Universal Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 12(2), pp. 369 - 375
DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2024.120216
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Prevention of Carotenoids as Natural Colorant in Kabocha Squash's Concentrate by the Addition of Magnesium Carbonate


Aisman 1,*, Skunda Diliarosta 2, Aulia Azhar 2, Daimon Syukri 1
1 Department of Food and Agriculture Product Technology, Universitas Andalas, Indonesia
2 Research Center for Ethnoscience and Development of Natural Science Learning, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Carotenoids as hydrophobic pigments can be degraded due to acidic conditions in the hydrophilic system during the extraction and encapsulation processes of the colorant powder derived from kabocha squash. This research was conducted to determine the effect of using magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) as a fixation agent to maintain carotenoid stability in the process of making natural colorant powder from kabocha squash. The concentrated extract of kabocha was added with several concentrations of MgCO3 (0, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3%) of the total extract. The acidity condition of kabocha pumpkin extract was observed periodically to prove the existence of acids. Changes in pH were also observed in the treated solution. The total content of carotenoids in the resulting colorant powder was also observed to determine the effectiveness of the fixation agent. Observations of color changes were also carried out to see the appearance of the color of the resulting colorant powder. This study confirmed that the hydrophilic system in the carotenoid extraction process results in the release of acids which lowers the pH of the solution. The optimal addition of MgCO3 was obtained at a concentration of 2%, where excess fixation agents could also reduce existing carotenoid compounds. The pH was crucial for maintaining the carotenoid content in the hydrophilic system derived from plant extracts. In the production process of natural colorant powder from kabocha squash, pH 9.2 was suitable for producing the highest carotenoid content with acceptable colour characteristics. This study underlined the importance of a fixing agent (MgCO3) to keep the carotenoids in the kabocha dye powder stable.

KEYWORDS
Fixation, Industrialization, Natural Pigment, in Polar-Solution, Stability

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Aisman , Skunda Diliarosta , Aulia Azhar , Daimon Syukri , "Prevention of Carotenoids as Natural Colorant in Kabocha Squash's Concentrate by the Addition of Magnesium Carbonate," Universal Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 369 - 375, 2024. DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2024.120216.

(b). APA Format:
Aisman , Skunda Diliarosta , Aulia Azhar , Daimon Syukri (2024). Prevention of Carotenoids as Natural Colorant in Kabocha Squash's Concentrate by the Addition of Magnesium Carbonate. Universal Journal of Agricultural Research, 12(2), 369 - 375. DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2024.120216.