A smart initiative by a junior high school student in Surabaya is making waves for its innovative approach to tackling food waste. Muhammad Faiq Dzaki (15), a student at SMPN 1 Surabaya, has successfully devised a method to transform discarded milkfish bones into premium, nutritious nuggets, showcasing remarkable creativity and environmental awareness.
Faiq’s project, part of his participation in the East Java Provincial Science Project Olympiad (OSPEJ) where it won a silver medal, focuses on upcycling a significant byproduct of the milkfish industry. Recognizing the environmental burden of discarded fish bones, Faiq embarked on a mission to find a valuable application for this seemingly unusable material.
His ingenious process involves a careful transformation of the milkfish bones. After thorough cleaning, the bones undergo a boiling and grinding process to create a fine powder. This bone meal is then incorporated into a nugget mixture, combined with tapioca flour, eggs, and flavorful spices such as garlic and pepper. The resulting nuggets are not only a sustainable food product but also boast a potential boost in calcium content due to the inclusion of the finely processed bones.
This smart initiative addresses a critical issue of waste management within the aquaculture sector, particularly in regions like Surabaya where milkfish is widely consumed and processed. By finding a practical and palatable use for milkfish bones, Faiq’s project offers a potential pathway for reducing landfill waste and creating economic value from a previously discarded resource.
Furthermore, the premium nuggets themselves represent a nutritious and potentially calcium-enriched food option for consumers. This adds another layer of value to Faiq’s innovative approach, demonstrating how sustainable solutions can also contribute to healthier eating habits.
Muhammad Faiq Dzaki’s work exemplifies the power of young minds to develop creative and impactful solutions to real-world problems. His smart initiative in upcycling milkfish bones into premium nuggets serves as an inspiring example of how innovation and environmental consciousness can go hand in hand, paving the way for more sustainable practices within the food industry.