A researcher at the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has once again achieved national recognition. Dr. Widiastuti Setyaningsih of the Department of Food and Agricultural Product Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology (FTP UGM), received the 2025 Ristek Kalbe Science Award (RKSA) for her innovation in developing effervescent roselle kombucha tablets designed as an antidiabetic functional beverage.
RKSA recognizes Dr. Setyaningsih’s commitment to advancing functional foods based on local biodiversity. Her research places scientific and technological approaches at the forefront of addressing public health challenges, while also underscoring her contribution to strengthening downstream research at the national level.
Dr. Setyaningsih’s research journey began with the need to offer relevant solutions to Indonesia’s persistently high diabetes rates, coupled with a personal motivation when her mother experienced a spike in blood sugar levels.
She identified roselle as a rich source of phenolic compounds, and kombucha fermentation offered opportunities to enhance bioactivity, making the combination highly promising. This experience further convinced her that society needs safe, accessible, functional food alternatives.
“I saw a great opportunity to develop an innovative product that could truly benefit the public,” she said.
This motivation highlighted the need for rapid and precise quality control in product development so the industry could readily adopt the innovation. She chose to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Near Infrared Spectroscopy, enabling the prediction of quality components within seconds.
This approach addresses the limitations of conventional methods, which often require lengthy processing times and are less efficient for industrial applications.
“This method ensures quality consistency from the very early stages of the process,” Dr. Setyaningsih explained.
Strengthening the quality system became crucial as downstream development posed significant technical challenges. The stability of bioactive compounds must be maintained to prevent a decline in functional benefits during formulation and storage.
Dr. Setyaningsih noted that variations in fermentation conditions also require careful control to ensure consistent product quality.
“Perseverance and strong support from the research team enabled me to overcome these challenges,” she said.
Furthermore, Dr. Setyaningsih explained that quality consistency is closely linked to the complexity of the effervescent tablet formulation she designed.
The product must remain rich in active compounds while being pleasant to consume and exhibiting stable dissolution characteristics. Each formulation stage requires a balance between functional benefits and sensory preferences to ensure public acceptance.
“The most complex part is maintaining significant antidiabetic activity until the product is ready for use,” she noted.
These efforts aim to position the innovation as a practical functional beverage alternative for the community. The tablet form was chosen to enhance convenience while preserving bioactive compound content.
Dr. Setyaningsih believes the product could make a substantial contribution if it can be mass-produced at an affordable price.
“From the outset, we designed this product to be relevant and widely acceptable,” she said.
The 2025 RKSA award marks an important milestone in her research journey and motivates her to remain productive.
She emphasized that the achievement is not solely personal but the result of collective efforts by the entire team. Support from partners, students, and research assistants has strengthened the innovation development process, leading to national recognition.
“This achievement belongs to the entire supporting ecosystem,” Dr. Setyaningsih remarked.
According to her, this momentum broadens opportunities to further develop her research through stronger technological integration.
She plans to deepen the use of artificial intelligence for quality analysis and authentication of functional food products. Strengthening downstream implementation is also a priority, ensuring that campus innovations can reach society more quickly.
“I envision a center of excellence focused on edible flowers, given their enormous potential,” said Dr. Setyaningsih.
With the many opportunities ahead, Dr. Setyaningsih sees vast potential for the growth of functional food research in Indonesia.
She believes that innovations oriented toward public health needs will generate tangible impact when supported by robust scientific approaches and mature technological applications.
This award reinforces her commitment to advancing sustainable research, and she hopes that more university-based innovations will continue to benefit the wider community.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographs: Dr. Widiastuti Setyaningsih