Cocoa Polyphenol Extract and Its Natural Colorant Characteristics Influenced by Solvents and Extraction Conditions

Cocoa phenolic extract has gained a lot of attention due to its beneficial health effects and plenty studies on how to utilize it. One of potential utilization of the cocoa phenolic extract is in either food products or cosmetic industries as colorant agent. A study to evaluate the cocoa phenolic extraction method as affected by solvent and temperature used for its color characteristic and healthy component has been carried out. Four solvents consisted of methanol, ethanol, ethyl, acetate and acetic acid were used to extract phenolic compounds from defattedunfermented cocoa powder at room temperature, 40OC and 50OC for 24 hours. This study showed that use of different solvent resulting in different characteristics of phenolic content and antioxidant activity as well as different color of the extract. Highest yield of the extract was obtained using acetic acid as the solvent with 6.27% to 11.01% of yield. Use of methanol and ethanol resulted in high total polyphenol content (>75%) compared to that of ethyl acetate and acetic acid (79% inhibition of DPPH). On the other hand, the color of the extracts varied from gray, murky red, violet/purple to chocolate brown. The color possessed good stability in acid and alkaline condition, whereas the use in neutral pH condition should be avoided due to unstable condition that could lead to decolorization. This study revealed that the cocoa extract could be potentially used as the source of natural colorant since it provide not only vibrant and attractive color, it is also packed with rich healthy polyphenol compound.