UPD food tech students produce ginger-calamansi concentrate for PGH and Lung Center frontliners

*Frontliners from the UP-Philippine General Hospital receive bottles of Lucal drink. Photo courtesy of Meghan Sevilla.*

Meghan Sevilla and Sofia Tagle, 4^th year BS Food Technology students from UP Diliman’s College of Home Economics (CHE), formulated and produced a ginger-calamansi concentrate called Lucal. Lucal can easily be consumed when mixed with warm or cold water.

*Ginger and calamansi are Lucal’s main ingredients. Photo courtesy of Meghan Sevilla.*

They were able to achieve this through the guidance of UP Food Science and Nutrition Professors Abigail Rustia, Lotis Francisco, Blanca Villarino, and Bee Dumelod, who checked on their process flow, gave advice, and connected them with raw material suppliers. Meghan and Sofia’s families also supported them. Vanessa Tangcueco, another BS Food Technology student and a good friend of Meghan and Sofia, also created an infographic for Lucal.

*Infographic by UPD BS Food Technology student, Vanessa Tangcueco.*

Because of the team’s collective efforts, they were able to produce 40 bottles of Lucal, which is equivalent to 466 glasses of the vitamin C-enriched drink. These bottles were distributed to the Philippine General Hospital and Lung Center of the Philippines. Currently, they are working on a second batch of Lucal, to be distributed to frontliners of other hospitals.

*Frontliners from the UP-Philippine General Hospital enjoy their Lucal drink. Photo courtesy of Meghan Sevilla.*

*Meghan Sevilla and Sofia Tagle, 4th year BS Food Technology students from UP Diliman’s College of Home Economics, formulated the ginger-calamansi concentrate Lucal. Photo courtesy of Meghan Sevilla.*

(This was originally posted on the UP System website on April 1, 2020)