A comparative study on the extraction of betacyanin in the peel and flesh of dragon fruit

Dragon fruit (Hylecereus polyrhizus) is a well known for the rich nutrient contents and used to improve many health problems. Several studies had shown the effect of various parameters on the betacyanin concentration in peel and flesh of dragon fruit. However, the comparison on the effect of different parameters to the betacyanin concentration in peel and flesh of dragon fruit has not been extensively studied. There is also lack of information on the antimicrobial potential and mineral profile in dragon fruit. This study was carried out to compare the effect of several parameters on the betacyanin concentration of peel and flesh of dragon fruit by subjecting the samples to different type of solvent, varied composition of weight of sample to volume of solvent, different length of heating time and a series of temperature. Thus, identify the optimum parameters to extract the highest yield of betacyanin in each sample. The antimicrobial potential was investigated by applying Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis in the samples. The mineral profile was analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The result showed the highest yield of betacyanin in peel when extracted using acetone with the weight of sample to the volume of solvent of 1:1 (w/v) within 4 minutes at temperature of 90°C. For the flesh, the optimum parameters is by using acetone with the weight of sample to the volume of solvent at 1:1 (wlv) within 5 minutes at temperature of 130°C. Betacyanin showed no indication of antimicrobial properties and calcium was detected in flesh of dragon fruit. This preliminary research had found that dragon fruit flesh have a higher stability compared to the peel. However, both have a great potential to be utilize as an antioxidant and natural colorant. These initial finding should be further studied in more controlled condition for a better understand on the betacyanin properties to maximize the total potential in dragon fruit