Extraction and Antioxidant Activity Test of Black Sumatran Incense

Benzoin absolute essential oil is a high-value oleoresin derived from the dried sap of the Styrax benzoin tree. One type of Styrax benzoin traded in Indonesia is black Sumatran incense. Reflux extraction method with ethanol is used to gain the benzoin absolute essential oil. The purpose of this study is to investigate the antioxidant activity of benzoin absolute essential oil produced using ethanol reflux extraction. Antioxidant test showed that black Sumatran Incense has active antioxidant properties with IC50 value is 90.03; the antioxidant activity shows potential alternative utilization of this essential oil industry, especially those derived from incense resin and its derivatives

Optimization of Chitosan–Alginate Microparticles for Delivery of Mangostins to the Colon Area Using Box–Behnken Experimental Design

Chitosan-alginate microparticles loaded with hydrophobic mangostins present in the mangosteen rind extract have been formulated and optimized for colon-targeted bioactive drug delivery systems. The chitosan–mangostin microparticles were prepared using the ionotropic gelation method with sodium tripolyphosphate as the cross-linking agent of chitosan. The chitosan–mangostin microparticles were then encapsulated in alginate with calcium chloride as the linking agent. The mangostin release profile was optimized using the Box–Behnken design for response surface methodology with three independent variables: (A) chitosan–mangostin microparticle size, (B) alginate:chitosan mass ratio, and (C) concentration of calcium chloride. The following representative equation was obtained: percent cumulative release of mangostins (10 h) = 59.51 − 5.16A + 20.00B − 1.27C − 1.70AB − 5.43AC − 5.04BC + 0.0579A2 + 10.25B2 + 1.10C2. Cumulative release of 97% was obtained under the following optimum condition for microparticle preparation: chitosan–mangosteen particle size < 100 µm, alginate:chitosan mass ratio of 0.5, and calcium chloride concentration of 4% w/v. The alginate to chitosan mass ratio is the statistically significant variable in the optimization of sequential release profile of mangostins in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. Furthermore, a sufficient amount of alginate is necessary to modify the chitosan microparticles and to achieve a complete release of mangostins. The results of this work indicate that the complete release of mangostins to the colon area can be achieved using the chitosan–alginate microparticles as the bioactive delivery system

Deacidification of Palm Oil Using Betaine Monohydrate-Carboxylic Acid Deep Eutectic Solvents: Combined Extraction and Simple Solvent Recovery

Steam stripping is commonly used to remove free fatty acids from crude palm oil. An alternative deacidification method, solvent extraction performed at a much lower temperature, would preserve the natural antioxidants in the refined palm oil. In this work, palmitic acid was extracted using betaine monohydrate-propionic acid and betaine monohydrate-acetic acid deep eutectic solvents (DESs). The effect of temperature (40 °C to 80 °C), mass ratio of palm oil to solvent (2:1 to 1:2), and palmitic acid content in the palm oil feed (2% to 8% mass) on the distribution coefficient values of palmitic acid (0.44–0.93) was investigated. For the first time, a facile recovery of DESs could be accomplished by a cooling process where up to 98% of the palmitic acid separates as solid. A solvent extraction process for palm oil deacidification, employing a DES with a distribution coefficient value much higher than unity, will provide advantages over the steam stripping process

Cyclic Voltammetry and Oxidation Rate Studies of Ferrous Gluconate Complex Solutions for Preparation of Chitosan-Tripolyphosphate Microparticles

A proper understanding of the properties of iron could increase the effectiveness of programmes for alleviating iron deficiency. Recently, encapsulation has been considered an appropriate method for protecting iron from injurious reactions. However, several events may occur during encapsulation processes, including changes in the iron’s oxidation state. Oxidation of ferrous iron is not desirable since the intestines can only absorb iron in the ferrous form. In this study, a cyclic voltammetry method was applied to investigate the likelihood of ferrous gluconate oxidation for the preparation of chitosan-tripolyphosphate microparticles. Then, the electrochemical properties of ferrous gluconate were confirmed experimentally. The oxidation rate of ferrous gluconate is also discussed in this paper. All the experimental solutions were formulated in detail to produce conditions similar to those of microparticle production. Cyclic voltammetry analysis was conducted using a configuration of three electrodes connected to an electrochemical analyser. Graphite, platinum wire, and Ag/AgCl were employed as the auxiliary, working, and reference electrodes, respectively. The cyclic voltammetry results show that the observed potential for each anodic peak shifted negatively in the presence of chitosan and sodium tripolyphosphate. Moreover, the rate of ferrous oxidation tended to increase during 75 min of experiments due to the presence of chitosan and sodium tripolyphosphate. These behaviours indicate the transformation of ferrous iron to ferric iron during iron microparticle preparation. Furthermore, these findings suggest that spray drying is a preferable method to minimise the oxidation reaction