proven health benefits.

“Planning and implementing special diet food provision is part of the competence of nutrition health professionals, including nutritionists and dieticians. To make health benefit claims, new food products must undergo clinical trials or human intervention tests according to standard protocols,” he explained.

Prof Budi continued, stating that some research findings on the development of new food products have been published in leading scientific journals, and several products have been submitted for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

These products include the development of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) made from green beans, cereals, and vegetable oil; the development of enriched pumpkin cream soup with tempeh for the elderly; the development of powdered young coconut beverage to reduce the risk of diabetes mellitus; and the modification of the black oncom production process and its utilization in biscuit development as supplementary food for the elderly.

“The development of these new food products is expected to replace the importation of specialized food products such as Food for Special Dietary Uses (FSDU) or Food for Special Medical Purposes (FSMF), as well as Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF),” he concluded. (dr/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)