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| The development of Porang Tuber-based straws. (Photo: Istimewa) |
According to Divers Clean Action, in Indonesia, the use of disposable straws is estimated to reach more than 93 million pieces daily. Seeing this phenomenon, a student team from the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) developed a straw innovation made from porang tubers that are more environmentally friendly.
The team leader, Almi Sayyidatul Qo'idah, said the high glucomannan content in porang makes it easily soluble in water. This is what made them choose porang tubers as the main ingredient. "Porang is unique, it dissolves easily with water and takes at least 2-3 hours to completely dissolve with water, so it is very suitable if used as a disposable straw," said the Psychology major.
Interestingly, the development of the straw does not necessarily eliminate the nutrients contained in porang. However, it can be consumed after being used as a straw. Some of these nutrients can stabilize blood sugar, maintain digestive stability, and prevent cancer.
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"Making this straw does not eliminate the content in the porang tuber. So it still has an effect. This straw will also not leave a mark because it dissolves easily in water and can be consumed," she explained.
The project titled "Softless Edible Straw Multifunction Made from Porang Tubers (Amorphophallus Muelleri) which is Low Glycemic as an Effort to Reduce Plastic Waste" was successfully funded by the Kemdikbud-Ristek 2023 student creativity program (PKM). The goal is to increase porang commodities in Indonesia. Indonesia can produce more than 146 thousand tons of porang tubers per year.
"This innovation also aims to increase the selling value of porang tubers, many porang farmers complain about the drop in prices during the harvest season," said Almi.
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As for now, the innovation of straws from porang tubers is still in the process of development and trial and error. Almi and her team took some steps to process porang tubers into flour first, then gave natural coloring from natural materials, printed it into a straw shape, and dried it to remove water content during the printing process.
Finally, Almi encourages the public to reduce the use of plastic straws. It will have a labor impact on the environment and make life difficult for humans. She wants people to use natural materials instead of plastic. (imh/faq/wil)
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