The Effect of Blanching Time on the Physicochemical Characteristics and Bioactive Compounds of Moringa Leaves Flour

Abstract Moringa leaves is a food ingredient that high of nutritional and bioactive compounds. However, consumer acceptance is still low due to the bitter taste caused by saponins. One of the ways to remove saponin is by blanching, but blanching will affect the physicochemical characteristics and bioactive compounds. The aim of this research was to determine the best blanching time on the physicochemical characteristics and bioactive compounds of moringa leaves flour. This research was a one-factor completely randomized design. The factor was blanching time of 2, 4, and 6 min with the temperature at 85°C, then dried for 6 h at 45°C. The best treatment was moringa leaves blanched for 6 min with saponin content of 0.11%, total phenols of 10.50 mg/100 g GAE, antioxidants of 62.60% inhibitions, total flavonoids of 0.84 mg QE/100 g, yield of 19.04%, water absorption capacity of 8.36 mL/g, oil absorption capacity of 9.03 mL/g, a* chromaticity of -0.09, angle of repose of 44.35°, moisture content of 12.39%, ash content of 4.93%, crude fibre of 5.79%, dietary fibre of 41.46%, chlorophyll total of 15.68 mg/L, Zn content of 1.58 mg/L, Fe content of 9.55 mg/L, and vitamin E content of 107.98 μg/100 g.