Physicochemical and Antimicrobial Properties of Cocoa Pod Husk Pectin Intended as a Versatile Pharmaceutical Excipient and Nutraceutical.

Ofosua Adi-Dako,Clement Sasu,Kwabena Ofori-Kwakye,Mike Pobee,Mariam El Boakye-Gyasi,Samuel Frimpong Manso

doi:10.1155/2016/7608693

Ofosua Adi-Dako, Clement Sasu + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/7608693

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Abstract

The physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of cocoa pod husk (CPH) pectin intended as a versatile pharmaceutical excipient and nutraceutical were studied. Properties investigated include pH, moisture content, ash values, swelling index, viscosity, degree of esterification (DE), flow properties, SEM, FTIR, NMR, and elemental content. Antimicrobial screening and determination of MICs against test microorganisms were undertaken using agar diffusion and broth dilution methods, respectively. CPH pectin had a DE of 26.8% and exhibited good physicochemical properties. Pectin had good microbiological quality and exhibited pseudoplastic, shear thinning behaviour, and high swelling capacity in aqueous media. The DE, FTIR, and NMR results were similar to those of previous studies and supported highly acetylated low methoxy pectin. CPH pectin was found to be a rich source of minerals and has potential as a nutraceutical. Pectin showed dose-dependent moderate activity against gram positive and gram negative microorganisms but weak activity against Listeria spp. and A. niger. The MICs of pectin ranged from 0.5 to 4.0 mg/mL, with the highest activity against E. coli and S. aureus (MIC: 0.5–1.0 mg/mL) and the lowest activity against A. niger (MIC: 2.0–4.0 mg/mL). The study has demonstrated that CPH pectin possesses the requisite properties for use as a nutraceutical and functional pharmaceutical excipient.

Highlights

IntroductionCocoa or Theobroma cacao L. (family: Sterculiaceae) is an important agricultural and economic crop which grows in several tropical areas such as West Africa, South America, and Central America [1, 2]
Cocoa or Theobroma cacao L. is an important agricultural and economic crop which grows in several tropical areas such as West Africa, South America, and Central America [1, 2]
It has been reported that the major part of hot water soluble polysaccharides of cocoa pod husk (CPH) is pectin [32]

Summary

Introduction

Cocoa or Theobroma cacao L. (family: Sterculiaceae) is an important agricultural and economic crop which grows in several tropical areas such as West Africa, South America, and Central America [1, 2]. In West Africa, cocoa is extensively cultivated in many countries, with Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana being the first and second largest producers of cocoa beans in the world, respectively. In Ghana, cocoa cultivation offers employment to about 800,000 farm families and generates about $2 billion annually in foreign exchange, and it is a major contributor to the gross domestic product [3]. CPHs are traditionally left as undesirable waste to rot in the cocoa farms and plantations, constituting an environmental menace and presenting a challenging waste management problem. Decomposing CPH waste, apart from producing foul odours in the cocoa farms and plantations, is a carrier of botanical diseases such as black pod rot [5, 7,8,9]

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