Sukang Dragon: Antioxidant Assay Level in Total Phenolic Content of Peels and Pulps of Dragon Fruit

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

This study was conducted to determine the antioxidant assay level of the peels and pulps of the dragon fruit. The researchers would like to prove to people that not only the pulps contain a certain substance which is the antioxidant but also the peels of it. Furthermore, this study is not just about determining the contents of the Hylocereus undatus; this is also about making the dragon fruit into cider vinegar. In which way the fruit could become more useful to neutralize bad cholesterol and speed up the metabolism of the body if consumed by man.

METHODS

Fresh dragon fruit was brought by the researcher and was washed to maintain the cleanliness of the peels. A knife was used to peel the skin of the white dragon fruit, separating from its flesh. A container was brought out and as well an apple cider. The apple cider was poured inside the container and the white dragon fruit peels and pulps were put inside as well. They were all mixed together with a spoon. The container was sealed tightly after the process and left for six (6) months to become a vinegar cider.The other half remaining of the white dragon fruit was liquidized. The dragon fruit liquidizes peels and pulps were sent to Institute for the laboratory testing. A ten-fold serial dilution was done to prepare different concentrations of the extract. Three millimeters of each concentration was mixed with 1 ml of 0.1 milli-Molar DPPH solution in absolute methanol. The mixture was shaken vigorously and incubated for 30 minutes in the dark. The reduction of the DPPH was determined by measuring the absorbance of the solution at 517 nm using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer.

RESULTS

The results show that the pulp has a higher antioxidant assay level than the antioxidant assay level of the peel. The results of the radical-scavenging activity show that the pulps have 93.22% antioxidant assay level and total phenolic content and the peels have 79.18%.

DISCUSSIONS

Based on the result, it was shown that the part of white dragon fruit that gave most of the antioxidant on the vinegar cider was the pulps. The radical-scavenging activity of the pulps was higher compared to the peels. Given that the peels gave the lower amount of antioxidant percentage to the cider vinegar, the peels contributed more to the appearance of the vinegar. The peels gave the vinegar an appealing dark red color. The antioxidant assay report also stated that the pulps mostly contributed more nutrients than the peels of the white dragon fruit.