UNU Jogja Student Wins 3rd Place National Award with Chlorella-Based Food Innovation

Yogyakarta, Indonesia — Rezi Pranata, a Pharmacy student at UNU Jogja, won 3rd Place at the national level in a food and agriculture essay competition, selected from 398 finalists representing dozens of universities across Indonesia, in the National Essay & Business Plan Competition organized by Yogyakarta State University.

In the competition, Rezi presented an idea titled “Innovative Utilization of Chlorella Algae as the Main Ingredient for Developing Natural Functional Food Products to Realize Indonesia Emas.”

The idea stemmed from growing concerns regarding nutritional and public health issues in Indonesia, which remain significant challenges in human resource development.

“The 2024 Indonesia Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI) recorded a stunting prevalence of 19.8%, or more than 8.5 million children—still far from the national target of 14.2% by 2029. Meanwhile, non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension continue to rise due to imbalanced dietary habits and dependence on conventional protein sources that are costly and environmentally unsustainable,” Rezi explained on Tuesday (18/11).

Through his research, Rezi highlighted Chlorella vulgaris—a green microalgae rich in protein (51–65%), complete essential amino acids, and bioactive compounds such as chlorophyll, β-carotene, lutein, and PUFA—as a key candidate for developing natural functional foods.

The research was conducted through a systematic literature review involving scientific articles, government reports, and relevant international publications.

The findings indicate that Chlorella holds great potential as a high-quality plant-based protein, is easy to cultivate, and offers various health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting effects. Multiple Chlorella-based product innovations—from beverages, bakery items, energy bars, to pasta—have been shown to enhance nutritional value and consumer appeal.

In addition, Chlorella cultivation is believed to deliver positive economic impacts by creating job opportunities, increasing community income, and contributing to carbon emission mitigation—aligning with the SDGs and Indonesia Emas 2045 vision.

The Dean of the Faculty of Halal Industry at UNU Jogja, Dr. Fahrizal Yusuf Affandi, expressed high appreciation for this achievement. “Rezi’s accomplishment demonstrates that UNU Jogja students possess strong analytical abilities and awareness of strategic national issues. Innovations based on microalgae such as Chlorella are not only relevant to the needs of the halal industry, but also open major opportunities for the development of future food that is healthier, sustainable, and globally competitive,” he said.

He added that this achievement should inspire other students to continue innovating and applying scientific knowledge to address the challenges of national food security.

“We encourage students to keep producing solution-oriented and visionary ideas. Indonesia needs a young generation capable of combining knowledge, creativity, and social awareness to support the realization of Indonesia Emas 2045,” he concluded. [Latifah]