Dr. Widiastuti Setyaningsih, a Food Technology and Agricultural Products lecturer at the UGM Faculty of Agricultural Technology has been selected as the winner of the 2023 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science award in Indonesia.
The award ceremony occurred in Jakarta on Thursday, November 23, 2023. This award recognizes talented young female researchers who dedicate their careers to developing scientific innovations and contributing to sustainable development and societal progress.
Since 2004, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards program has been implemented in Indonesia in collaboration with the Indonesian National Commission for UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia. The program aims to recognize, encourage, and support women in science.
In her proposal titled “Banana Flower: A Potential Functional Ingredient for Promoting Mental Wellness in The Post-COVID-19 Era,” Dr. Setyaningsih discovered the potential of banana flowers to be developed as a functional ingredient that can maintain the mental health of the Indonesian and global populations in the post-COVID-19 era.
The research is motivated by the increased prevalence of anxiety and depression affecting 25% of the world’s population due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Setyaningsih offers a solution by utilizing banana flowers rich in tryptophan as a source of serotonin neurotransmitter precursors. Extracting this component in the development of functional ingredients facilitates its formulation for various food product applications.
Using banana flowers also supports implementing a circular economy by processing plantation waste into more valuable and beneficial functional ingredients.
“Currently, most banana flowers from plantations are only discarded as waste or minimally utilized as compost,” said Dr. Setyaningsih on Saturday (November 25).
This project will involve in vivo testing to determine the appropriate dosage to maintain a good mood.
The results will be used as a basis for the development of functional ingredients that can be flexibly applied in the production of various forms of food products involving small to large-scale industries.
These functional food products can serve as a healthy food alternative with positive effects on maintaining the mental health of the Indonesian and global populations in the post-pandemic era.
Author: Luqlun Arghani