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UMT Researcher’s Innovative Food Product to Penetrate International Market

UMT Researcher’s Innovative Food Product to Penetrate International Market

Sunday, 07/02/2021

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Kuala Nerus, 7 February 2021—Nutritious food product created by a UMT researcher will soon be known to the public. Energy bars from stingless bee bread created by Assoc. Prof. Dr Wan Iryani Wan Ismail will be sold both locally and in the international markets following the handover of the product’s licensing rights to Bayu Gagah Marketing (M) Sdn. Bhd during the product launching ceremony today.

Dr Wan Iryani started research on Bee Ready Kelulut Enegry Bar in 2015 after she found out about the issue of food supply shortage for flood victims in 2014.

“I was saddened by the fact that the flood victims did not receive food supply,” she said. “Because of that, I thought of an idea to produce instant nutritious food product.”

The idea was translated into a research proposal, which managed to secure a research grant amounting to RM120,000.

“I arrived at the idea of using stingless bee bread while conducting field work at stingless bee farming centre,” Dr Wan Iryani said. “I often saw the farmers not utilizing the bee bread, and sometimes they just threw it away. In that moment, I decided to study the nutritional value of bee bread.”

Based on a study Dr Wan Iryani conducted with her students, bee bread was found to contain high antioxidant content, and it is suitable as an instant food.

Bee Ready Kelulut Energy Bar is the first food product made from natural bee bread of local stingless bees from Malaysia’s tropical rain forests.

This nutritional food product is rich in protein, carbohydrate, and vitamin, is low in fat, and does not use preservative and artificial colouring. It can provide energy twice as much as other similar products in the market. The price is also competitive.

“This energy bar is suitable for workers with tight work schedules, students, athletes, and people who enjoy outdoor activities such as cycling and mountain climbing. It can be used as a complete source of nutritions during natural disasters,” Dr Wan Iryani said.

A sensory analysis was conducted in 2020 among local soldiers in collaboration with STRIDE to obtain their reactions to the product, and the feedback was positive.

“The product is suitable as food for the frontliners fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic and can also be placed at disaster relief centres,” she said.

The launching of Bee Energy Kelulut Energy Bar was held online in the presence of Professor Dato’ Dr Nor Aieni Mokhtar, UMT Vice Chancellor, and Rahim Yusoff, Bayu Gagah Marketing (M) Sdn. Bhd. chairman.

Professor Nor Aieni congratulated Dr Wan Iryani on the creation of the beneficial and high impact product.

“I fully support her efforts and I hope that this achievement will become a source of motivation for other researchers to continue their work to produce new ideas that will benefit the country,” she said.

UMT is confident that Bayu Gagah Marketing can help to commercialize Bee Ready Kelulut Energy Bar and take the product to the local and eventually the international markets.

Rahim Yusoff, Bayu Gagah Marketing Chairman, said that his company will make every effort to promote products generated from university research.

“After realizing that stingless bee honey has market potential, our company has registered the energy bar as superfood at Gulfood Innovation Awards 2021 in the Most Innovative Health & Wellness Product category, “ he said.

“This is BAYU’s continuous effort since its establishment five years ago to dignify Malaysia’s first superfood and its associated products.”

Also joining the product launching ceremony were Abd Hisham Mohd Yusoff, Managing and Marketing Director of Bayu Gagah Marketing; Hj Sabri Abidin Sulong, Eastern Region Marketing Director; Professor Dr Mazlan Abd. Ghaffar, UMT Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation); Assoc. Prof. Chm. Dr Khairul Anuar Mat Amin, Acting Director of Centre of Research and Innovation Management; UMT Principal Officers, Bayu Gagah Marketing management team, and UMT researchers.

Dr Wan Iryani is currently attached to the Faculty of Science and Marine Environment. She has won 50 local and international awards, such as Fellowship for Women in Science (FWIS): L’Oréal-UNESCO, Special and Gold Awards at Seoul International Innovation Fair (SIFF) 2019, and Most Innovative Award and Bioeconomy Innovation of the Year at BioMalaysia 2017. She is recognized as the 100 best researchers in Asia.

 

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Corporate Communication Centre
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu