Telang flowers, or Clitoria ternatea, are easily cultivated and offer numerous health benefits due to their high antioxidant content. These antioxidants aid digestion, control blood pressure, and regulate blood sugar levels.
Traditionally, telang flowers have been utilized as dried flowers and telang tea. However, UGM students have successfully processed these healthful flowers into probiotic kombucha tea, liquid soap, and organic liquid fertilizer using scoby bacterial culture.
The UGM team, known as the Telang Ungu team, comprises five female students: Dian Indah Pertiwi and Devita Ariyani from the Faculty of Biology (Biology UGM), Eka Meilasari and Nanda Ayu Putri from the Vocational College (SV UGM), and Nadia Ulfah from the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing (FK-KMK UGM).
They were guided by Dr. Jumeri M. Wikarta, a lecturer from the UGM Faculty of Agricultural Technology (FTP UGM).
Devita Ariyani explained that biotechnology methods were utilized to transform telang flowers into various health products. The team collaborated with the women’s group of Block 1 in Guwosari Village, Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region, through the Student Creativity Program in the Community Empowerment sector (PKM-PM).
Eka Meilasari shared that the idea for creating healthy drinks and soaps from telang flowers arose from her visit to a friend’s house in Block 1, Guwosari Village, where she was served telang flower tea.
“Seeing the potential of telang flowers in Block 1, Guwosari Village, which was previously only used as dried flowers and telang tea by individuals, inspired us to maximize their utilization,” she said.
Meilasari noted that most women in Guwosari Village are homemakers, so this program offers an opportunity to engage them in productive activities by turning telang flowers into marketable products.
The empowerment program included integrated introduction activities, practical sessions on making probiotic kombucha tea, cultivating telang flowers, producing soap and liquid fertilizer, and providing certification introduction for SPP-IRT and halal self-declaration.
They also trained the participants on creating e-commerce accounts (Shopee) to support the commercial marketing of the products.
Yuliana (47), the head of the women’s group of Block 1 in Guwosari Village, expressed her appreciation for the empowerment activities conducted by UGM students. She found learning to process telang flowers into kombucha tea and soap to be a valuable experience.
“We have never practiced utilizing telang flowers in this way. Thank you for choosing us as the location to implement the Telang Ungu team’s program. We hope the knowledge and skills we’ve gained will continue to benefit us, allowing us to sell the products and increase our income,” she said.
Ariyani mentioned that they trained three team members—Diani Sari (32), Priscilla Misye Rubingah (52), and Silviena (34)—to be responsible for the continuation of the program. They also signed an agreement to ensure the program’s sustainability.
“We hope that after the introduction and training, women in Guwosari Village will gain new knowledge and skills regarding the utilization of telang flowers, even sparking innovation and new product creations,” Ariyani concluded.
Author: Dita
Editor: Gusti Grehenson