MSG or Monosodium Glutamate is a staple go-to ingredient in cooking, especially when we want to cook food with very strong umami. However, the additive is almost always surrounded by health-related controversies, and that has led the world’s best scientists to search for a better substitute.
But look no more! This year, our very own team of young Malaysian inventors has produced the best alternative yet!
According to the Borneo Post, earlier this month, SMK Riam sent two teams of inventors to the Korea Cyber International Genius Inventor Fair (CIGIF) 2019 in Seoul. The two teams swept almost all of the awards there were to offer, thwarting 70 other teams from 12 different countries that attended the event that was held on Nov 2nd – 3rd.
Source: Facebook
Other countries that attended the final stage of the competition were Canada, Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, America, dan Indonesia!
Team Tborneo consists of three members, Natalie Gituen Liso, Law Zhen Yen, and Allycia Nanu Bong, who not only won the World Inventors Association (WIA) Gold Medal but also the Special Award for producing a natural MSG substitute using extracts of tubu leaves (Pycnarrhena tametacta).
Source: Facebook
Tubu leaves, or sengkubak leaves, have been used by the locals in Borneo as a natural food additive or umami enhancer for ages.
Source: Kumparan
Source: Kumparan
Meanwhile, the other team, Team Yucava, which consists of Daniel Dennis, Nurnaziha Hasmady, and Eugenia Lavang Jalong, won the Silver Medal and the Asian Invention Creativity Association (AICA) Special Award for inventing an eco-friendly replacement for plastic spoons.
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
Bet that they are totally winning the crowd by focusing on the forever hot ‘Go Green’ theme.
Even their teachers had their hard work pay off, as Forinna Rosini Lanity, Law Sie Siek, and Enjila Ale received the CIGIF Teacher Achievement Special Award.
Thank you guys for raising Malaysia once again to the eyes of the world! Hopefully, the products will be commercialised soon enough.
