Celebrating the eleventh lustrum of Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Food and Agricultural Product Technology of Gadjah Mada University alongside with Association of Indonesian Food Technologist (PATPI) – Yogyakarta Chapter held a national seminar with the theme of “Food and Agricultural Product Technology Towards The Improvement of Global Competitiveness”. Approximately 200 participants from all across Indonesia came for the two days event at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Gadjah Mada University. The event started with an excursion on August 30th 2018 followed by poster and oral presentation on the following day.
The participants visited the Agricultural Technology Park (Taman Teknologi Pertanian) located in Gunung Kidul regency, at Nglanggeran village on 30th August 2018. The park was under the authority of Badan Pengkajian Teknologi Pertanian (BPTP) with the assistance from the Faculty of Agricultural Technology of Gadjah Mada University. Dr. Titiek D. Djafaar as BPTP staff presented the introduction of the park and researches held by UGM which were applied for the product development. A traditional performance of gejlok lesung exhibited during the lunch time by the locals also enlivens the impression of Nglanggeran village.
During the visit, the participants were able to watch the chocolate making process. The Nglanggeran Agricultural Technology Park processes cacao grown by the local people into chocolate candy, chocolate bar, and chocolate powder. Another differentiated products consist of cipiran cokelat, untir cokelat, sale salut cokelat, onde-onde cokelat, and another creative products. The park has an integrated system of the cacao processing by manufacturing the waste in the form of pulp of the cacao fruit to produce mineral blocks used as supplements for goat’s feed. The Etawa goat’s milk is then flavored by the chocolate and sold as chocolate milk powder. It can also be bought as original Etawa goat’s milk.
Currently, a research about probiotic incorporation using milk as the carrier in chocolate candy is conducted at the park by several fourth-year students of Food and Agricultural Product Technology of UGM with the assistance of Dr. Ir. Tyas Utami, M.Sc and Prof. Dr. Ir. Endang Sutriswati Rahayu. A sensory test of the probiotic chocolate candy was also done with the participants as the panelists.