Open Global Scientific Journal

The Effect of Heating Temperatures on the Formation of Vanillin from Curcumin

Riyana Sunardi — 2025-11-01

Background: Food additives are components added to food to change or affect the shape, characteristics, or properties of food products. Vanillin is one of the flavors widely used in food, perfume, and cosmetic industries. Natural vanillin is obtained from Vanilla planifolia through vanilla bean extraction, but this production is limited so that alternative methods, such as chemical synthesis and biotechnological technique, are increasingly used. Curcumin from the rhizomes of turmeric plant (Curcuma longa) can be degraded into vanillin through a degradation process.
Aims & Methods: This study aims to explore the degradation process of curcumin into vanillin using ethanol solvents at temperatures of 50, 60, and 70°C. The parameters analyzed were color changes using colorimetry, curcumin content using spectrophotometry, and vanillin content using HPLC.
Results: The results show that increasing the treatment temperature caused a significant decrease in curcumin content and an increase in vanillin content. The heating temperature of curcumin affected the curcumin content, although it did not affect the color intensity and vanillin content formed. Vanillin was not formed by heating curcumin at the temperatures of 50, 60, and 70^oC. A temperature of 60°C resulted in the formation of significant vanillin content.

Flavonoid Content and Antioxidant Activity of Brown Rice: Method Temperature and Time

Mulono Apriyanto — 2025-12-13

Background: Brown rice contains bioactives, including flavonoids and carotenoids, which function as antioxidants. Polyphenols are flavonoid molecules that are widely found in plant life and have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants can help suppress or prevent oxidation of substrates. The body needs antioxidants to ward off free radicals.
Aims: This study evaluated the antioxidant and flavonoid activities of brown rice extract, using ethanol for extraction in an ultrasonic bath. Each of the first and second Erlenmeyer flasks received 150 ml of ethanol for extraction.
Methods: An ultrasonic bath operating at 47 kHz and 45 ºC was used for further extraction for either 20 or 30 minutes on the primary flask. The Erlenmeyer jar was also removed at 55 ºC after 20 or 30 minutes. Flavonoid quantifications began with dissolving 10 mg of brown rice extract in ethanol to reach a concentration of 1000 ppm. The content was homogenized until uniform, incubated, and the absorbance measured at 415 nm. To prepare an extract solution from 25 mg of extract, ethanol was added to make a total of 25 ml. The resulting extraction solution contained concentrations of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 ppm, with 1 mL of 0.4 mM DPPH solution added to each concentration.
Results: Variations in extraction time and temperature did not significantly affect flavonoid levels (p>0.05), increasing extraction temperatures resulted in diminished antioxidant efficacy.
Conclusion: The study confirmed the direct correlation between antioxidant capacity and flavonoid concentration, emphasizing that lower extraction temperatures yield better results.

The Effectiveness of Biopesticide Use on Chili Plants (Capsicum annuum) in Matoa Village, Prafi District, Manokwari Regency, Papua

Nurlailah — 2025-12-13

Background: Organic farming has become crucial amid various environmental issues, the decline of beneficial insects, and reliance on synthetic chemicals. The use of biopesticides is one environmentally friendly solution.
Aims: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of biopesticides in controlling major pests in chili plants cultivated in Matoa Village, Prafi District, Manokwari Regency.
Methods: This experiment used three treatments: control, conventional chemical pesticides, and biopesticides.
Results: The results showed that biopesticides significantly reduced pest attacks, especially thrips and fruit borers, but there was no significant difference for aphids and whiteflies compared to chemical pesticide treatments. Although the initial knockdown effect of biopesticides is slower, their long-term stability in pest suppression proved beneficial. Yield analysis showed that biopesticide-treated fields produced higher fruit quality and marketable yields comparable to those from chemical treatments. Farmer perception surveys highlighted positive views regarding safety and sustainability.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that biopesticides are a viable, environmentally friendly alternative for integrated pest management in tropical farming systems. Overall, this study provides empirical evidence on the potential role of biopesticides in supporting sustainable agriculture and food security in eastern Indonesia, offering both local relevance and broader applicability to similar agroecological contexts.