Medicinal plants play an essential role in primary healthcare practices in Indonesia, particularly in rural areas. In this study Dr. Dian Rosleine and colleagues explore the utilization of medicinal plants in rural West Java by examining how herbal medicine use varies with socio-economic and demographic factors and whether herbal medicine use remains important when modern […]

Agarwood is a highly prized resinous wood used as essential oils, in perfumes, cosmetics, and drugs. Agarwood formation requires a long-time process in nature. Interestingly endophytic fungi appeared to be important in inducing agarwood formation. In this report, Dr. Faizal and the team studied the induction technique for agarwood formation of Gyrinops versteegii tree (Gaharu) […]

Coffee fermentation has been reported as one key process in aroma and flavor development of coffee. In this study, Prof. Dr. Pingkan Aditiawati and her team  examined second fermentation using isolates from feces of civet (Luwak) and Cilembu sweet potato to improve the quality of Arabica green coffee beans through solid state fermentation approach. This […]

Propolis and honey produced by stingless bees (Tetragonula laeviceps) posses a high economic value due to their bioactive compounds. In the recent study Dr. M. Yusuf Abduh and his team investigated the effect of cultivation location on the amount and quality of propolis and honey produced by T. laeviceps in Modular Tetragonula Hives. This study […]

One of the barriers in forest restoration is the arrival and availability of propagules. Dr. Nuri Nurlaila Setiawan and Dr. Endah Sulistyawati studied seed rain and factors affecting it using multivariate general linear model and univariate linear model analysis. This study reported that after 7 years of planting, the reforested field has received limited seed rain […]

Jabon wood (Anthocephalus cadamba Miq.) and coconut fibres currently appear to be the most viable raw material alternative in wood-based industries. In this paper, Dr. Rudi Dungani and the team examines the hybridization of coconut fibres with Jabon trunk veneer which turn out to improve some mechanical properties of plywood. The coconut fibres can be used […]

Carbon sequestration and storage are among the most important ecosystem services provided by tropical forests. In the recent paper, Dr. Elham Sumarga and the team examined the use of land-cover and elevation-based methods of aboveground carbon mapping in Geulis Mountain to elucidate how much carbon is stored in the forest, providing important input to our […]

Did you know that microalgae could also become a new source of energy? An interesting paper from Neil Priharto and the team revealed the potential use of microalgae for bio-based hydrocarbons production, an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels and renewable drop-in chemicals. Article Citation: Priharto,N., Ronsse,F., Prins,W., Carleer,R., Heeres RJ. 2020. Experimental studies on a […]

We are glad to share a new study from Dr. Anggraini Barlian’s team who reported the potential of silk spidroin from Argiope appensa spider web on directing chondrogenic differentiation of human Wharton’s jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hWJ MSCs). It is useful for the development of bio based material scaffold in cartilage tissue engineering, suggesting a […]