IO – Four students from have won a gold medal in the 10th International Exhibition (IEI) and the 3rd World Invention and Innovation Forum (WIIF) 2018 in Foshan, China. The four students are Novia Tri Handika, Indriani Dwi Wulandari, Nurul Hidayati, and Neisya Pratiwindya Sudarsiwi.
In the event, which was attended by 300 participants from various countries, the students also received a special award from Thailand. Under the guidance of Setho Hadiyusmana, a lecturer from the Nursing Faculty, the students were able to develop a therapeutic tea which could be used as alternative medication for those suffering from type 2 diabetes.
Novia, a member of the team, said that the idea started when the local community complained about the high cost of diabetes treatment. “I and the team were inspired to create an alternative medicine which was relatively cheap but safe,” Novia explained.
The students needed approximately five months to create a prototype. They called their innovation Albedo Romin Tea. “We used watermelon epidermis which contains citrulline, a compound that lowers blood sugar levels,” said Novia.
Citrulline is a compound which helps the production of insulin which is needed to lower blood sugar levels. Adding rosella flower petals which contain flavonoid helps fight free radicals and assists the production of insulin by beta cells in the pancreas.
Contacted separately, Indri, another member of the team, stated that the first step in producing the tea was to clean the watermelon epidermis under running water. After, the epidermis was cut into pieces approximately 3 cm and rewashed. The epidermis was then put into an oven for an hour. “We used an oven as our advisor told us if we left it in the sun, many compounds would be lost,” said Indri.
The epidermis was then ground up into a powder and mixed with small pieces of the rosella flower into the tea. “The tea consists of three ingredients: 50% watermelon epidermis, 30% rosella, and 20% jasmine, in a tea bag,” she said.
In the future, they would like to do a preclinical trial using mice to further understand the potential of their product. The students hope their product will pass the preclinical trial so it can be consumed by diabetes patients.
The students’ advisor, Setho Hadiyusmana, S.Kep., Ns., M.NS, said he was proud of their accomplishment. “Thank God, I want to say that this is not an individual achievement but a group achievement, as the Faculty of Nursing. They were smart students and were chosen since they started studying in UNAIR,” said Setho.
“As their advisor, I could only facilitate their bright ideas and help put them together better to be presented on the international stage. Besides the students who have lifted the UNAIR name, I would also like to thank the faculty and university leaders who have shared the opportunity for them to show their great competitive abilities,” he added. (Aldo)