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Red Dragon Fruit Powder Journal
Red Dragon Fruit Powder Journal
ISSN 1680-5194
DOI: 10.3923/pjn.2017.714.718
Research Article
Red Dragon Fruit Powder as a Basic Ingredient for Functional
Foods Rich in Bioactive Compounds, Nutritional Substances and
Antioxidants
1
Tonny C. Maigoda, 1Darwis, 1Ahmad Rizal, 1Emy Yuliantini, 1Kamsiah, 1Meriwati Mahyuddin, 2Elly Wahyuni,
2
Rachmawati, 2Kosma Heryati, 2Yuliana Lubis, 2PS. Kurniawati, 2Mariati, 2Serilaila, 2Epti Yorita, 3Sri Sumiati,
4
Pauzan Efendi, 4Septiyanti, 5Sahidan, 6Agus Widada, 6Yusmidiarti, 6Sri Mulyati, 6Haidina Ali and 6Jubaidi
1
Department of Nutrition, Bengkulu Health Polytechnic, Ministry of Health,
2
Department of Midwivery, Bengkulu Health Polytechnic, Ministry of Health,
3
Department of Health Promotion, Bengkulu Health Polytechnic, Ministry of Health,
4
Department of Nursing, Bengkulu Health Polytechnic, Ministry of Health,
5
Department of Health Analyst, Bengkulu Health Polytechnic, Ministry of Health,
6
Department of Environmental Health, Bengkulu Health Polytechnic, Ministry of Health, Jl. Indra Giri No. 3 Padang Harapan, 38225 Bengkulu,
Indonesia
Abstract
Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the total bioactive compounds, nutritional value and antioxidant activity in red
dragon fruit powder. Methodology: Red dragon fruit powder was prepared using fresh red dragon fruit by sorting, bark stripping, cutting
and pureeing the fruit into a slurry with a vacuum evaporator. Chemical analysis was performed using a spectrophotometer included total
flavonoid, total phenolic acid and total anthocyanin. An approximate analysis was also performed. Results: The bioactive contents of
red dragon fruit powder were: 210.02±0.83 mg/100 g total flavonoids, 386.09±1.52 mg/100 g total phenolic acid and
81.75±1.43 mg/100 g total anthocyanins. Red dragon fruit powder contained: 11.53% moisture, 4.17% ash, 5.30% crude fiber, 5.68%
protein and 0.43% fat. Conclusion: Red dragon fruit powder contains highly bioactive compounds (antioxidants) and is a good functional
food ingredient with the potential to scavenge 50% of free radicals using 1195.181 ppm red dragon fruit powder. This powder can also
be stored for a long time.
Key words: Red dragon fruit powder, flavonoid, phenolic acid, anthocyanin, functional food, antioxidant activity, nutritional substances
Received: April 25, 2017 Accepted: July 22, 2017 Published: August 15, 2017
Citation: Tonny C. Maigoda, Darwis, Ahmad Rizal, Emy Yuliantini, Kamsiah, Meriwati Mahyuddin, Elly Wahyuni, Rachmawati, Kosma Heryati, Yuliana Lubis,
PS. Kurniawati, Mariati, Serilaila, Epti Yorita, Sri Sumiati, Pauzan Efendi, Septiyanti, Sahidan, Agus Widada, Yusmidiarti, Sri Mulyati, Haidina Ali and Jubaidi,
2017. Red dragon fruit powder as a basic ingredient for functional foods rich in bioactive compounds, nutritional substances and antioxidants. Pak. J. Nutr.,
16: 714-718.
Corresponding Author: Tonny C. Maigoda, Department of Nutrition, Bengkulu Health Polytechnic, Ministry of Health, Jl. Indra Giri No. 3 Padang Harapan,
38225 Bengkulu, Indonesia
Copyright: © 2017 Tonny C. Maigoda et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the creative commons attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Competing Interest: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.
Data Availability: All relevant data are within the paper and its supporting information files.
