Biology student at Faculty Biology UGM made another achievement by winning silver medal for research idea proposal in 2nd International Conference of Biology for Students (ICOBIOS) x Open Bioproject Competition (OBC) 2023 at Brawijaya University on 12-14 November 2023. This achievement was achieved by Templus team, comprised of Muhammad Helmi Fauzan (Biologi 2020), Nisa Abidah (Biologi 2021), and Anandita Amalia (Biologi 2021) under guidance Dr. Miftahul Ilmi, S.Si., M.Si. in collaboration with Aditya Aryandi an alumnus from Faculty Biology in 2010.
The 2nd International Conference of Biology for Students (ICOBIOS) x Open Bioproject Competition (OBC) 2023 has the theme ”Inovative Approach in Investigating Biological Problem through Multidisciplinary Research and Startup” aimed to accelerate collaboration and enhance understanding of various biological aspect for young researchers. The competition was held from July to November 2023 and had several stages, including abstract submission, abstract announcement, proposal submission, presentation and ceremonial event.
Team Templus addressed the issue of stunting, which is not only rooted in a lack of socialization within communities but also in the insufficient variety of nutrients in daily meals, especially for micronutrients such as vitamin A. On the other hand, the presence of tempe as an affordable food source in Indonesia with sufficient nutrition could be an alternative for food fortification. Therefore, one solution proposed by Team Templus to address the stunting issue is fortifying tempe through genetic engineering using the fermentation agent Rhizopus oryzae induced with precursor genes for carotenoids by Mucor circinelloides.
Though initially encountering confusion in method construction, Team Templus successfully completed the proposal, hoping that the offered solution could likely progress to the research stage and succeed in testing. Subsequently, this solution is anticipated to serve as an alternative to reducing stunting rates in Indonesia. [Author: Anandita Amalia]