Agustin, Sukmiyati; Rohmah, Miftakhur; Rahmadi, Anton/ International Congres on Biotechnology (2014): 000-000. ISBN: 000-000

Emulsification of Pumpkin

Extract and Red Palm Oil

as Functional Food Product

Rich in Carotenoids

Sukmiyati Agustina*, Miftakhur Rohmaha, Anton Rahmadia

aAgricultural Product Technology Dept., Mulawarman Univ., Jl. Pasir Belengkong Kampus Gn. Kelua, Samarinda, Indonesia

Received: 2013/ Accepted: 2013

Abstract

The aim of this research was to produce functional food products with pumpkin and red palm oil as main ingredient, with optimization on the composition of pumpkin and red palm oil. This research was conducted in Completely Randomized Design with one factor which was the composition of pumpkin and red palm oil levelled as follow: 100% : 0%, 95% : 5%, 90% : 10%, 85% : 15%, 80% : 20% and 0% : 100%. Emulsion without pumpkin extract and red palm oil was also prepared as control. Hedonic and quality hedonic tests by 30 semi-trained panellists were conducted on the food emulsion products resulted to pick one formula with the best sensory quality. It was found that emulsions with the composition of pumpkin and red palm oil of 90% : 10% showed the best result for hedonic test. A series of analysis were conducted on the chosen product, control, 100% pumpkin extract and 100% red palm oil before and after 1.5 months storage which consists of total carotenoids, free fatty acids content and pH value. Pumpkin extract showed the highest value of total carotenoids (341.83 mg/L) followed by emulsion of 90% pumpkin extract:10% red palm oil (141.77 mg/L) and red palm oil (41.2 mg/L). The pH and free fatty acids content of emulsion product were 3.5 and 1.73%, 3.2 and 2.05% for red palm oil, 3.6 and 1.54% for pumpkin extract, while control showed no free fatty acids content with pH value of 2.9. After 1.5 months of storage at ± 5˚C all four different emulsions (90% pumpkin extract:10% red palm oil, control, 100% pumpkin extract and 100% red palm oil) showed good stability proved by no to slightly changes of free fatty acids content and pH value.

Keywords: emulsion;pumpkin;red palm oil.Abbreviations:

RPO : Red palm oil

1. Introduction

Vitamin A deficiency is a preventable nutritional problem and continues to be a major public health problem in developing nations. In Indonesia in 2008, every single minute, there is one person suffering blindness as a result of malnutrition, mainly due to lack of vitamin A [1]. Vitamin A deficiency also occurs for babies and under five years old children from East Kalimantan society. Massive oral therapy with 60000 μg vitamin A to pre-school children is one of the measures taken to combat vitamin A deficiency though it has its own limitations [2]. Dietary improvement of locally available carotene rich foods has been found to be as effective as synthetic vitamin A in combating deficiency [3,4].

Carotenoid is a tetraterpenoid organic pigment which occurs naturally in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants [5]. Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and palm oil (Elais guineensis) are plants available in East Kalimantan and are rich in carotenoids. In pumpkins, carotenoid is a natural plant pigment which is responsible to give the orange colour. The other food source that has particular significance with respect to carotenoid content is RPO obtained from the oil palm fruit which has a high content of carotenoids and is one of the richest natural sources of β-carotene. Emulsification of pumpkin extract and red palm oil can be used as functional food emulsion products that are rich in carotenoids in order to reduce the problems of lack of vitamin A in Indonesia.

The aim of this research was to produce functional food products with pumpkin and red palm oil as main ingredient, with optimization on the composition of pumpkin and red palm oil. This study also will provide important preliminary data on possibility of applying pumpkin extract and red palm oil as main ingredients in producing functional food emulsions with acceptable properties and stability.

2. Materials and Methods

Pumpkins were obtained from local farmer in Samarinda, East Kalimantan; while crude palm oil (as raw material in RPO making) obtained from palm plantation in Berau, East Kalimantan.

