Institut Teknologi Bandung

Fermenstation is a yearly event hosted by the School of Life Sciences and Technology (SLST) at ITB, focusing on various types of fermented foods. This year's theme centered around fermented fish sauce. The event featured a variety of activities including a bazaar, exhibitions, live cooking demonstrations, open lectures, and a workshop on making fish sauce.

The event attracted participants from the academic community of SLST and other faculties, as well as the general public. Additionally, local women from Rancakalong Village, Sumedang, West Java, participated by showcasing their small and medium-sized enterprises (UMKM) and learning the art of making fish sauce.

Elin Sulivan, the third-place winner of MasterChef Indonesia Season 5, was also present at Fermenstation. She led a live cooking demonstration using fish sauce as a primary ingredient. Some lucky guests had the opportunity to taste Chef Elin's creations.

The fish sauce showcased at Fermenstation was developed by microbiology students at ITB during their sixth semester in the Principles of Fermentation Technology and Analytical Microbiology course. Over a period of five months, third-year students learned to produce fish sauce from various types of fish such as tilapia, mackerel, and catfish.

In addition to learning how fermentation can transform raw materials into useful and valuable everyday products, students were taught to commercialize their products by designing attractive packaging and effective marketing strategies.

The fish sauce products created by microbiology students were exhibited at Fermenstation, accompanied by poster presentations explaining the production process and the role of bacteria in fermentation. At each booth, students from the 2021 Microbiology cohort provided detailed explanations of the production process and the microbiological principles involved.

Generally, fermented products have higher nutritional value compared to non-fermented foods. This is because the fermentation process helps break down food components that are otherwise indigestible, making them easier for the body to absorb.

Fermenstation not only showcased fermented products but also aimed to raise awareness about fermentation among the wider community. Fish sauce, for instance, can be used to create a variety of culinary delights and is commonly employed as a marinade for seafood, fish, beef, or chicken.

According to Sabiyan Arafi (Microbiology 2021), whose team won the favorite team and best poster awards at the event, the semester-long experience was profoundly impactful. He mentioned that the team's dedication to mastering fermentation techniques, from upstream to downstream processes, was rewarded with enthusiastic engagement from visitors interested in their project.

"An engaging event, complemented by insightful symposiums on fermented products and lively cooking demonstrations, made Fermenstation truly memorable," Sabiyan remarked.