Powder production of sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra): effect of processing methods on the antioxidant activities and physico-chemical characteristics

Abstract

Sea cucumber is a fishery commodity in Southeast Sulawesi that has high economic value and has long been used as traditional natural medicine. One of the active ingredients contained in sea cucumbers is antioxidants. The purpose of this study was to characterize the antioxidant activity of sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra), which were processed into powder with various processing methods. The processing methods used were smoking, steaming and microwaving. The powder were then measured its antioxidant activity using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. Other characteristics tested were their chemical content and morphological properties with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results showed that the sea cucumber powder production with the microwaving method produced a powder that had stronger antioxidant properties compared to smoking and steaming methods. The sea cucumber powder produced with microwave method had a higher protein content, and its morphological appearance indicated more physical damage. The method of sea cucumber powder preparation with microwave appeared to be likely more efficient in time and would have a better nutritional value.