Banda Aceh – At the age of 20, TDMRC USK’s efforts to develop research on emergency disaster food are gradually growing. This time, the Disaster Emergency Food Division of TDMRC USK collaborated with the Food Process and Industrial Engineering Laboratory (RPPI) at USK to conduct education and knowledge and technology transfer activities, targeting students—particularly those from the Department of Agricultural Product Technology (DTHP) at USK. DTHP is one of the departments at USK that focuses on food technology and agricultural products.
The activity, held on Friday, May 1, 2026, which coincided with International Labor Day, was attended by approximately 100 participants, accompanied by 10 laboratory assistants and 2 supervising lecturers. The program was coordinated by Yanti Meldasari Lubis, S.TP., M.P., who is also a member of the Disaster Emergency Food Division team at TDMRC USK. It was designed as a case study project to educate participants on emergency food production technologies, such as nasi uduk and nasi liwet.
This activity focused on improving students’ production skills and enhancing their understanding of critical factors in emergency food production. “The emergency food introduced today falls under commercially sterile food, so it is very important to educate participants on proper sterilization techniques,” said Sari. “Through this activity, students are also taught how to implement production systems that meet good food processing standards, particularly food safety standards, from raw material preparation, production, packaging, sterilization, to labeling,” she added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Satriana, S.TP., M.T., as the head of the division team as well as the Head of the RPPI Laboratory at USK, explained that there are two critical factors to be observed in this case study project: the duration of sterilization and the total amount of product hermetically sealed in retort pouches. “Students are asked to observe the products they produce themselves for at least two weeks of storage. If microbiological spoilage can be prevented during this period, the sterilization process can be considered successful,” she explained.
This educational activity was engaging and highly interesting. Iqbal Wiradinata and Claudia Agatha Manurung, both second-semester DTHP USK students, were enthusiastic and found the activity very beneficial. “We hope this activity can be followed up so that the products can be utilized to help disaster victims quickly, safely, and with good quality,” said Iqbal. “Activities like this should become a regular agenda to broaden students’ perspectives on food sterilization,” added Claudia.
During the activity, participants were also given the opportunity to taste a similar emergency food product produced in early January 2026. They were excited to learn that long-lasting products could be made without preservatives using simple, practical sterilization equipment—a modified pressure cooker.
As a closing remark, Satriana stated that TDMRC USK is committed to continuing education on emergency disaster food, not only for students but also for other groups such as volunteer organizations, village-owned enterprises (BUMG), and other universities. “One of TDMRC’s agendas is to organize Emergency Food Preparedness training as a form of commitment to disaster response efforts involving various stakeholders,” she concluded.