Pak. J. Nutr., 16 (9): 714-718, 2017
INTRODUCTION Red dragon fruit powder analysis: After processing the red
dragon fruit powder, the next step was to conduct proximate
Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, arthritis and analysis, including total ash, fat, protein, carbohydrate and
many other diseases may be caused by genetic or age-related crude fiber, using the AOAC procedure10.
factors1. However, personal lifestyle, including dietary intake Total ash content was determined by heating 10 g of dry
and physical activity, along with environmental surroundings, red dragon fruit powder in a silica dish at 130EC for 24 h in an
may also contribute to disease risk. Ghiselli et al.2 mentioned oven (Memmert 600, Germany). After 24 h, the flour was
that the free radicals produced by our body induce oxidative placed and soaked in the oven (Furnace 5500, Germany) at
stress and are related to several other harmful effects, 550EC for 8 h.
including coronary heart diseases, neurodegenerative The Kjeldahl method was used to determine total
disorders and aging. nitrogen using a Tecator Kjeltec System 1002, (Sweden). The
Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is important percentage of nitrogen is converted into protein by
to help prevent the action of free radicals3. multiplying by a factor of 6.25.
For many years, fruits have become an area of The fat content was determined by directly extracting the
investigation due to their bioactive compounds, which are dry red dragon fruit powder with petroleum ether via
beneficial for human health. The red pitaya fruit (red dragon intermittent extraction using a Soxhlet extractor. The residue
fruit) is a new promising fruit. in the flask after removal of the solvent extraction is the fat
Research shows that ripe red dragon fruit contains content of the sample.
numerous total dissolved solids that are rich in organic acids4, Carbohydrate and crude fiber determinations of the total
proteins5 and other minerals such as potassium, magnesium, carbohydrates in the red dragon fruit powder were
calcium and vitamin C. Various betacyanins and betaxanthins determined using the AOAC method. Discoloration was
have shown the ability to capture free radicals which in turn determined using a spectrophotometer system MD 2010
contributes to the interest in red dragon fruit consumption Plus equipped with a diode array UV PDA detector
as a source of antioxidants6. Furthermore, another study (Jasco Corporation, Kyoto, Japan).
mentioned that dragon fruit has strong antiradical properties
with other phenolic compounds, but its characteristics have Bioactive compound analysis: Flavonoid content was
not been reported7. assessed by colorimetric assay11. An aliquot of 50 µL of extract
Tenore et al.8 suggested that red dragon fruit contains and a calibration solution of quercetin (20, 40, 60, 80 and
phytochemicals that are good for the body, such as 100 mg LG1) were added to a 5 mL flask containing 2 mL of
polyphenols and flavonoids. Rebecca et al.9 showed that the ddH2O. First, 0.15 mL of NaNO2 aqueous solution (5 g/100 mL)
total polyphenol content in red dragon fruit flesh is as high as was added to the flasks. After 5 min, 0.15 mL of a solution of
86.129±17.016 (mg/0.5 g gallic acid), while the total flavonoid AlCl3 (10 g/100 mL) was added. After 6 min, 1 mL of 1 M NaOH
content can reach 2.3±0.20 (mg gG1 catechin). was added to the mixture. Then, the reaction mixture were
However, the bioactive compound content of red dragon diluted to volume with the addition of 1.2 mL of ddH2O and
fruit in powder remains unknown. The powder has a long shelf mixed well. Absorbance was determined at 510 nm. Total
life and a high economic value and could serve as a functional flavonoid content was expressed as mg quercetin equivalents
food that can be added to a variety of processed food (QE)/100 mg fw.
products. The objective of this study was to identify the total The anthocyanins were quantified by spectrophotometry.
bioactive compounds in red dragon fruit powder. The concentration of anthocyanins was determined by
applying the Lambert-Beer law. The spectra recorded using a
MATERIALS AND METHODS UV-28O2 diode array spectrophotometer (UNIC, USA) were
measured at 25EC and 530 nm against the solvent. For that
Sample preparation: Fruits were obtained from a local Sabisa purpose, 10 mm quartz cells were used.
farm located in Gunung Batu Bogor. The process of powdering The phenolic content was measured using the method of
the local red dragon fruit involved a vacuum evaporator as Singleton and Rossi12, with some modifications. Briefly, an
follows; the fruit were sorted, washed, drained, halved and aliquot (20 µL) extract and the calibration solution of gallic
peeled manually. The fresh red dragon fruit was then crushed acid (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg LG1) was added to a 25-mL
and added to 30% maltodextrin while stirring thoroughly, volumetric flask containing 9 mL of double-distilled water
followed by drying and milling. (ddH2O). The HPLC by column chromatography (401.2 cm, i.d.)
