Universitas Hasanuddin (Unhas), through the Department of Agricultural Technology, conducted an international conference entitled “The 1st Unhas International Conference on Agricultural Technology (UICAT)” under the theme “Strengthening Agricultural Technology through Innovative Research”. The activity took place virtually using the zoom meeting application on Wednesday (28/10).
The conference presented Prof (E). Dr. M. Aman Wirakartakusumah, M.Sc (President-elect of IUFoST, Indonesia) as keynote speaker followed by the other speakers as below:
- Prof. Dr. Heidi Halbwirth (Technical University of Vienna, Australia)
- Prof. Dr. Armando Apan (The University of Southern Queensland, Australia)
- Prof. Dr. Salengke (Universitas Hasanuddin, Indonesia)
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Matthijs Dekker (Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands)
- Khaled B. Zitoun, Ph.D (Chief Global Technology Officer, Kerry Group, The USA)
- Ir. Mukhlis Bahrainy (CEO Pachira Group, Indonesia)
- Prof. Dr. Ilkay Sensoy (Middle East Technical University, Turkey)
- Prof. Dr. Hiroki OUE (Ehime University, Japan)
Through his report, Dr. Ir. Andi Hasizah, M.Sc., the Chairman of the UICAT Committee, gave his best gratitude to all parties involved in the conference’s success. UICAT presented speakers from various countries with different scientific backgrounds that successfully collected 154 papers from 37 institutions.
“This conference is supported by the Indonesian Agricultural Engineering Association (PERTETA) and the Association of Indonesian Food Technology Experts (PATPI). UICAT is expected to be a great forum for academics, researchers, practitioners, and the general public in disseminating studies and exchanging information,” Andi Hasizah said.
On the same occasion, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture Unhas Prof. Dr. sc. agr. Baharuddin explained that agriculture was one of the crucial sectors for the sustainability of human life. The development of industrial technology 4.0 required an adaptation process to overcome various challenges.
“The challenges in the agricultural sector are getting more challenging due to the climate change, the spread of pests and diseases and the conversion of agricultural land to industrial areas. The application of agricultural technology is an effort to overcome these challenges, such as the use of food knowledge in the process of selecting, processing, preserving and the other instruments,” explained Prof. Bahar.
The activity was officially opened by the Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Partnerships, Prof. dr. Moh. Nasrum Massi, Ph.D., in his remarks, conveyed his genuine appreciation to the Faculty of Agriculture Unhas for holding the activity. UICAT is one of the efforts to expand Unhas’ network with many partners. He also explained that up to this time, Unhas had significantly scored numbers of achievements as the World Class University (WCU).
“This such conference is not only a forum for the development of information and science, but also provides opportunities to develop networks between research institutions, universities, government, and industry either from the local or international level,” Prof. Nasrum explained.
Occasionally, Prof (E). Dr. M. Aman Wirakartakusumah, M.Sc., as the keynote speaker, explained about “Follow up Action of UN Food Systems: Summit 2021 the Importance of Science and Role of IUFoST”.
The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFOST) is an organization that advocates for food science and technology and is the representative for the discipline of Food Science and Technology at the International Science Council (ISC).
IUFOST promotes global food science, and technology advances through educational programmes, leadership opportunities, encouragement of young scientists, industrial innovation, workshops, regional symposia, and international involvement with other global bodies.
“We as scientists and food technologists must work on all lines to improve research, engage creatively with multiple partners to improve processes, reduce dependence on some limited natural resources, and build capacity through education in all sectors,” explained Prof. Safe.
Prof. Dr. Salengke presented the other material on “Creating Values through Ohmic – Based Processing Technology”, explaining Ohmic technology and its application and development.
Ohmic is one of the food processing technologies that can be applied in the food industry called a healing process which, in its application, an electric current is passed through food. Along with this food processing, the energy consumption in production can be reduced, improving the overall processing efficiency and product quality.
Furthermore, another speaker, Khaled B. Zitoun, Ph.D., presented material on “Alternative Protein Markets and Opportunities”. He explained some critical things on how the Kerry Group produces healthy food products. Besides, he also provided an overview of Southeast Asian market trends, types of plant-based products, and product design and challenges.
UICAT is scheduled to last until tomorrow, Thursday (28/10). For the first day, the activity was attended by approximately 500 participants and went smoothly until 16.00 WITA.
Marningsih Sadik, S.S. and Kumara Tungga Dewa, S.S.
Editor : Ishaq Rahman, AMIPR
