Rose Kefir, a Healthy Antioxidant Drink: The Work of Chulalongkorn University Student Wins International Gold Medal

A Chulalongkorn University veterinary science student has won a world-class award for her work on “Rose Kefir,” a health drink rich in vital substances that help boost immunity and fight free radicals, which are factors that cause cancer. Plans are now underway to patent and develop it for commercial production. 

“A veterinary student – Roses – Healthy drinks” –these three things may not seem to have much to do with each other, but for Ms. Pinyaphat Prisananantakul, a first-year student at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, all three of these are her passion, and the origin of her innovative health drink, “Rose Kefir,” which recently won a gold medal at the World Invention Creativity Olympics (WICO 2024) in Seoul, South Korea that attracted competitors from 73 countries around the world. 

 “Although I am a veterinary student whose studies are about caring for animals, the knowledge and skills I have learned from veterinary medicine, such as observation, analysis, and data synthesis, can be applied in other areas, not just animal care. I can use them to develop products for humans. Rose water kefir interests me personally, as I love roses and usually drink kefir anyway,” Ms. Pinyaphat explained. 

What is Rose Water Kefir?  

Ms. Pinyaphat told us that Kefir is a fermented product similar to yogurt, but the taste is slightly different due to the different fermentation process. Kefir fermentation relies on “Kefir Grains,” which are made up of many types of microorganisms, such as Lactic Acid Bacteria and yeast, which convert sugar in the liquid into lactic acid, carbon dioxide, and a small amount of alcohol. 

 “Normally, kefir is fermented with fruit juice. I wondered, therefore, if there were other ingredients that we could use instead of fruit. I then turned to look at flowers. I like Damask roses, so I wanted to study whether these roses have benefits beyond just their beauty. Having studied them, I found that roses, especially their pollen, have a high level of antioxidants and can be used to make kefir, which not many people have done yet.” 

Three Important Benefits of Rose Water Kefir 

Kefir is well-known among health-conscious consumers as a drink rich in probiotic microorganisms that are beneficial to health. It helps to balance the digestive system, boost immunity, and reduce inflammation in the body. Therefore, when combined with antioxidants in rose pollen, it becomes a drink with numerous health benefits. Ms. Pinyaphat summarizes the three important properties of rose pollen kefir as follows: 

1. Balance the digestive system and boost immunity: The kefir fermentation process helps increase beneficial microorganisms in the digestive system, helps balance the microorganisms in the intestines, reduces inflammation, and boosts the body’s immune system. 

2. Antioxidants: Damask rose pollen extract is rich in anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds – which help protect cells from damage by inhibiting free radicals that occur in the body, which are the cause of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. 

3. Stimulates the destruction of cancer cells: Rose pollen extract can stimulate the natural process of cancer cell death (Apoptosis), inhibiting cancer cells from growing without damaging normal cells, especially lung cancer. Research and culture of A549 lung cancer cells found that rose pollen extract can help inhibit the growth of lung cancer cells. 

Preparing to Develop Innovations for the Health Drink Market 

Ms. Pinyaphat now has plans to file for a patent for the innovation to protect her intellectual property and is preparing to test the product with a group of consumers to improve the formula and taste to meet the needs of a wider market, including studying the industrial production process for large-scale manufacturing while maintaining the best product quality. 

“I intend to develop this product commercially so that rose water kefir can be beneficial to consumers both domestically and internationally. I think this innovation has the potential to be a health product that meets the needs of the future because, in addition to being beneficial in enhancing overall health, it also helps reduce the risk of lung cancer, which is one of the diseases with the highest mortality rate worldwide.” 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Line