IPB Researchers Developed Green Natural Colouring Agents Made of Suji Leaves
The use of food additives in food products including the food colorants is an emerging issue, especially in health aspect. The appearance of the food, especially its colour is important factor affecting the attractiveness of consumers to consume. Hence, the food colorants become so important in the production of food. Food colorants can be classified as synthetic and natural. Synthetic colorants have been widely used in the food industry due to its effectiveness. However, the application of synthetic colorants for the food or beverages can cause toxic and carcinogenic effects. Natural colouring agents are derived from naturally occurring sources such as plants, animal and minerals. Dracaena leaf (Dracaena angustifolia) is a natural dye that is often used in Indonesia as a food colouring. The traditional application of natural colouring agents of suji leaves (Dracaena angustifolia) has some constraint. The resulting liquid extract is easy to change color and has a very short shelf life. Efforts were made to explore the natural colour potency and antiradical activity of insoluble water extract of suji leaves.
For that, three faculty members of the Department of Food Science and Technology, of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology of Bogor Agricultural University (FATETA IPB) carried out the research program on pengembangan mikroenkapsulat serbuk pewarna hijau alami dari daun suji (The development of microencapsulation of natural green powder of suji leaves (Dracaena angustifolia) as natural colouring agents). The faculty members were Nuri Andarwulan, Eko Hari Purnomo, and Dias Indrasti who is also the researcher of the Southeast Asian Food and Agricultural Science and Technology Center (SEAFAST) Center of the Institute for Research and Community Service of Bogor Agricultural University (LPPM IPB)
The purpose of this study was to determine the type of extracting solution, leaf-extracted solution ratio, and the type of coating material to maintain the green colour and chlorophyll content of the suji microencapsulated powder produced by the spray drying process. The development of green dye microencapsulated products from suji leaves also aims to provide natural green dyes that are practical and easy to use and have a long shelf life.
Chlorophyll from the leaves extracted using three types of solvent (sodium citrate, NaHCO3, and ethanol) with leaves and solvent ratio is one to five (1:5). Suji extract with sodium citrate solvent has the greenest colour and highest chlorophyll content of 0.034 mg / g. This extract after drying with a spray drier produces a dye powder that decreases chlorophyll content by 29.41 percent. To maximize chlorophyll extraction from suji leaves and increase the yield of the resulting microencapsulated powder, leaf and solvent ratio was raised to 1:20 (w / v) as well as the addition of maltodextrin and gum arabic coating materials.
Suji leaves extraction using 1:20 sodium citrate solvent has the highest percentage of extracted chlorophyll, 88.43 percent. The use of acacia gum coating for extraction of suji leaves has produced natural colorant powder with the highest total chlorophyll, 1.9678 mg / g, 10.45 percent water content (bb), the water solubility rate was 98.32 percent and has the highest green color intensity with the value of L 48.92, the a value is -35.22, and the value of b +16.40. Microencapsulated dye powder from suji leaves were ready to be applied as natural green coloring of food products, after going through the first scale multiplication stage. (Wied)
