Page 4 - Shimadzu Journal vol.3 Issue2

Insight from Customer

Dr. Sastia Prama Putri and Professor Eiichiro Fukusaki
from Osaka University

We interviewed Dr. Sastia Prama Putri, a specially-appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology,
Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Japan, and Professor Eiichiro Fukusaki, a leading expert in food
metabolomics, about the collaborative research between Osaka University and Indonesian research institute since
2011. One of the significant results was finding out the discriminant marker of the Indonesian Kopi Luwak, which is
known as the world’s most expensive coffee, but there is no standard method for determining its authenticity. It
recently gained worldwide attention and was featured in many mass media including USA Today, BBC UK and so on.

Thank you very much for spending some time for this What discoveries or achievements have you made so far?
interview. First, I would like to know about Dr. Putri and
your project with the Indonesian government. Could Putri:
you introduce yourself and tell us about the project We are very fortunate that through a solid collaboration between
including its background, when it has started, what the Osaka University and researchers in Indonesia, we could identify the
goal is, your mission and so on? discriminant markers for authentication of Kopi Luwak. This research
provides a basis for a standardized method for Kopi Luwak
Putri: authentication. We were also able to discriminate pure Kopi Luwak
I am originally from Indonesia and I started my career in metabolomics from those which are blended with other coffee thus, addressing the
after joining Prof. Fukusaki’s lab in 2011. Together with a Ph.D. student issue on Kopi Luwak adulteration.
from Indonesia, Mr. Udi Jumhawan, we did some brainstorming on the
possible research problems that can be solved using the metabolomics
approach. We were particularly interested in applying the metabolomics
technology to something relevant and unique to Indonesia. Finally, we
chose Kopi Luwak because of its high economic value. It is a valuable
export commodity for Indonesia, and despite its popularity, very few
research groups are working on Kopi Luwak. We realized that one of
the most important aspects to pursue in this research project is finding
a solid research partner. Therefore, we contacted the Indonesian Coffee
and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI), one of the leading research
institutes and producers of specialty coffee in Indonesia. We identified
the most important problem of the Kopi Luwak industry is the lack of a
standard method for authentication. This resulted in various attempts of
adulteration in the market that damaged the reputation of the industry
as a whole. Meanwhile, metabolomics studies have been proven useful
for assessing food quality, food safety, food authentication, and
determining the origin and varietal differences of food samples. We
introduced the concept of metabolic profiling to our colleagues in ICCRI
and showed how it can be used to seek for biomarkers that are
important for Kopi Luwak authentication. They were very positive about
the collaboration and we started the collaborative project in mid-2011.
The main purpose of the project was to find biomarkers for Kopi Luwak
authentication and establish a low cost and reliable method for routine
analysis for Kopi Luwak authentication in Indonesia.
What do you evaluate Shimadzu’s instruments? What
are our advantages over other vendors?
Fukusaki:
I feel that Shimadzu mass spectrometers have significantly improved
in the recent years. In particular, the scan speed of Shimadzu mass
spectrometer is superior compared to other vendors. I think that
Shimadzu Nexera is the best LC/MS and the price is also quite
reasonable.

Putri:
The sales person and after sales support staff are very kind and
attentive so I have been very happy with the technical support staff
of Shimadzu.

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