IPB University Professor Creates Premium Sheep Innovation and SheepLight Rapid Detection Kit

Professor of the Faculty of Animal Sciences of IPB University, Prof. Asep Gunawan has successfully created an innovation of Premium Sheep that has the best meat quality and nutrition. This innovation is expected to support meat self-sufficiency and the provision of healthy and nutritious food from livestock.

“Premium Sheep is the latest innovation based on rapid tests to produce seeds and quality sheep meat with the best nutritional and nutritional advantages,” said Prof. Asep Gunawan during the IPB 2024 Research and Innovation Week event at the IPB International Convention Center (IICC), Monday (16/12).

The advantages include rich content of unsaturated fatty acids, low cholesterol, low off odor (prengus), and the best mineral content. In addition, Premium Lamb has a large carcass weight with a high level of meat tenderness.

This premium sheep innovation has been disseminated and spread across Indonesia through the establishment of the Premium Sheep Breeding Center. 

Currently, premium sheep have been developed in 8 Breeding Center locations with distribution in 7 provinces in Indonesia. The distribution includes Teaching Factory IPB and the Center for Sheep and Goat Breeding Development (BPPTDK) Margawati Garut (West Java), Banjarnegara (Central Java), Magetan (East Java), Serdang Bedagai (North Sumatra), Jambi (Jambi), Palu (Central Sulawesi), and Rote (East Nusa Tenggara). 

“Digitalization of recording between breeding centers has also been developed to monitor the development of the premium sheep population in real time in the field,” he explained. 

In addition to the production of premium sheep breeds, the diversification of sheep products has also been directed to the downstream level by producing premium sheep meat products in the form of commercial cuts (ready to cook), ready to use meat products, and canned rendang products (ready to eat). 

On the other hand, the high demand for premium lamb testing in the community requires the development of rapid tests that are more practical, efficient and based on site in the field. 

So far, the limiting factors in the dissemination of premium sheep include laboratory-based seed testing. This takes a relatively long time and is less efficient to apply in the field or at the location of the breeder. 

In response to this problem, Prof Asep has successfully developed a method in the form of an on-site-based rapid detection kit using the Colorimetric Loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique. This rapid detection kit for premium quality sheep breeding and meat selection is named “SheepLight: LAMP based Colorimetric Kit for Premium Sheep”. 

“The principle of this kit is very simple and handy, namely testing in the field is carried out based on color changes with a testing time of about 60 minutes. Confirmation of this kit detects quickly with a high level of accuracy,” he explained. 

This kit has been tested in 6 Breeding Centers, namely Teaching Factory IPB and BPPTDK Margawati Garut, Banjarnegara, Serdang Bedagai, Palu, and Rote. 

The results of laboratory-based testing and on-site rapid detection kit testing have been successfully obtained and applied at the Premium Sheep Breeding Center. 

According to Prof Asep, the contribution of sheep farming as a support for national meat production in supporting the meat and nutritious food self-sufficiency program is very potential to be developed. This is because sheep farming has been embedded in the community and distributed across Indonesia.

“The development of sheep farming in the future, apart from the main target of increasing quantity (population), should also pay attention to quality aspects in an effort to provide added value for improving the welfare of farmers,” said Prof. Asep when explaining the background of the development of Premium Sheep innovation.

He further explained, in terms of quantity, the production of seedlings and sheep meat is encouraged to increase the population of sheep with large slaughter and carcass weights and have a high level of meat tenderness. 

As for quality, the improvement of meat production is directed at producing healthy food products with the best nutritional content and nutrition and a positive correlation to health. 

“Through premium sheep innovation, it is expected to be a solution in the development of sheep farming in Indonesia,” he hoped. (*/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)