Nunuk Nuraini (1961 – 27 January 2021), also known as Bu Nunuk ("Mrs. Nunuk"), was an Indonesian

food scientist Food science (or bromatology) is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing ...

who invented

Indomie Indomie is an instant noodle brand produced by the Indonesian company Indofood. Indomie has been mentioned as the largest instant noodle manufacturer in the world with 17 factories. Over 19 billion packs of Indomie are produced annually, and ...

's mi goreng-flavor

instant noodles Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash-frying cooked noodles, which is s ...

West Java West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...

governor

Ridwan Kamil Mochamad Ridwan Kamil (born 4 October 1971), alternatively Kang Emil or RK, is an Indonesian architect and politician who was the 15th Governor of West Java, the largest (most populous) province of Indonesia. He was also the List of mayors of ...

called her ("hero for the boarding house kids"). The mi goreng flavor is described as a "cult favorite". The noodles are popular around the world, so much so that starting in 1995 the company had built three factories in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

alone. Nuraini was born in

Bandung Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...

, Indonesia. She graduated from

Padjadjaran University Padjadjaran University (; ), abbreviated as UNPAD) is a public university located in Sumedang Regency and Bandung, which is the provincial capital of West Java, Indonesia. It was established on 11 September 1957. UNPAD has gained the most appl ...

in that city with a degree in

food technology Food technology is a branch of food science that addresses the production, preservation, quality control and research and development of food products. It may also be understood as the science of ensuring that a society is food secure and ha ...

. Nuraini was a follower of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. She worked for

Indofood Indofood is an Indonesian producer of various pharmaceuticals and drinks, headquartered in Jakarta. The company was established on 14 August 1990 as PT Panganjaya Intikusuma, then later on 5 February 1994 its name was changed to Indofood Sukses M ...

as the flavor department manager, developing recipes there for almost three decades. She developed the popular mi goreng flavor in 1982, which was the first "dry" flavor sold without broth. Nuraini originated the flavor with traditional ingredients. Other flavors she invented include

chicken curry Chicken curry or curry/curried chicken is a South Asian dish originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is common in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Great Britain, and South Africa. A typical curry from the ...

green chili Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to add pungency ( ...

rendang Rendang is a fried meat or dry curry made of meat stewed in coconut milk and spices, widely popular across Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, where each version is considered local cuisine. It refers to both a cooking m ...

salted egg A salted duck egg is an List of Asian cuisines, East Asian preserved food product made by soaking duck egg (food), eggs in brine or packing each egg in damp, salted charcoal. In Asian supermarkets across the Western world, these eggs are someti ...

, sambal matah, and soto. Despite having many fans, Nuraini rarely appeared in public. Boxes of Indo Mie instant noodles

Her death was confirmed by Indofood's head of

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

, Nurlita Novi Arlaida, who wrote: ("Mrs. Hajjah Nunuk Nuraini has died today and is returning peacefully to God's side"). The cause of Nuraini's death was not specified. Following her death, numerous tributes to Nuraini were posted on social media, thanking her for her work and expressing pride for it being a product of Indonesia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuraini, Nunuk Indonesian noodles 20th-century Indonesian women scientists 21st-century Indonesian women Padjadjaran University alumni Indonesian Muslims People from Bandung 1961 births 2021 deaths Women food scientists