Ngawi Regency has various superior products, including dried spices or herbs that have great potential in the domestic and international markets. However, in order to compete in an increasingly competitive market, product quality must be improved by paying attention to high quality standards. Prof. Dr. Widya Dwi Rukmi Putri, STP, MP from the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, together with the team of Dr. Agustina Shinta (FP UB) and Prof. Dr. Ir. Moh. Su’I from the Faculty of Agriculture of Widyagama University, and five students from FTP and FILKOM UB conducted community service activities in increasing the production capacity and branding of processed spice products with partners, namely PT Surya Berkah Globalindo. The Empowerment Program for Regional Superior Product Business Partners, funded by the Directorate of Research, Technology and Community Service (DRTPM) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, developed a ‘Rotary drying’ technology to support the efficiency and quality of spice drying results, both for leaf and rhizome types such as ginger, turmeric, and curcuma. This activity received support from the Head of the Trade, Industry and Manpower Service (DPPTK) of Ngawi Regency, Kusumawati Nilam, S. Si, MT.
Rotary drier is a cylindrical drying tool that rotates slowly with a heat source that can come from gas, this tool is designed to dry materials by rotating the material in the tube so that heat exposure is evenly distributed and the moisture of the material is reduced effectively. The use of rotary drier in drying spices provides several main advantages: namely Shorter Drying time compared to traditional drying methods such as sun drying which takes around 8-12 hours to only 1-2 hours since this tool uses a stable heat source and optimal humidity control. Better Product Quality with even drying, the nutritional content, aroma, and color of spices are maintained. Production capacity increases because Rotary drier can accommodate materials in large capacities, making it efficient for industrial scale production or small and medium businesses.
“Alhamdulillah, this activity has proven to be able to help SMEs increase production capacity due to the ability to accommodate materials in large capacities and its speed in drying materials. It is proven that if they usually need 8-12 hours, now it only takes 1-2 hours because of stable heat source and humidity control of our rotary drier. We hope that our tool will not only increase production capacity but also be better able to maintain its quality,” said Prof. Widya. (Dse/UB PR/ Trans. Iir)
