Formulation and evaluation of “Nata de Curcuma”

Abstract

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), a well-known spice, often used as an Indonesian traditional medicine or “jamu” ingredient which possesses immunostimulant effect as it contains curcumin. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the consumption of "jamu" tends to increase recently. However, the millennial consumers as one of the target markets do not like "jamu" due to its bitter taste. Accordingly, turmeric should be formulated as nata, namely "Nata de Curcuma” to become "friendly consumed". The study aimed to formulate nata obtained from the water juice of turmeric, to evaluate the physical properties, to identify the curcuminoids, and to test the hedonic. Four formulae of "Nata de Curcuma" consisting of turmeric, coconut water, sucrose, ammonium sulphate (ZA), vinegar, and those fermented with Acetobacter xylinum as a starter. Subsequently, the physical properties of nata including organoleptic, thickness, water content, and fiber content were evaluated. Moreover, curcuminoids in this formula were identified by performing thin layer chromatograph (TLC) method. The best formula of "Nata de Curcuma" contains the mixture of water juice of turmeric and coconut water (1:2) added by 30 g of sugar, 3 g of ZA, and 60 mL of starter. This formula exhibited the thickness of 1 cm and the diameter of 3 cm after 28-days-incubation. The organoleptic properties showed that yellow with the mixed odor of fresh turmeric and slightly coconut, a chewy texture with the specific taste of fresh turmeric but bitterless. The water content of this nata was 95.3% while the fiber content was 4.48% and it contained curcumin evident by the TLC profile. The hedonic test showed that the panelists didn't like the smell of nata due to its smell like turmeric, but they really liked the taste of nata as the unpleasant taste of turmeric was covered. Turmeric was able to be formulated into "Nata de Curcuma" which has the potential as functional food for immunostimulant.