Through our work with our friends and instructors, we diluted the intense odor and turned it into a much softer and more pleasant fragrance,
said Harun Çolak, describing how chemistry students at Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University transformed chemen and madımak into cologne inside campus laboratories.
Students used the university’s laboratory facilities to turn theoretical knowledge into practical production while adding value to local products, taking chemen and madımak, local flavors of the region’s cuisine, and engineering them into a cosmetic product.
Students Tame Aromas Inside Campus Labs
Fourth-year student Harun Çolak noted that the team started from the intense scent left after consumption, working alongside peers and instructors to reduce the heavy aroma into a much softer and pleasant fragrance, as the student researchers faced an immediate olfactory challenge working under academic supervision.
Master’s student Elif Şeref noted that the initiative aims to bridge traditional heritage and chemical science into an entirely different consumer format, while the team diluted the heavy active notes and blended spice and seed essences to construct a balanced fragrance profile that honors regional traditions without overwhelming the senses.
Harun Çolak told Haberturk that Through our work with our friends and instructors, we diluted the intense odor and turned it into a much softer and more pleasant fragrance,
Fellow researcher Serap Akdeniz added that harmonizing these botanical and seed extracts created an authentic aromatic composition reflecting Tokat’s culinary culture, and the resulting formulation successfully integrates the characteristic notes of the regional ingredients rather than carrying a direct, overpowering food scent.
Faculty Connects Academic Theory with Regional Employment
Prof. Dr. Yakup Budak, an Organic Chemistry Department faculty member, stated that they provide research, development, and formula support to firms while transforming regional products into value-added products, as faculty leaders view the undertaking as a practical bridge between academic theory and regional commercial needs.
Prof. Dr. Budak noted that participants earn personal income alongside valuable technical training, while students engaged in the project gain hands-on production experience while participating in a national employment initiative.
Thanks to the İŞKUR Youth Program, our students are both working and producing while also earning their pocket money. I would like to thank our supporting institutions and our university administration. According
By combining regional food science with cosmetic chemistry, the university project demonstrates how localized agricultural products can find new life in commercial sectors as innovative retail goods.