Prof Ilyas Masudin from Muhammadiyah Malang University's (UMM’s) Logistics and Supply Chain field highlighted Indonesia's quite high potential of food cold chain businesses operating in the fishery, farming, or pharmaceutical sectors.
However, in a statement from UMM's Public Relations received in Malang, East Java, on Friday, Masudin noted that amid the pandemic, food cold chain businesses were compelled to adapt and devise novel strategies, especially in the realm of technology.
"These steps are taken to reduce food loss and wastage," the professor noted in his papers presented during the International Conference on Technology, Informatics, and Engineering (ICon-TINE) 2021 held virtually on July 28-29, 2021.
In his papers on the Food Cold Chain in Indonesia during the COVID-19 Pandemics: Current Situation and Mitigation, he expounded that the food cold chain was a distribution system wherein products were managed at the appropriate temperature, right from their farming process until they were consumed by members of the public.
The system requires facilities to store food in various conditions, including at low temperatures.
ICon-TINE 2021 is organized by UMM's Engineering Faculty. Speakers at the event comprised Prof. Dr. Taufik from the California Polytechnic State University, Associate Prof. Dr Eng Yasuhiro Mizutani from Osaka University, and Prof. Ilyas Masudin Ph.D from UMM.
In his opening remarks, UMM's Vice Rector Prof. Dr Syamsul Arifin affirmed that this conference was a positive step forward in preserving the academic knowledge and traditions.
"I am grateful to the committee for having done its best to hold this event even amid the pandemic," he emphasized.
Arifin expressed hope that ICon-TINE would be an event that could foster scientific developments, especially in the field of engineering.
The professor was optimistic that the event would serve as a forum for academicians to exchange valuable information on their research with one another.
"By doing so, participants can offer suggestions or critique, so that the research can be improved and be made better," Arifin stressed.
