Journal of Saintech Transfer Vol.
No.
050Ae056 Journal of Saintech Transfer Journal homepage: https://talenta.
id/jst/index Community Service Activities on Developing Instant holat Spice Products for Housewife Groups in Medan Johor and Medan Tuntungan.
Medan City Wahyu Haryati Maser*1 .
Emma Marsella2 .
Ajuan Ritonga3 .
Mangaraja Halongonan Harahap4 Study Program of Food Technology.
Faculty of Agriculture.
Universitas Sumatera Utara.
Medan.
Indonesia Study Program of Indonesian Literature.
Faculty of Cultural Sciences.
Universitas Sumatera Utara.
Medan.
Indonesia Study Program of Agribusiness.
Faculty of Agriculture.
Universitas Muslim Nusantara Al-Washliyah.
Medan.
Indonesia Study Program Regional and rural development planning, postgraduate school.
Universitas Sumatera Utara.
Medan.
Indonesia Corresponding Author: maser.
wahyuharyati@usu.
ARTICLE INFO
Article history:
Received 27th March 2026 Revised 5th June 2026 Accepted 15th June 2026 Available online https://talenta.
id/jst/index E-ISSN: 2621-4830
P-ISSN: 2621-2560
How to cite:
Maser.
Marsella.
Ritonga, and M.
Harahap, "Community Service Activities on Developing Instant Holat Spice Products for Housewife Groups in Medan Johor and Medan Tuntungan.
Medan City," Journal of Saintech Transfer, 9, no.
1, pp.
50-56, 2026.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.
International.
https://doi.
org/10.
32734/jst.
ABSTRACT
This community service aimed to assist housewife groups in Medan Johor and Medan Tuntungan.
Medan City, in developing instant holat spice products.
Holat, a traditional Mandailing dish, holds cultural significance but is time-intensive and difficult to prepare, as well as the raw materials are difficult to find in urban areas.
The initiative sought to preserve local culinary traditions while providing an economic opportunity for the target group.
Activities included training sessions on ingredient selection, production techniques, food safety, packaging, and marketing Through these efforts, participants gained skills to produce instant holat spices and market them effectively.
The program successfully empowered the participants by fostering entrepreneurship and promoting traditional cuisine spices in a modern way, contributing to both cultural preservation and economic Keyword: Economic Opportunity.
Local Culinary.
Modern.
Traditional Mandailing ABSTRAK Pengabdian masyarakat ini bertujuan untuk membantu kelompok ibu rumah tangga di Medan Johor dan Medan Tuntungan.
Kota Medan, dalam mengembangkan produk bumbu holat instan.
Holat, hidangan tradisional Batak, memiliki makna budaya tetapi membutuhkan waktu yang lama dan sulit untuk menyiapkannya, serta bahan bakunya sulit ditemukan di daerah perkotaan.
Inisiatif ini bertujuan untuk melestarikan tradisi kuliner lokal sekaligus memberikan peluang ekonomi bagi kelompok sasaran.
Kegiatan yang dilakukan meliputi sesi pelatihan tentang pemilihan bahan, teknik produksi, keamanan pangan, pengemasan, dan strategi Melalui upaya ini, para peserta memperoleh keterampilan untuk memproduksi bumbu holat instan dan memasarkannya secara efektif.
Program ini berhasil memberdayakan para peserta dengan menumbuhkan kewirausahaan dan mempromosikan bumbu masakan tradisional secara modern, yang berkontribusi pada pelestarian budaya dan peningkatan ekonomi.
Keyword: Kuliner Lokal.
Modern.
Peluang Ekonomi.
Tradisional Mandailing Introduction Holat is a traditional side dish from Padang Lawas (Mandailin.
South Tapanuli.
It is made using the extract of Balangka tree bark .
ronounced balakk.
The preferred part of the tree for this dish is the thick, young To prepare holat, the outermost layer of the balakka bark is removed, and the inner bark is shaved carefully without cutting too deep into the wood .
Ginger and onions are sliced and mixed with the shaved Journal of Saintech Transfer Vol.
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050Ae056 balakka bark.
Once softened, the mixture is pounded finely and filtered.
A pinch of salt is added, and then boiling water is poured over the mixture .
t should not be boiled over direct hea.
The mixture is stirred well until fully combined, and then grilled carp or roasted chicken is added .
Although the dish seems simple, making holat is quite challenging.
If prepared incorrectly, it can taste bitter or completely bland.
The order in which the ingredients are mixed is crucial, as the water temperature significantly affects the flavor.
Due to its difficulty, only a few people can make holat properly, and those skilled in its preparation are called pangholati .
Although balakka bark can be obtained from suppliers in the Mandailing region, it is not commonly available in local markets in Medan, making it difficult for urban households to prepare holat.
Therefore, producing sachet-packaged instant holat spices could facilitate the preparation of this traditional dish and improve its accessibility for consumers in urban areas.
