Course and Year: BSMA-4 Schedule: MWF 8:00-9:00 PM
A Propose Study of Coffee from Ampalaya Seeds
Rationale:
Drinking coffee before breakfast and during mid-afternoon snacks is one of our traits as a Filipino. It is a habit that our elderly passes every new generation. But do we really know what a coffee is and where it came from? Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark, slightly acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, called coffee beans. Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world. Coffee can have a stimulating effect on humans due to its caffeine content. It is one of the most-consumed beverages in the world. On the other hand, Ampalaya, also known as Bitter Melon, is a crawling vine that grows well in tropical countries, particularly in the Philippines. Known for its bitter taste, the Ampalaya is at once a staple ingredient in Filipino and Asian cuisine and a reliable home remedy for various illnesses, particularly diabetes. Ampalaya contains a mixture of flavanoids and alkaloid that helps the Pancreas produce more insulin that controls the blood sugar in diabetics. Ampalaya is especially valued by diabetics for its known anti-diabetes. Several studies have shown that, aside from anti-diabetes, Ampalaya have a cholesterol-lowering effect and it is useful for preventing and treating malaria which is a rampant disease in the Philippines. The ampalaya seeds, which are the main ingredient of our study, are very abundant in the Philippines and are just being thrown away can now be made into coffee. Ampalaya coffee may sound weird but the outcome of the study might be successful. The result may discourage the use of commercial coffee that has no nutritive value and it can answer the serious need for a very economical, nutritious and at the same time a medicinal coffee.