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Pak. J. Nutr., 16 (9): 714-718, 2017
on Sephadex G-25 (Sigma Steinheim, Germany) was used to RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
measure the total phenolic content. One milliliter of Folin and
Ciocalteu phenol reagent was added to the mixture and Nutritional substances: Approximately 2.5 kg red dragon fruit
stirred. After 5 min, 10 mL of Na2CO3 aqueous solution was drying in a vacuum evaporator, this yielded 252.7 g of
(7 g/100 mL) was added into the mixture. The solution was powder. Therefore, the yield was 17%. The result of proximate
then immediately diluted to volume with ddH2O and mixed analysis was as follows: 11.53% moisture, 4.17% ash, 5.30%
thoroughly. After incubation for 90 min at 23EC, absorbance crude fiber, 5.68% protein, 0.43% fat and 78.01% carbohydrate
compared with the blank control was read at 765 nm. Total (Table 1). Nutritional substances, particularly fat, were almost
phenolic content was expressed as mg gallic acid equivalent zero, which is good for obese people.
(GAE)/100 mg fw.
Bioactive compounds: Red dragon fruit powder contained
Antioxidant activity: The DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1- high contents of bioactive compounds, including phenolic
picrylhydrazil) method is an easy, fast and sensitive method for acid, flavonoids and anthocyanins (Table 2). Common fruits
testing the antioxidant activity of certain compounds or plant with significant total polyphenol contents include Musa sp.
extracts13,14. Antioxidant activity is the ability of a compound (Banana), with 110 g gG1 total polyphenol; Ananas comosus
or extract to inhibit an oxidation reaction which can be (Pineapple) with 150 g gG1; Carica papaya (Papaya) with
expressed by the percentage of inhibition. Parameters 260 g gG1; tomatoes with 350 g gG1; cherries with 670 g gG1
used to demonstrate antioxidant activity are efficient and blueberries with 3180 g gG1. In this study, our results show
concentration (EC50) or inhibition concentration (IC50), i.e., a total phenolic content of 386.09±1.52 mg in 100 g of dry
the concentration of an antioxidant substance that can cause Hylocereus polyrhizus. This quantity exceeds the amounts in
50% DPPH to lose radical character or the concentration of an the aforementioned common fruits, indicating that red dragon
antioxidant substance that yields 50% inhibition, respectively. fruit powder is a good source of polyphenols that can be
Substances that have high antioxidant activity will have low integrated into the human diet.
EC50 or IC50 values15. Phenolic compounds are widely known for their
Briefly, the extracts were reconstituted in ethanol beneficial effects, such as preventing hormone-related
(1 mg mLG1) and different concentrations (200-0.234 µg mLG1) cancers, potent antioxidant activity and antibacterial
of each extract were used. In a total volume of 1 mL, the test properties17.
mixture contained 500 mL of extract and 500 mL DPPH Chang et al.18 suggested that phenolic acids and
(125 µm in ethanol). The test mixture was shaken and flavonoids were the main contributors to antioxidant activity
quenched at room temperature in the dark for 30 min. and anti-LDL peroxidation. The total phenolic content of the
Absorbance was then measured at 517 nm in a DU 7500 pitaya seed was high and was usually correlated with high
spectrophotometer (Beckman Coulter). Quercetin was used as radical scavenging activity as shown in Table 2.
a positive control. The capture capacity of DPPH free radicals In addition, high flavonoid content, such as
was calculated as follows16: procyanidin B2, epicatechin and epigallocatechin gallate,
contributed to the high antioxidative activity against free
AB radicals19. High phenolic content was usually correlated with
Percentage antioxidant (%) = 100
A high radical scavenging activity20.
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Pak. J. Nutr., 16 (9): 714-718, 2017
Table 3: Comparison of the antioxidant activity of (parameter IC50) red dragon Antioxidant activity: The antioxidant activity of red dragon
fruit powder versus vitamin C standard, BHT standard and quercetin
fruit powder as expressed as IC50-DPPH is compared with
standard
Sample Amount Unit vitamin C standard, BHT standard (butyl hydroxy toluene) and
Red dragon fruit powder 1195.181±16.2 ppm the quercetin standard (Table 3).
