Based on Nanotechnology and Utilizing Clove Leaf Essential Oil as a Natural Preservative for Tofu, Ryantama Successfully Earns a Masters Degree in Food Technology
One of the Food Technology Masters Program students, namely I Wayan Ryantama Swastika Braja, S.TP. successfully earned a Masters degree in Food Technology (M.TP.) on November 2nd , 2022 by utilizing Clove Leaf Essential Oil which is made in Nanotechnology products as a Natural Preservative in Tofu. The title of the thesis raised was Formulation and Microemulsion Stability of Clove Leaf Essential Oil (Syzygium aromaticum L.) as a Natural Preservative in Tofu Products guided by Dr. Ir. I Dewa Gde Mayun Permana, M.S. and Dr. Ir. Lutfi Suhendra, M.P.
Microemulsion is a dispersion system developed from emulsions. The mechanism of microemulsion formation involves interactions between oil, surfactant and water molecules. The formation of microemulsions can be influenced by several factors, namely the nature of the surfactants, temperature and the concentration of the ingredients being mixed. Increasing the ability of clove leaf essential oil as a preservative in tofu can be made in nanotechnology-based products, such as microemulsions (o/w). Microemulsion has the advantages of having high stability, small droplet size, transparency and easy preparation, making it very suitable as a carrier system in the pharmaceutical and food industries. In the research conducted by Ryantama, there were three stages. The first stage is the nonionic surfactant mixture ratio (Tween 20 : Span 80 : Tween 80). The second stage was the ratio of clove leaf essential oil to the selected surfactant mixture, and the third stage was the application of clove leaf essential oil microemulsion with various concentrations as a natural preservative to determine the shelf life of tofu.
Ryantama reported that microemulsion of clove leaf essential oil with various concentrations had the ability to extend the shelf life of tofu. The use of clove leaf essential oil microemulsion concentration of 5000 ppm can extend the shelf life of tofu for 6 days with tofu characteristics namely white color, distinctive clove aroma, firm texture, pH value of 5.37 and total microbes of 9.7x105 CFU/g.