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| A UMM team from the Department of Food Technology Science. (Photo: Istimewa) |
According to the Association of Indonesian Pediatricians, cases of pediatric diabetes by 2023 have increased 70-fold since 2010. The surge in cases alarms all parties to address the threat of this harmful disease. Two diabetes conditions that can be experienced by individuals are type 1 and 2. Children mostly experience the first type.
Looking into the issue, a team of the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) from the Food Technology Science department formulate a low-sugar snack bar as an alternative food for diabetics. This snack can also prevent diabetes even though it is consumed every day. Interestingly, the snack bar is made from porang tubers, one of Indonesia’s widely found commodities.
The team leader, Maharani Dewi Wulan Suryaningsih, explained that porang tubers (Amorphophallus oncophyllus) have a low glycemic index: 16,9%. In addition, porang tubers contain the highest glucomannan content: 65 %, compared to other types of tubers. Glucomannan in porang tubers is vital in reducing blood sugar, inhibiting cholesterol and glucose absorption, and minimizing obesity.
Besides porang tubers, another ingredient, like the peel of mangosteen, has the benefit of maintaining the body’s insulin — especially since insulin mainly helps the body control blood sugar levels and manages glucose as an energy source through muscle, fat, and liver cells.
“There are still few people who know that mangosteen peel has a hypoglycemic effect because it has useful compounds for anti-diabetes potions: xanthone group compounds, which can stimulate the secretion and maintain a number of insulin cells. Mangosteen peel contains xanthone as much as 107.76 mg and xanthone is not found in other fruits," added Rani.
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In processing the snack bar, porang tubers and mangosteen peel are first processed into flour. Then, the flour of each is mixed together in a certain dosage ratio. Lastly, it is processed into a snack bar in general.
Besides aiming to prevent diabetes in society, the UMM student team also has a particular mission: improving the commodity of porang in Indonesia — especially since Indonesia is the world’s 5th largest porang producer.
Last but not least, they expect society to pay more attention to the quality and the content of the food they consume. The community must understand that their intake can affect their body health. Industrial actors must also think about the effect of the food they create. “It is wiser if industrial actors formulate a healthy food, not only focus on junk food,” concluded the team leader. (imh/faq/wil)
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