Analysis of Mass Balance and Energy Requirement in Tempe Production across Different Production Capacities in Small and Medium Enterprises in Jember Regency

Tempe production is one of the MSME sectors that contributes improved local economy, despite issues concerning energy use and process efficiency problems. Addressing those concerns, this study analyzed mass balance, energy requirements, energy ratios, and energy productivity of tempe processing at the MSME scale. Data were obtained through observations and interviews at three tempe-producing MSMEs in Jember Regency, with biological, direct, and indirect energy inputs analyzed at each production stage. The greatest mass loss occurred in the soybean boiling stage because of component separation and moisture content changes. The total energy requirements for MSME X, MSME Y, and MSME Z were 2.322227 MJ/kg, 1.658972 MJ/kg, and 1.417539 MJ/kg, respectively. Direct energy was the largest required component because fuel was used during boiling. Energy output according to proximate analysis was 9.054 MJ/kg, so the energy ratios for MSME X, MSME Y, and MSME Z were 3.90, 5.46, and 6.39, respectively These values indicate that the energy contained in the resulting tempe was 3.90, 5.46, and 6.39 times the corresponding energy inputs consumed during processing. Energy productivity of MSME X, MSME Y, and MSME Z was 0.43 kg/MJ, 0.60 kg/MJ, and 0.71 kg/MJ, respectively, with the highest efficiency marked in MSME Z. Boiling stage was the critical point of energy consumption. The results suggest that improving energy efficiency requires optimization of fuel use and the adoption of more energy-efficient processing technologies.