Pumpkins were peeled, cut to reduce size and directly extracted using food juicer to obtain pumpkin extract. RPO were obtained by degumming and neutralizing crude palm oil. Oil resulted from this step were further fractionated and separated to obtain olein fraction (liquid part of the degummed-neutralized-fractionated oil) or also known as red palm oil. RPO were then deodorized using rotary vacuum evaporator for 5 hours.

Emulsification of pumpkin extract and RPO were conducted according these following formulas: 100% : 0%, 95% : 5%, 90% : 10%, 85% : 15%, 80% : 20% and 0% : 100% of pumpkin extract : RPO. Emulsion without pumpkin extract

Agustin, Sukmiyati; Rohmah, Miftakhur; Rahmadi, Anton/ International Congres on Biotechnology (2014): 000-000. ISBN: 000-000

and red palm oil was also prepared as control. The research was designed in Completely Randomized Design with the formula above as factor.

Hedonic and quality hedonic tests by 30 semi-trained panellists were conducted on the food emulsion products resulted to pick one formula with the best sensory quality. A series of analysis were conducted on the chosen product, control, 100% pumpkin extract and 100% red palm oil before and after 1.5 months storage which consists of total carotenoids by HPLC, free fatty acids content and pH value.

3. Results and Discussions

3.1. Sensory TestResults for hedonic test of taste, flavor, texture, color

and overall of emulsification product (Table 1) showed that formula of 90% pumpkin extract : 10% RPO and 95% pumpkin extract : 5% RPO has the highest total score. This indicated that the chosen products were the most preferred by panelists.

Table 1. Recapitulation of hedonic test

Sam-ple

Taste score

Flavor score

Texture scor

Color score

Overall score

Total Score

(-) 1 2 1 1 2 7

PE 1 2 1 2 2 8

RPO 0 0 0 0 0 0

PE95 1 1 1 2 2 7

PE90 1 1 1 2 2 7

PE85 0 0 1 1 1 3

PE80 0 1 1 1 2 5

(-) = control; PE = pumpkin extract

Based on the hedonic test results, the formula consist of 90% pumpkin extract and 10% RPO was chosen due to the higher amount of RPO content. Since RPO has a significant higher amount of carotenoids (550 μg/g of total carotenes, [6]) compared to pumpkin extract (180 μg/100 g, [7]).

3.2. Total CarotenoidsThe total carotenoids content in pumpkin extract, RPO

and emulsion product (formula of 90% pumpkin extract and 10% RPO) were 341.83 mg/L, 41.2 mg/L and 141.77 mg/L respectively.

Carotenoid analysis performed by HPLC system detected at least two major carotenoid peaks in pumpkin extract and emulsion product, and one major peak in RPO (Figure 1). An interesting result showed by the higher amount of carotenoids in pumpkin extract compared to RPO. RPO has been known as one of the richest natural

sources of β-carotene, but the β-carotene value of RPO resulted from this research showed different thing.

(a)

(b)

(c)Figure 1. HPLC chromatogram of carotenoids from (a) pumpkin extract, (b) RPO and (c) emulsion of 90% pumpkin extract + 10% RPO

The low content of carotenoid in RPO in this research was due to all the processes applied to CPO as raw material in RPO making. In order to obtain a good RPO based on sensory quality (i.e.: odor and taste) that was applicable in food product, a series of degumming, neutralization, fractionation and deodorization of CPO was conducted. In degumming and neutralization process a high temperature condition was needed to eliminates most of the free fatty acids, phospholipids etc. This condition lead to carotenoids destruction in CPO processed and furthermore reduce the

Sukmiyati AgustinTel.: +62 8128356293 ; E-mail: sukmiyatiagustin@gmail.com 2

Agustin,Sukmiyati;Rohmah,Miftakhur;Rahmadi, Anton/ International Congres on Biotechnology (2014): 000-000. ISBN: 000-000

content of carotenoids in RPO resulted. Another step in RPO making that involve the use of high temperature was the deodorization process to eliminate or reduce the “oily odor” of RPO. This process also causing carotenoids destruction and the end reduce the carotenoids content in RPO resulted.

