UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga students keep making creativity and innovation. This time the students of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine UNAIR PSDKU Banyuwangi succeeded in making concentrated rations, additional feed for livestock, made of the bud of banana and bran as feed additive. The result, goats and sheep given the concentrate are gaining considerable body weight and their meat is healthier for consumption because of low cholesterol, so it can overcome the phobia of high cholesterol.

“That’s the advantage of our PKM. But the results will be obtained only if banana flour concentrate and rice bran as feed additive is given to goats or sheep regularly,” explained Dina Deviana, head of research team for Exacta Student Creativity Program Eksakta FKH UNAIR Banyuwangi.

For this success, Dina Deviana (FKH 2014) and three members of her team, Nur Prabowo Dwi Cahyo (FKH 2014), Dwi Retna Kumalaningrum (FPK 2014), and Widya Kusuma (FKH 2015), conveyed it through PKM proposal for Economic Research field. After going through a rigorous assessment by the Director General of Higher Education, this proposal passed and obtained research funding from Kemenristekdikti in the 2017 PKM program.

Dina and friends innovated on this product because they wanted to take advantage from the abundance of banana bud, as Banyuwangi is banana producing center in East Java. The economy in the city known as “Sunrise Of Java” is widely supported by the fisheries, agriculture and animal husbandry sectors.

“So one way to improve the quality of livestock in Banyuwangi Regency is by improving the quality of feed for the livestock,” added Dina Deviana.

Moreover, the majority of breeders in Banyuwangi so far only rely on grass as animal feed, without any additional food. In fact, grass is also limited, so that the quality of meat produced from cattle down and livestock growth is not as good as expected and the goats become thin.

Looking at this case, Dina’s PKMPE Team evaluated the need for nutritionally balanced nutrition for livestock in Banyuwangi. The additional food will complement the nutritional needs, in this case the concentrate as an additional food for goats / sheep by adding nutritional content such as protein, energy, and minerals.

The team’s research that the concentrate made of rice bran, combined with banana bud was excellent as feed additive. Banana bud is chosen because it contains high vitamin C, fiber, and saponin. If this “supplement” is routinely given to goats / sheep, then the content of the existing elements can lower cholesterol in the meat. In addition, the bud of banana is very beneficial for goats and for the humans who consume the goat meat.

They explained that the process of production is easy. The bud of the banana was made flour first. The wet bud of banana is ground, then dried in the sunlight or oven until the water content remains maximum 14%. Then milling process is done.

After that it is rationed with bran with certain percentage. The PKM team then tested and put into practice according to the method of research. From the records and observations in the test, they obtained excellent results as it is able to lower cholesterol levels in goat / sheep meat and the livestock gain more weight faster.

“Low cholesterol meat is certainly healthier for people to consume, for those phobias of high cholesterol can consume it,” she said. (*)

Editor: Bambang Bes