Wello, Health Drink Made from Whey by IPB Students
Students of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) involved in the Student Creativity Program (PKM), chaired by Fauzan Rahmat Pradana and team consisting of Chayrul Anwar, Nita Fridayani, Hafizh Abdul Aziz and Atqiya Nur Assyfa has developed a health drink named Wello. It is a health drink made from whey liquid and tropical fruit juice. The whey liquid has been neutralized and pasteurized so it is safe to consume. Whey is the remaining liquid after the process of precipitation and removal of milk casein during cheese making.
Wello has three flavors made from the pure concentrate of tropical fruit: pineapple, mango, and orange. The basic ingredient of Wello drink is the whey obtained from the cheese home industry in Sentul called Trie's Cheese. Other material is pineapple fruit concentrate. The processing tools used include pasteurization machine, mixer, and refrigerator. Whey has many benefits, such as maintaining body immunity and meeting the need of the body for mineral.
Some benefits of Wello are it is rich in minerals, has unique flavors, and low calorie. This is because whey liquid is rich in natural minerals. Whey liquid contains four percent carbohydrates, four percent protein, one percent unsaturated fatty acids, some vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12 and pantothenic acid, and minerals which are good for the body, such as Ca, Mg, P, Fe, Na, Zn, and Se.
The combination of whey with tropical fruit juices produces a refreshing sweet-sour taste. Wello also includes a low-calorie drink because whey has a low calorie of only 29 kilocals per hundred grams. Wello with its formulas is suitable for diet and safe for consumption by diabetics. Whey-based drink is also believed to boost the immune system.
This ready-to-drink product is packed in 250 milliliter bottles. It is sold at Rp 15 thousand per bottle. It is affordable for the middle-income community in the Greater Jakarta area and other big cities.
Some safe additives also comply with the BPOM Regulation no. 36/2013 on the BTP Maximum Use to maintain product quality. The hope of making Wello products is to become a highly nutritious product, increase the production and competitiveness of locally made cheeses. Wello is expected to be the flagship product of milk and fruit diversification that contributes to the improvement of the health and economy of the wider community.
Wello is a new product in the Indonesian market; its promotion is done by educating the public about the importance of maintain health through the selection of healthy drinks. The social media become an effective means of promotion, including Facebook, Instagram, and website.
"The business development in the future will include increasing production, market expansion, engaging in various young entrepreneurial exhibitions, improving product development in accordance with market segments. In addition, the product quality must be maintained to keep so consumer confidence, that is, one way is with the certification of both BPOM and halal certification," said the PKM team. (Mtd)