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Chips are one of the snack products favored by consumers in Indonesia because they are typically thin and crispy. Generally to increase the crispness of chips, the food industry uses calcium chloride solution to soak raw material slices. Commercial calcium chloride is mostly produced from limestone and is produced by large mining industries. Intrigued to find other sources of calcium chloride that is food grade or safer to eat and easier to find, David Tjandra Nugraha started to innovate by utilizing eggshell food waste. The underlying consideration is that the number of eggs being consumed is increasing along with the increasing number of food businesses. In addition, processing waste into a more useful product and food grade also makes this project a positive contribution to environmental sustainability.
Eggshells include food waste which has not been used much. “About 90% of the content of eggshell is calcium which can be one of the best sources of calcium,” said David. Utilizing this, together with several students from the Food Technology Department of the Faculty of Agriculture Technology of Widya Mandala Catholic University of Surabaya (WMCUS), David carried out the extraction process to successfully separate some of the calcium in eggshells.
His own research began when David was in his sixth semester. At that time he raised the main topic of the use of eggshell waste to improve the quality of food products in a national seminar. “If it is only in the form of calcium, it certainly cannot be utilized directly, so I continue to use the eggshell calcium before the food processing process to make chips crispy. “The eggshell calcium that we extracted succeeded in increasing the crispness of the chips we made,” explained David, who was guided by Dr. rer. nat. Ignasius Radix Astadi Praptono Jati and Ir. Adrianus Rulianto Utomo in his thesis.
Unexpected experiences and obstacles did not escape him during his research study. He and his colleagues had to look for egg shells at the nearest food processing, such as bakeries, noodle restaurants, and the like. After getting enough, a problem arose because they had to clean the rest of the eggs and reduced their size so that their calcium could be extracted. The process took a great deal of time and dedication. For a full week and work shoulder to shoulder, they clean about 1500 chicken egg shells. Another obstacle was when they tried to analyze the purity of calcium extracted. “Because the use of eggshell calcium for various food processing has never been found before, it takes a while to do the trial and error in determining the appropriate analysis method,” he explained.
Although currently it cannot be applied on a commercial scale, David hopes this research will open up the possibility of using calcium from various other sources. His research can also be the basis for other studies that want to utilize food waste, especially eggshells. He hopes that there will be a good coordination between food business owners who produce food waste so that waste in the form of egg shells can be utilized and no longer just a waste.
Researching and innovating is already a form of achievement for David, but he wants to always provide more, including being an activist in student organizations. In 2017 he was trusted to be the committee of the International Food Conference (IFC) event. In the same year, he won the 3rd place for Outstanding Students in the 7th Region of Institution for Higher Education Service (LLDIKTI region 7) representing WMCUS. David said he was proud of the achievement because he could continue the WMCUS tradition to win the outstanding student level. His achievements at the national level are also extraordinary. He was selected as the Best Presenter at the 2017 Food Student Conference held by Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang by presenting the topic of his thesis.
David, a native of Surabaya, offers some tips on managing a simple but effective time. As a member of the Student Executive Board for three periods, he always did his tasks ahead of time and immediately. “Don’t delay work until it piles up. Separate between campus work and organizational tasks, and try not to sacrifice either one. Joining an organization is a choice and responsibility, so it must also be followed wholeheartedly,” he said. He also added that for each job, students must try to work as efficiently as possible. Working smart will save you a lot of time. No less important is to have an adequate rest because a healthy and primed body will facilitate work. “Don’t do a lot of work at once because the focus will be reduced and work efficiency will decrease,” he said.
David is now planning to continue his study. If his goal to further his study is realized, later he wants to share his knowledge, especially related to the food sector. “I owe a lot to the WMCUS and if I am given the opportunity to come back here, I will be ready, too,” said David, who was crowned as the Most Active Achievement Graduate in his faculty for the 2017/2018 Academic Year – Even Semester Graduation Ceremony on 13 of October, 2018.
