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A comprehensive sampling of various food ingredients was recently conducted to support Near-Infrared (NIR) analysis at the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) laboratory. The initiative aimed to capture the diversity of commonly consumed foods in Indonesia and generate high-quality data for further research.
Samples were collected from traditional markets across four major cities—Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, and Yogyakarta—representing different regional food characteristics. Prior to NIR analysis, each sample underwent careful preparation to ensure accuracy and consistency. One of the main challenges was the large variety of food types, reaching up to 50 samples per region. These included staple foods such as rice and corn; vegetables like spinach, chilies, and shallots; animal protein sources such as chicken and beef; plant-based proteins like tofu and tempeh; and other common foods such as crackers. |
Due to limited preparation capacity, sample processing had to be distributed across multiple facilities, including the BRIN laboratory in Cibinong, West Java, and another in Playen, Yogyakarta.
This extensive sampling effort was carried out by Dr. Puspitasari, Mr. Samuel Fery Purba, Mr. Yopi Saleh, Ms. Ratih Kurnia, and Ms. Diah Arina—all socioeconomic researchers from the Research Center for Behavioral and Circular Economics, BRIN. Despite coming from a social science background, the team successfully managed the technical processes of food sampling and preparation, including freeze-drying the samples to ensure stability and quality before shipment to Brisbane, Australia, for further analysis. Throughout this process, they were closely guided by Prof. Mohammad Rafi from the Department of Chemistry, IPB University, and Prof. Yasmina Sultanbawa, Assoc. Prof. Daniel Cozzolino, and Dr. Saleha Akter from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), University of Queensland (UQ).
Beyond achieving its technical objectives, this activity served as a valuable opportunity for the researchers to gain practical experience in transdisciplinary collaboration, integrating socioeconomic perspectives with food science and analytical chemistry. This initiative highlights how cross-disciplinary teamwork can drive innovation in Indonesia’s food systems research.
This extensive sampling effort was carried out by Dr. Puspitasari, Mr. Samuel Fery Purba, Mr. Yopi Saleh, Ms. Ratih Kurnia, and Ms. Diah Arina—all socioeconomic researchers from the Research Center for Behavioral and Circular Economics, BRIN. Despite coming from a social science background, the team successfully managed the technical processes of food sampling and preparation, including freeze-drying the samples to ensure stability and quality before shipment to Brisbane, Australia, for further analysis. Throughout this process, they were closely guided by Prof. Mohammad Rafi from the Department of Chemistry, IPB University, and Prof. Yasmina Sultanbawa, Assoc. Prof. Daniel Cozzolino, and Dr. Saleha Akter from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), University of Queensland (UQ).
Beyond achieving its technical objectives, this activity served as a valuable opportunity for the researchers to gain practical experience in transdisciplinary collaboration, integrating socioeconomic perspectives with food science and analytical chemistry. This initiative highlights how cross-disciplinary teamwork can drive innovation in Indonesia’s food systems research.