Five Brawijaya University (UB) students discovered an environmentally friendly straw made from corn cobs called “Senggol“.
Shalsa Amalia (Statistics), Lisa Asaliontin (Statistics), Razika Natania (Agricultural Industrial Technology), Atha Malika (Chemistry) and Aprilita Aurelia (Chemistry), under the guidance of Dra. Sri Wardhani, M.Si., developed an edible straw innovation made from corn cob waste as an effort to reduce plastic straw waste in society through the Student Creativity Program (SCP) funded by the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education (RISTEKDIKTI) 2023 in the field of entrepreneurship.
“In our opinion, unused corn cob waste is very suitable as raw material because based on the Central Statistics Agency (CSA) in 2018, it is estimated that corn cob waste produced in Indonesia is around 5.7 million tons per year. “This shows that there is a lot of unused cob waste,” said Shalsa.
Corn cob waste in powder form is combined with raw materials such as rice flour, tapioca flour and other ingredients that can be consumed.
Straws can be used without reducing the taste of the drink. Making straw is done by cooking the ingredients and then drying them in the hot sun. SENGGOL is formulated to get the right texture and taste. SENGGOL is resistant to water up to 100 degrees Celsius and microwave heat up to 120 degrees Celsius. In addition, SENGGOL products have the advantage that they are not yet available on the market and are unique environmentally friendly products.
“This straw is a biodegradable straw or a straw that can decompose naturally. “So, SENGGOL can be a good alternative to replace the plastic straws that people usually use,” said Shalsa.
She added, according to research journals, corn cobs contain nutrients such as fiber, carbohydrates and cellulose, which is quite high at 48%, which has the potential to support digestive tract health.
Marketing of SENGGOL products is done by offering drinks to shops or cafes in Malang. Furthermore, SENGGOL is also marketed through online marketing media such as Shopee. The SENGGOL team is also actively uploading activities and products through their Instagram account (@senggol.donkkk). With SENGGOL product, it is hoped that the use of plastic straws can be reduced so that the environment is maintained and corn cob waste can have more benefits for society. (*/OKY/UB PR/ Trans. Iir).
