The Aoka and Okko Bread Issue and its Relationship to the Development of Food Processing Industry Technology

The expiration date of the Aoka bread is longer than other bread in general. (VOI/Dewi)

JAKARTA The issue of dangerous preservatives used by Aoka and Okko bread makes public rowdy. One of the parties accused the existence of a business game, while food experts said packaging techniques could be one of the factors to extend the shelf life of a product.

The commotion about the preservatives used by the Aoka bread has actually been going on for a long time. However, this issue has been discussed by netizens again in the last few days.

The question is still the same, why does this bread last so much longer than other bread brands?

The origin of this issue was spread because of the results of the PT SGS Indonesia lab test, which stated that this product contained sodium dehydroacetat or sodium uhydroacetate. This chemical is commonly used to preserve cosmetics.

However, this accusation was denied by PT Indonesia Bakery Family (IBF) as the producer of Aoka, represented by Head Legal Kemas Ahmad Yani. According to him, Aoka bread products have been tested by BPOM and obtained distribution permits for all variants as stated in the package of Aoka bread products.

"All Aoka bread products do not contain sodium dehydroacetate, and the expiration period of Aoka bread is not six months as quoted by several media," explained Kemas, in a written statement.

According to Kemas, the issue of using hazardous substances in Aoka bread products caused economic losses to PT IBF and distributors as partners. He suspects that this news was raised by several parties as an effort to bring down products in an unhealthy competition.

Meanwhile, PT SGS Indonesia is reported to have denied and stated that the information regarding the dangerous substances used by PT IBF did not come from their side.

In the midst of the public's commotion about dangerous preservatives used to preserve food, BPOM ensures that it does not find the material in the Aoka brand bread.

This was known after BPOM conducted a sample test of Aoka bread products from circulation on June 28, 2024.

"The test results show that the product does not contain sodium dehydroacetat. This is in line with the results of an inspection of the Aoka bread production facility on July 1, 2024, which shows that no sodium dehydroacetat was found in the production facilities," said BPOM in a written statement, Wednesday (24/7/2024).

However, different results occurred in Okko bread from PT Abadi Rasa Food. BPOM found sodium dehydroacetat content in it. Previously, BPOM conducted an inspection of the means of producing Okko bread on July 2, 2024 and found that producers did not properly and consistently implement Good Processed Food Production Methods (CPOB).

Because of these findings, BPOM has stopped production and circulation activities. BPOM also conducts sampling and testing in the laboratory.

From the results of the review, it turned out that BPOM found that sodium dehydroacetat did not match the composition during product registration. The order for the producer of Okko bread pulled their products from circulation, destroyed, and reported that the results were issued by BPOM following the findings.

Then what about the public question of why a bread can not be molded even though it has passed its expiration date?

In this regard, the Head of the Center for Research on Technology and Food Processes, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Satriyo Wahono gave an explanation. This seems to be related to technological developments in the world of food processing industries that take part in efforts to extend the shelf life of products.

He said the packaging technique could be one of the reasons why fungi do not appear in expired food products. Good packaging is said by Satriyo to be able to extend the shelf life of a food and prevent mold growth.

In principle, one of the packaging functions is that there are those who are able to extend their shelf life. Not only for product or aesthetic information," said Satriyo, quoting Kompas.

The right packaging technique can extend the shelf life of bread, even up to six months. Satriyo also said that the preservation depends on the type of bread produced.

For bread, for example, packaging with plain plastic plus silica absorben can prolong the life of a store for up to one month.

Other stories with bread that has high levels of oil, contains chocolate, cheese, and other added materials are recommended to use plastic or aluminum packaging plus injection or nitrogen flush.

"Nitrogen can make the food ingredients in it last up to six months or more," he explained.

Although packaging techniques can extend the shelf life of a product, but for the sake of food safety, the bread is usually given a limit of half of its original shelf life.