Duck eggs are a source of animal protein. However, their popularity is still less than that of other animal protein sources. This is because duck eggs are high in cholesterol and have a fishy odor compared to other types of eggs. This has led many people to avoid consuming duck eggs.

This low public demand for duck eggs has impacted those involved in the duck egg business, such as farmers and farm workers. Many of them have faced business failure due to low demand for duck eggs in the market.

Based on this issue, a group of entrepreneurial students from the Accounting Undergraduate Program at FEB UNAIR, led by Rizky Ahmad Maulana Hamdany, created an innovative product called "Duck Point Special Egg with Low Cholesterol" that is low in cholesterol and free from fishy odor. Together with four colleagues, Vany Erdiyanti Pratama, Rani Idealistanti Osmena, Sulistina, and Muhammad Hasan Fuadi, he launched a business called "Duck Point Special Egg with Low Cholesterol."

This business innovation also led them to secure funding from the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology's Student Entrepreneurship Development Program (P2MW). "Initially, this was my family's business in Probolinggo Regency. It started out as just a regular duck farm," Rizky said in an interview on Thursday (October 6, 2022).

To produce duck eggs that are low in cholesterol and free from fishy odors, Rizky and his colleagues employ several treatments in their duck egg farming business. One of these treatments is a fresh garlic treatment to reduce cholesterol levels in duck eggs.

"With the fresh garlic treatment, we soak duck feed in onion water overnight. Then, we feed the ducks the soaked garlic water with a specific composition to reduce the cholesterol content of their eggs," explained Rizky.

In addition to the fresh garlic treatment, Rizky and his colleagues also use a betel chalk treatment in their pioneering duck egg production process. "We soak the duck eggs in betel chalk water (lime) for three hours. This has been proven to reduce the fishy odor of duck eggs," said the 2021 student.

Under the guidance of Ni Made Gitanadya, SM, MM, Rizky and his colleagues hope to improve the welfare of duck egg farmers, particularly in Probolinggo Regency. "We want to improve the welfare of duck egg workers in Probolinggo Regency by providing them with training, job opportunities, and better wages through this P2MW business," Rizky said.

Using the tagline "There's a Duck Farmer's Prayer in Every Egg," these five students, who share a passion for business, hope to expand their business through their innovation. "So, we produce 90-100 eggs per day, depending on the condition of the ducks. We want to expand our business to 200 eggs," Rizky concluded at the end of the interview.

Author: Agnes Ikandani