The physical and chemical properties of VCO emulsion with citrus extract

Abstract

Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is one of the oils that has many benefits. But most consumers do not like to consume it directly because of the oily taste. Therefore, one alternative to reduce its oily taste is by formulating VCO in the form of an emulsion. This study was aimed to determine the effect of VCO and citrus extract ratio on the properties of VCO emulsion using natural emulsifiers. The emulsions were prepared with a ratio of VCO and citrus extract of 9: 1, 8: 2, 7: 3, 6:4, 5:5, 4:6, 3:7, 2:8 and 1:9, respectively. Three types of emulsifiers were used, namely Arabic gum, xanthan gum and soy lecithin with each concentration of 0.75 percent. The stability and viscosity of the emulsions were evaluated. The results of this study show that the use of the three emulsifiers resulted in different viscosities and stability. The emulsion using Arabic gum was the most stable at VCO: citrus extract ratio (9:1) with a viscosity of 230 cP. The emulsion with xanthan gum at VCO: citrus extract ratio (1:9) was stable with a viscosity of 1066 cP. However, the emulsion using soy lecithin was unstable. The contents of the peroxide number were 0.8-0.9 meq/kg sample. This stable emulsion can be used for future research to produce VCO emulsion which is good for consumption.