Additionally, since making holat spices requires expertise, developing instant holat spices presents a promising business Recognizing this potential, this community service aimed to help groups of housewives in Medan Johor and Medan Tuntungan.
Medan City, in developing instant holat spices products.
These women were not yet economically productive but had a strong desire to become entrepreneurs.
Through this community service program, they would be empowered by gaining knowledge in ingredient selection, production techniques, food safety, packaging, and marketing strategies, ultimately improving their family's economic conditions.
In a broader sense, this initiative would also enhance the appeal of instant holat spices as a flagship product, actively contributed to preserving the cultural heritage of holat, and accelerated the diffusion of packaging technology, particularly among housewives.
This community service aimed to assist housewife groups in Medan Johor and Medan Tuntungan.
Medan City, in developing instant holat spice products.
Methods The field visit was conducted in the first month, material preparation took place from the first to the second month, and the trial production of instant holat spices was carried out from the second to the fifth month.
This activity was held at Karya Jaya.
Gang Eka Jaya 2 No.
Kelurahan Gedung Johor.
Medan Johor, as well as at Jalan Bunga Ncole IV.
Medan Tuntungan.
Kota Medan.
The required ingredients included balakka bark, ginger, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, green onions, celery, salt, cooking oil, and water.
The necessary equipment consisted of a stove, oven, electricity, wok, blender, basin, knife, strainer, extension cord, spatula, stirring spoon, gas cylinder, small bowls, basins, small spoons, glasses, paper, pens, printer, and sachet packaging.
The community service team, consisting of two faculty members from the Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at USU, carried out a series of activities, including:
Field Visit.
This activity was conducted through an educational session on material selection, production techniques, food safety, packaging, and marketing strategies, which were expected to be effectively Material Preparation.
The preparation phase involved gathering the necessary ingredients for making instant holat spices.
Additionally, coordination was carried out with partners for the procurement and placement of the required equipment.
Trial Production of Instant Holat Seasoning.
The trial production was conducted in four stages: formulating the instant holat spices, producing the spices, performing sensory testing.
The formulation process involved determining the appropriate ingredient proportions and the oven drying temperature to ensure the seasoningAos taste, aroma, and color met consumer preferences.
The formulation and production process were adjusted based on discussions with the housewives who participated as partners in this community service initiative.
Packaging and Marketing Training.
Participants received training on product packaging and marketing strategies to enhance the commercial value of instant holat spices.
The packaging training covered the selection of appropriate packaging materials, storage instructions, and product presentation.
Journal of Saintech Transfer Vol.
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050Ae056 Monitoring and Mentoring.
Monitoring and mentoring activities were conducted after the training sessions to evaluate participantsAo understanding and implementation of the acquired knowledge and skills.
Continuous assistance was provided to help participants overcome challenges related to production, packaging, and marketing activities.
Feedback from participants was collected and used to assess the effectiveness of the program and identify opportunities for further improvement.
Participant knowledge was evaluated using a simple pre-test and post-test questionnaire covering three aspects: holat processing, packaging, and marketing.
The percentage values were presented represent the proportion of participants who achieved satisfactory scores in each knowledge category.
The preparation process began with cleaning shallots, garlic, ginger, green onions, celery, and lemongrass, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2.
After being cleaned, the ingredients were weighed as follows: 50 g of shallots, 23 g of garlic, 4 g of ginger, 10 g of green onions, 10 g of celery, and 7 g of lemongrass.
The shallots were then blended separately, while the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass were blended together.
Next, the green onions and celery were finely chopped.
Figure 1.
Ingredient preparation by housewives in Medan Johor.
Figure 2.
Ingredient preparation by housewives in Medan Tuntungan.
The trial production of instant holat spices was conducted through the following process: First, the blended shallots were sautyed in 5 ml of cooking oil until fragrant.
Then, 400 ml of water was added, along with garlic, ginger, and lemongrass.
While waiting for it to boil, the holat was shaved using a knife until 25 g of shavings were obtained.
The method for shaving the balakka stem is shown in Figure 3.
Journal of Saintech Transfer Vol.
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050Ae056 Figure 3.
The process of shaving the balakka stem.
After the mixture reached a boil, the balakka shavings and 4 g of salt were added and cooked for 5 minutes.
Then, the spices were dried using an oven dryer at 60AC for 18 hours.
The drying process in this comuninity service is shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4.
The spices drying process using an oven dryer.
After drying, the spices were then packaged.
The instant holat spices was packed in 36 g portions.
The produced instant holat spices is shown in Figure 5.
The shelf life of the instant holat spices was not evaluated during this community service program.
Therefore, further studies are needed to determine product stability, packaging performance, and storage duration under different environmental conditions.
One pack can be brewed with 400 mL of water and cooked with 500 g of fish or chicken.
