UNAIR NEWS – Banana is one of the main and largest commodity crops of Indonesia. But the midribs are practically not used and just thrown away.

In the hands of a team of students of Faculty of Vocational Studies Universitas Airlangga, banana which contains tannin, dapomin, serotonin, hydroxytriptamine, neropinephrine, vitamin A, vitamin B and vitamin C is successfully created into tea ready to be brewed as a nutritious fresh drink.

The team of UNAIR Faculty of Vocational Studies students succeeded in making tea from banana midribs are Sapri Febriyan Rahmatullah, Vivi Annisa Indah Nur Rohmah, Primedya Kusumawati, Vira Rohmatul Aliyah, and Mutiara Nugraheni Putri. They in Student Creativity Program team, Entrepreneurship category(PKMK).

Under the guidance of their lecturer, Dr. Neffrety Nilamsari, S.Sos., M.Kes., The success of the innovation was written in a proposal titled “Teh Papi Help Mi”. In Dikti selection, they passed and obtained developmental fund from Kemenristekdikti in PKM program 2018.

“In this creativity program we are trying to make new innovation about tea drink. Why tea drink? Because we think that tea is a drink popular among Indonesian people, they drink at the time of eating, while relaxing, and so on, “said Sapri Febriyan Rahmatullah, PKMK team leader.

Asked why their innovation used banana midribs? Febriyan said that it is to use abundant material but not yet exploited. Moreover, Indonesia is rich in biodiversity, especially its flora aspect. And one of the plants that includes the largest commodity is banana.

He also explained that banana is one of the many leading agricultural commodities.  Besides it is rich in benefits, one part of the banana plant that looks not yet widely used is the midribs. It contains tanin, dapomin, serotonin, hydroxytryptamine, neropinephrine, vitamin A, vitamin B and vitamin C.

Even the sap in the banana stem also has many benefits, one of which is used in the medical world. The sap of banana contains saponins, anthraquinones, and quinones that can serve as antibiotics and pain relievers.

“We innovate by producing tea derived from this banana midribs called Teh Papi Help Mi. Then we combine with other natural ingredients, such as pandan leaves, ginger, rosella, lemon, chocolate, and milk. With a variety of flavors, the consumers can choose taste they like, “said Febriyan.

Teh Papi Help Mi is only made of natural ingredients without using any synthetic preservatives.

“The price is also very affordable, only Rp 10.000 / packaging for 10 servings. To facilitate the consumers of all circles and to take advantage of it. We believe this benefit can support the marketing process of our products, “added Primedya Kusumawati, another member of the PKMK team. (*)

Editor: Bambang Bes.