Vitamin C standard 2.297±0.14 ppm The antioxidant activity of red dragon fruit powder in vitro
BHT standard 17.146±0.32 ppm
compared with the standards of vitamin C, BHT and quercetin
Quercetin standard 2.229±0.04 ppm
was lower because capturing 50% of free radicals required
1195.181 ppm red dragon fruit powder. This is because the
Flavonoids, also known as nature s tender drugs, possess
standards of vitamin C, BHT and quercetin are
various biological/pharmacological activities, including
components of a single bioactive compound, while red
anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory,
dragon fruit powder as extracted contained 30% maltodextrin
immunomodulatory and antithrombotic activities21. Many filler and various other bioactive components, micronutrients
studies have shown that several flavonoids, including and macronutrients.
wogonin, luteolin and quercetin, inhibit the expression of However, better results in the in vitro assay will not
proinflammatory molecules in experimental animals; these necessarily be shown in an in vivo assay27. Other factors that
findings suggest that the modulation of proinflammatory can affect in vivo results include differences in absorption
gene expression is a major mechanism for the ability and the metabolic conversion of bioactive compounds
21-23
anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoids . in the digestive system.
Flavonoids show anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and The difference in antioxidant solubility would cause
in vivo. Several cellular mechanisms of action have been coalescence in cellular and tissue structures. The adjacent
proposed to explain their anti-inflammatory activity. In antioxidants will recharge the neighboring antioxidants in an
addition to antioxidative activity, they inhibit eicosanoid integrated manner that depends on reaction of stoichiometry
generating enzymes. Certain flavonoids, mainly flavone and kinetics. The presence of a given antioxidant relies not
derivatives, modulate the expression of proinflammatory only on the reaction rates and concentrations in separate parts
molecules, at least partly via inhibition of transcription factor but also on the ability to interact with the regeneration of
activation. various antioxidants28.
Flavonoids have different mechanisms depending on
their chemical structures. Any single mechanism could not CONCLUSION
explain all of their in vivo activities. They likely have multiple
cellular mechanisms that act on multiple sites of the cellular Red dragon fruit powder represents a major source of
machinery, but the most important contributors to anti antioxidants, which is valuable to any food crop. Further
inflammation by flavonoids seem to be their effect on studies are needed for the in vivo assay of this powder as a
new valuable crop with a significant amount of antioxidants,
eicosanoid generating enzymes and their effect on the
which could be beneficial for consumers and the
expression of proinflammatory molecules24.
pharmaceutical industry.
In addition, in obese rats, consuming red dragon fruit
In addition, red dragon fruit powder can be used as an
powder and performing swimming exercises inhibited
ingredient in functional foods as a new innovative product
oxidative stress, primarily MDA and enhanced the immune
and can be stored for a long time. It is important to continue
system by decreasing the TNF-" concentration25.
this research by identifying other sources of antioxidants,
Moreover, Mann26 suggested that the mechanism of
which are beneficial for human health.
action of flavonoids as antioxidants could be direct or
indirect. The direct mechanism is to donate hydrogen SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTS
ions to neutralize the toxic effects of free radicals. As
antioxidants, they can act indirectly by increasing This study discovered the properties of red dragon fruit
endogenous antioxidant gene expression. This mechanism powder that could be beneficial for human health in every
via the activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related stage of the life cycle. This study will help researchers to
factor 2 (Nrf2) results in the increased expression of genes uncover critical areas of food technology because the powder
involved in the synthesis of endogenous antioxidant has a long shelf life, high economic value and could serve as
enzymes26. a functional food that could be added to a variety of
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Pak. J. Nutr., 16 (9): 714-718, 2017
processed food products that many researchers have yet to 13. Koleva, I.I., T.A. van Beek, J.P.H. Linssen, A. de Groot and
explore. Thus, this study shows that red dragon fruit can not L.N. Evstatieva, 2002. Screening of plant extracts for
only be eaten directly, but can also be made as a powder that antioxidant activity: A comparative study on three testing
is rich in bioactive compounds, nutritional substances and methods. Phytochem. Anal., 13: 8-17.
potential antioxidant activity. 14. Prakash, A., F. Rigelhof and E. Miller, 2001. Antioxidant
activity. Medallion Lab. Anal. Progr., 19: 1-4.
15. Brand-Williams, W., M.E. Cuvelier and C. Berset, 1995. Use of
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
a free radical method to evaluate antioxidant activity.
LWT-Food Sci. Technol., 28: 25-30.
Seameo-biotrop provided financial assistance for this
16. Lako, J., V.C. Trenerry and S. Rochfort, 2008. Routine analytical
research, which was part of the Ph.D. dissertation by Tonny C. methods for use in South Pacific regional laboratories for
Maigoda in Human Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology, determining naturally occurring antioxidants in food.
Bogor Agriculture University in 2016. Int. Food Res. J., 15: 313-323.
17. Sidhu, J.S., Y. Kabir and F.G. Huffman, 2007. Functional foods
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