Prof. Ir. Kamarza Mulia, M.Sc., Ph.D. who came from the Faculty of Engineering (FT) UI, last Saturday (10/4) was confirmed as the 345th professor at the University of Indonesia (UI). UI Chancellor, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., did a virtual inauguration, to six UI professors attended by Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, M.B.A., (Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries), Prof. Michael Faure and Prof. Ellen Vos from Maastricht University, and Johnson Tan (CEO of PT Optima Data Internasional).
Also attending the event were Prof. Ir. Dwiwahju Sasongko M.Sc., Ph.D (Chairman of the BAN-PT Accreditation Council and Professor of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology), Prof. Dr. Ing. Ir. Priyono Soetikno DEA (Professor of the Bandung Institute of Technology), Prof. Dr. Drs. Darminto. MSc. (Professor of the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology), as well as the vice chancellor of UI.
Prof. Kamarza delivered a speech entitled “Encapsulation and Controlled Release of Green Extracted Bioactive Compounds for Health and Medicine.” According to him, the ideas and results of the scientific work presented in this inauguration speech were related to three things, namely an abundance of bioactive compounds, deep eutectic solvent (DES) as a green solvent, a controlled release system for bioactive compounds, and encapsulated drugs using polymers that biological (biodegradable), “he said.
Kamarza explained that Indonesia is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of biodiversity with the second highest number of native medicinal plants, after the Amazon rainforest. Some Indonesian herbal plants contain various bioactive compounds that are good for health and for medicinal purposes. Jamu is a proof of Indonesian local wisdom which is formulated from various herbal plants that contain bioactive compounds such as curcumin in turmeric and 6-gingerol.
He further said that the extraction of bioactive compounds from natural resources usually involves the use of large amounts of organic solvents. Most of these organic solvents have relatively high toxicity and volatility, resulting in waste that is harmful to human health and the environment. The search for green solvents as a substitute for hazardous organic solvents led to the use of deep eutectic solvents (DES). DES consists of a hydrogen-bonding acceptor (HBA) and a hydrogen bonding donor (HBD), both of which form hydrogen bonds. DES can be formed between quaternary ammonium salts such as choline chloride or betaine as HBA with amides, carboxylic acids, or alcohol as HBD. DES which is stable as a liquid at room temperature, has the characteristics of non-toxic and environmentally friendly, potentially useful as a solvent for the extraction of bioactive compounds from plants.
The coating or encapsulation will protect bioactive compounds and human organs, improve organoleptic properties and increase the bioavailability of bioactive compounds. Another important benefit of encapsulation of bioactive compounds or drugs is the acquisition of a drug / bioactive delivery system to improve health and efficacy of treatment.
Kamarza completed his undergraduate education majoring in chemistry at the Bandung Institute of Technology, and completed his master’s and doctoral program at the Colorado School of Mines, USA in 1987-1992. He is a Permanent Lecturer at the Department of Chemical Engineering, FTUI and has served as Secretary of the Faculty Academic Senate in the 2011-2015 period. In 2020, he won the title of the 500 best Indonesian researchers in 2009 and has just published a joint scientific paper publication (2021) entitled “Water-in-Oil-in-Water Nanoemulsions Containing Temulawak and Red Dragon Fruit Extracts”. Source: http://eng.ui.ac.id/blog/prof-ir-kamarza-mulia-m-sc-ph-d-guru-besar-ui-enkapsulasi-dan-penglepasan-terkendali-senyawa-bioaktif-hasil-ekstraksi-hijau-untuk-kesehatan-dan-pengobatan/