Hasanuddin University (UNHAS), through the Faculty of Agricultural Technology (FATETA), has established an international research collaboration with Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) in Austria, focusing on the development of stable natural pigments for the food industry. The collaboration is conducting a research project “Polyacylated Anthocyanins as Stable Pigments in the Food Industry.” The project is led by Dr. rer. nat. Olly Sanny Hutabarat, S.TP., M.Si., Head of the Thematic Research Group (TRG) on Postharvest Metabolic Engineering. The collaboration is supported by the European Union through the ASEA-UNINET program and scheduled from 1 October 2025, until 30 September 2027. Prof. Heidi Halbwirth from TU Wien serves as the Principal Investigator and external collaborator for the TRG Postharvest Metabo Engineering.
The project also involves five academic staff members from the FATETA UNHAS, namely Prof. Salengke, Dr. Hasizah Mochtar, Dr. Februadi Bastian, Dr. Gemala Hardinasinta, and Febriana Intan Permata Hati, M.Sc., alongside Dr. Olly Sanny Hutabarat as Head of the research group. The research conducted at TU Wien focuses on the development of natural food colorants through the extraction of bioactive compounds from fruit and vegetable waste generated in greenhouse production systems. Since the launch of the program, several FATETA researchers have undertaken research activities in Austria. Dr. Olly Sanny Hutabarat conducted research from November to December 2025, followed by Dr. Gemala Hardinasinta from December 2025 to February 2026, and Febriana Intan Permata Hati, M.Sc. from March to May 2026. The project is expected to produce innovative technologies for stabilizing polyacylated anthocyanins, enabling their broader application in the food industry as safer and more sustainable alternatives to synthetic colorants while supporting global sustainability initiatives.