3.3. Free Fatty Acids ContentThe acid content of edible fats is given by the quantity

of free fatty acids deriving from the hydrolytic rancidity of triglycerides. As this alteration occurs in unsuitable conditions for the processing and preservation of fats, acidity represents a basic indicator of the genuineness of the product.

Figure 2 below showed free fatty acid content of emulsion product, RPO, pumpkin extract and control before and after 2 months of storage.

emulsion RPO PE Control0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

fresh2 months storage

FFA

co

nte

nt

(%)

Figure 2. Free fatty acids content of emulsion product, RPO, pumpkin extract and control before and after 2 months storage

The initial FFA value for emulsion product, RPO, pumpkin extract and control were 1.73%, 2.05%, 1.54% and 0% respectively. There were increases among treatments in FFA value at the end of storage period. The quality of palm fruit used in processing palm oil is an important factor in the storage and quality of the oil. Deteriorated fruits would yield oil high in FFA and other quality indices of the palm oil. The increase in the FFA value indicated reduction in quality of palm oil. When this occurs there is the likelihood of microorganisms affecting the oils, which in turn may lead to product spoilage.

3.4. pH value

The pH value of emulsion product, pumpkin extract, RPO and control as seen in Table 2 were 3.5, 3.2, 2.05 and 3.6 respectively. The pH value of a food is a direct function of the free hydrogen ions present in that food. Acids present in the foods release these hydrogen ions which give acid foods their distinct sour flavor.

Pumpkin extract showed the lowest pH value indicated its acid content compared to other sample analyzed in this research. The emulsion product which consist of 90% pumpkin extract and 10% red palm oil has pH value of 3.5.

Table 2. pH value of emulsion product, RPO, pumpkin extract and control

Sample pH value

Emulsion product 3.5

Red palm oil 3.2

Pumpkin extract 2.05

Control 3.6

Conclusion

The use of 90% pumpkin extract and 10% red palm oil in producing emulsion product rich in carotenoids resulting an emulsion with 141.77 mg/L β-caroten content, and pH value of 3.5. The formula showed good stability during 2 months storage in 4˚C refrigerator indicated by slightly increase of FFA content and no changes in pH value.

References

[1] Nadya, R. 2010. Pengaruh Penyuluhan Terhadap Pengetahuan Ibu Yang Mempunyai Balita Tentang Pemberian Kapsul Vitamin A Di Lingkungan IX Kelurahan Paya Pasir Kecamatan Medan Marelan Tahun 2009. http://repository.usu.ac.id/handle/123456789/ 16580. Accessed 4 Juni 2014

[2] Manorama R, Brahmam GNV, Rukmini C. Red palm oil as a source of β-carotene for combating vitamin A deficiency. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 49: 75-82. 1996.

[3] Hussein L, Tohamy ME. Effect of supplementation with vitamin A and plant carotenes in plasma retinol levels among young Egyptian males. Internat J Vit Nutr 59:229-232. 1989.

[4] Lala VR, Reddy V. Absorption of β-carotene from leafy vegetables in undernourished children. Am J Clin Nutr 23:110-113. 1970.

[5] Ames BM, Shigena MK, Hagen TM. Oxidants, antioxidants and the degenerative diseases of aging. Proceedings of the national of science of the USA 90:7915-7922. 1993.

[6] Manorama R, Rukmini C. Effect of processing on β-carotene retention in crude palm oil and its products. Food Chem 42:253-264. 1991.

[7] Norshazila S, Irwandi J, Othman R, Yumi HHZ. Scheme of obtaining β-carotene standard from pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) flesh. Intl Food Research J 19(2):531-535. 2012.

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