Helping Control Blood Pressure, IPB University Innovator’s Lemon-Honey Functional Drink Named Among Indonesia’s 117 Innovations for 2025
The best way to keep blood pressure stable is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, the food and beverages consumed daily are key determining factors.
Addressing this need, IPB University Professor, Prof Ahmad Sulaiman, developed a functional beverage made from fresh lemons and local honey, designed to help maintain stable blood pressure.
This innovation, which has been selected as one of the 117 Innovations of Indonesia 2025, stems from his concern over the abundance of lemon or honey beverages on the market that are still high in sugar and prioritize taste over health benefits.
“Most lemon or honey drinks currently available still contain high sugar levels and use artificial flavorings. Additionally, there aren’t many products specifically formulated to help stabilize blood pressure,” he said.
He added that this drink is designed to be suitable for people who need to limit their sugar intake, including those with diabetes. Therefore, ingredient selection and product formulation were carefully conducted to ensure safety while delivering health benefits.
During the development process, Prof Ahmad and his team applied minimal processing to the raw materials to maintain the optimal bioactive content of the lemon and honey.
“We strive to preserve the bioactive components of the lemon and honey through minimal processing. However, food safety remains a priority, particularly in controlling potential microbiological hazards,” he explained.
After the production process, the beverage is optimally packaged and stored at low temperatures to prevent degradation of the bioactive compounds it contains. To ensure its benefits, the research team also conducted various scientific tests.
“We conducted bioactive content testing, in silico testing, as well as preclinical and clinical trials on a prehypertensive group. The results showed a reduction in blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic,” he stated.
The research findings indicate a synergistic effect of the bioactive components found in lemon and honey. However, Prof Ahmad emphasized that this product is not a medication but a functional beverage that serves as a complement to maintaining health.
“This product is not a medicine, but it can be classified as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). This means the beverage can serve as a complement to the hypertension therapy prescribed by a doctor,” he said.
Since it is not a substitute for medical treatment, he stressed that consuming this functional beverage must still be accompanied by a healthy lifestyle and adherence to medical professionals’ recommendations.
In addition to providing health benefits, this innovation also holds great potential for development through downstream processing schemes and the empowerment of small, micro, and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
“Opportunities for downstream processing are wide open, especially through SMEs. However, the production process must adhere to the Good Manufacturing Practice for Traditional Medicines (CPOTB) standards to be officially registered,” he concluded.
Through this innovation, Prof Ahmad hopes that research-based products will not only provide health benefits to the community but also drive the development of a functional food industry based on natural ingredients in Indonesia. (AS) (IAAS/KQA)