The spices were tested by cooking it with Nile tilapia, resulting in good sensory attributes in terms of taste, aroma, and color, as shown in Figure 6.
The sensory evaluation was conducted using 10 untrained panelists consisting of the participating housewives from Medan Johor and Medan Tuntungan.
Figure 5.
The instant holat spices.
Journal of Saintech Transfer Vol.
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050Ae056 Figure 6.
Preparation of Nile tilapia holat using the instant holat spices.
Result and Discussion The field visit, material preparation, and trial production of instant holat spices have been completed.
Field visits conducted through educational sessions on material selection, production techniques, food safety, packaging, and marketing strategies are shown in Figure 7.
Participants actively participated in the discussions by asking questions related to raw material selection, processing techniques, food safety, packaging, and The positive response demonstrated their interest in applying the acquired knowledge for developing instant holat spice products.
The material preparation process involved selecting balakka stems and other fresh spices, as shown in Figure 8.
Figure 7.
Field visit activity.
Figure 8.
balakka stems.
fresh spices.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the community service program, participants' knowledge regarding holat processing, packaging, and marketing was assessed before and after the training activities.
The results are presented in Table 1.
Journal of Saintech Transfer Vol.
No.
050Ae056 Tabel 1.
Improvement of ParticipantsAo Knowledge on Holat Processing.
Packaging, and Marketing Following the Community Service Program Indicator Before (%) After (%) Knowledge of holat processing Packaging knowledge Marketing knowledge The findings showed substantial improvements in all evaluated aspects.
Knowledge of holat processing increased from 10% before training to 100% after training.
Similarly, knowledge of packaging increased from 20% to 90%, while marketing knowledge increased from 40% to 90%.
These results indicate that the training activities successfully enhanced participants' understanding of both technical and entrepreneurial aspects of instant holat spice production.
Participants responded positively throughout the program.
During educational sessions and practical demonstrations, they actively engaged in discussions, asked questions related to raw material selection, food safety, packaging, and marketing strategies, and participated directly in the production Furthermore, participants expressed interest in applying the acquired knowledge to develop homebased businesses involving instant holat spice products.
The substantial increase in participants' knowledge is consistent with findings reported by Suvedi et al.
, who demonstrated that participatory training programs combining theoretical and practical learning significantly improve participants' competencies.
Therefore, the present community service program not only improved participants' knowledge and skills but also strengthened their readiness to engage in small-scale entrepreneurial activities.
The increase in packaging knowledge is particularly important because attractive and functional packaging contributes to product quality preservation and consumer acceptance.
Effective packaging has been recognized as a key factor influencing the competitiveness of small-scale food products in local markets .
Through the training activities, participants gained a better understanding of packaging selection, product labeling, and presentation techniques.
Moreover, proper packaging and labeling not only protect product quality but also increase consumer confidence and purchasing decisions, particularly for valueadded food products produced by small and medium enterprises .
Similarly, the improvement in marketing knowledge demonstrates that participants became more aware of strategies for promoting and selling their products.
Marketing training is essential for empowering small-scale entrepreneurs because it helps them identify potential customers, establish product value, and expand market reach .
During the discussions, participants expressed strong interest in applying the acquired knowledge to develop home-based businesses centered on instant holat spices.
In addition to improving technical knowledge, the training stimulated participants' interest in entrepreneurship.
During discussions and practical sessions, participants expressed enthusiasm for producing and marketing instant holat spices as a potential home-based This positive response suggests that the program contributed to strengthening entrepreneurial awareness among the participants.
Entrepreneurship education and business-oriented training have been shown to enhance entrepreneurial intention, self-efficacy, and the likelihood of establishing sustainable microenterprises, particularly in rural and community-based settings .
Overall, the results indicate that the community service program successfully increased participantsAo knowledge and readiness to produce, package, and market instant holat spices.
These outcomes support the programAos objective of preserving traditional Mandailing culinary heritage while creating economic opportunities for housewife groups in Medan Johor and Medan Tuntungan.
Conclusion In conclusion, the Community Service Program successfully improved the knowledge and skills of housewife groups in Medan Johor and Medan Tuntungan.
Medan City, regarding the production of instant holat spices.
The participants gained practical knowledge related to ingredient selection, production techniques, food safety, packaging, and marketing.
Evaluation results showed substantial improvements in participantsAo knowledge of holat processing, packaging, and marketing after the training activities.
Participants also responded positively to the program and actively engaged in both the educational sessions and practical demonstrations.
Furthermore, the training increased participantsAo awareness of the potential for developing instant holat spices as a home-based business opportunity.
Therefore, this program contributed to the preservation of Mandailing culinary heritage while creating potential economic opportunities for the community.
Journal of Saintech Transfer Vol.
No.
050Ae056 Acknowledgments This study was supported by the Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LPPM).
Universitas Sumatera Utara, under the 2018 Mono Tahun (Dosen Mud.
grant scheme.
References