On Saturday (10/7), the Department of Chemistry at Airlangga University (UNAIR) hosted its second international webinar series titled “Tropical Plant Biotechnology,” attended by over two hundred participants including students and professors from Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and China via the Zoom online meeting platform.

The webinar featured Dr. Nanik Siti Aminah, representing the research team in biotechnology for tropical medicinal plants at Airlangga University. Dr. Nanik, who is also a lecturer in organic chemistry of natural products at UNAIR, provided detailed explanations on conventional chromatography techniques for phenolic compound isolation. The event also highlighted Dr. Tan Boon Chin from the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center at the University of Malaya, presenting on ginger metabolism engineering for flavonoid production.

Each speaker delivered insightful presentations followed by Q&A sessions with the participants, fostering a high level of enthusiasm throughout the webinar. Some participants expressed their excitement and eagerness to learn more from future webinar series. Ei Ei Aung, a doctoral student at Airlangga University, mentioned gaining new knowledge on chromatography techniques and metabolite techniques, hoping for further insights into the speakers’ research topics in upcoming sessions. Similarly, Nabilla Hapsari, an undergraduate student majoring in Biology at UNAIR, found the webinar enlightening in presenting research outcomes and engaging discussions.

Dr. Nanik also emphasized during the webinar that a key to successful phenolic compound isolation is initial screening with TLC, requiring patience, strategy, and thorough preparation. The process underscores the importance of perseverance and enthusiasm, especially for discovering new compounds from natural sources. The research aims to contribute significantly to the knowledge and expansion of bioactive natural chemistry.