The Effects of Media and Blanching Time on the Antioxidative Properties of Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb.

Abstract

Black saffron (Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb.) belongs to the Zingiberaceae family and is one of rhizomes widely used as raw material in Indonesian traditional medicines. Black saffron (BS) contains some bioactive compounds, such as phenolics and flavonoid compounds, responsible for certain biological activities, including antioxidants. Blanching has been reported to increase the antioxidant activity of BS. This study aims to formulate BS containing high antioxidant activity along with the determination of total phenolic, total flavonoid, tannin, water, and crude fiber contents in dried BS. This research was conducted by varying blanching medium (citric acid and aquadest) and blanching times (0; 2.5; 5; 7.5 and 10 min). The fabrication stages of BS powder included peeling, cleaning, blanching, slicing drying, grinding, and sieving. After that, the treated BS was analyzed for the antioxidant activity, total phenolic, total flavonoid, tannin, crude fiber, and water contents. BS powder with the blanching process has shown better antioxidant activity than that without the blanching process. Blanching using citric acid media 0.05% for five minutes has the best antioxidant activities, as indicated by high contents of total phenolic, total flavonoid, and tannins. Powdered BS is potentially used as material to fortify agents in food products.