Vitamin C, Vitamin A And Alpha Hydroxy Acid In Bengkoang (Pachyrhizus Erosus)

Bengkoang or Pachyrhizus erosus has been used as a traditional cosmetic material since many years ago. Until now, many cosmetic preparations using bengkoang as a main material have been produced by cosmetic industries, mainly for skin care, whitening and sunscreen preparation. However, content of vitamin A, vitamin C and alpha hydroxyl acid has not been discovered yet. These compounds are essential in skin care process because of their activities in cell regeneration, antioxidant as well as peeling of dead skin cell layer. The aim of this research is to provide information about the content of three compounds in bengkoang. Vitamin A has been analysed by spectrophotometer, vitamin C analysed using titration method and alpha hydroxyl acid analysed using gas chromatography. The result showed that concentrations of vitamin A and vitamin C are 179.21 ± 8.19 ppm and 0.31 ± 0.06 %, respectively. Meanwhile the content of alpha hydroxyl acid was 0.80 ± 0.01% (measured as glycolic acid)