Five students of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta(UNY) have successfully processed tempe into toddler biscuits that are ready for consumption. The five students are Siti Nursipa Wulida (Culinary Education); Nur Evirda Khosyiati (Culinary Education); Rifki Refiyandi (Elementary School Teacher Education); Putri A. Panggabean (Accounting); and Syifaun Nuha A (Management). The toddler biscuits were named Bistbox.
Siti Nursipa Wulida explained that the name Bistbox comes from the abbreviation Bist and Box. She also said that so far tempe has mostly been processed into fried foods or just a side dish for ordinary meals. However, in the creative hands of the UNY student team, tempe was successfully processed into healthy biscuits for toddlers. Armed with the knowledge of team members who are competent in the field of Catering, this product was born. The biscuits target toddlers aged 1-3 years. According to them, tempeh as a superfood with various benefits is a separate consideration for choosing tempeh as the basic ingredient of the biscuit.
The proposal title 'Bistbox: Tempe-Based Biscuits and Interactive Board Game of Indonesian Fable Stories to Overcome the eating disorder in Toddlers' led the UNY student team to PIMNAS (National Student Scientific Week). "We started making this product because we saw that tempeh as a source of high protein is rarely innovated into new products," said Siti.
During their activities in producing the product, the team utilized the facilities of the Chemistry Laboratory of Catering Education, Faculty of Engineering UNY. The product production process was carried out for approximately two hours to produce around 200 biscuits. The product initiated by UNY students has also passed laboratory tests and has an NIB (Business Identification Number). This is certainly a consideration for consumers in buying products that are not only delicious but also suitable for consumption.
The team also innovated by using reusable packaging. "We see that toddler biscuit competitors in the market usually only have ordinary boxes. However, the packaging we use when opened can become a board game. So that children can explore on the game board," said Evirda.
The board game of this product packaging certainly adds to the appeal for potential customers. In addition, biscuits with a variety of unique shapes are also a consideration. In general, the unique shape of toddler biscuits is only meant to attract attention. However, Syifatun said that the selection of animal shapes in each Bistbox package will be accompanied by a fable story. The shape of the biscuits will adjust to each fable story that will be obtained. It is hoped that creativity will emerge for toddlers in imagining stories with biscuit characters. In addition to getting benefits for the body due to the protein content of tempe, Bistbox also hones children's psychomotor skills through games.
The success of creating the Bistbox product is only the second step after idea discovery. The next challenge is product promotion and marketing. Various efforts were made by the team in selling their products, ranging from social media to participating in exhibitions. From the beginning, Bistbox has been active on Instagram @pkmk_bistbox to offer its products. Not stopping there, the team has also participated in a series of Culinary Innovation Festival exhibitions located at Sleman City Hall, Yogyakarta.
Bistbox is made using tempe and all gluten free flours such as rice flour, mocaf flour and cornstarch. The first step is to steam the tempe for 15 minutes, then crush it and put it in a cabinet dryer, then grind it using a grinder. "After the liquid dough is well mixed, add tempe flour and all dry flour made from it. Then the smooth dough is molded in the shape of an animal and baked in the oven for about 30 minutes," explained Siti.
Bistbox is available in the market through a pre-order system. Buyers only need to pay Rp. 40,000. There is a choice of original and honey flavors that can be enjoyed by toddlers. A box of Bistbox not only provides healthy biscuits, but also board games, guidebooks, and interesting fable stories.
