EFFECTIVENESS OF ACIDIFIED ETHANOL EXTRACTION IN EXTRACTING ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENTS OF RED DRAGON FRUIT (HYLOCEREUS POLYRHIZUS)

Background. Red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) contains flavonoid compounds known as an thocyanins. Anthocyanins are polar and can be extracted using polar solvents like ethanol. Citric acid was used to optimize the extraction of anthocyanin compounds from ethanol. This research aimed to determine some parameters of the anthocyanin extract of red dragon fruit extracted using 96 % ethanol and citric acid at different concentrations. Ripe red dragon fruit wasobtained from dragon fruit farmers in Tottong Vil lage, Donri-Donri Sub-District, Soppeng Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Results and conclusion. The red dragon fruit was macerated with 96 % ethanol and citric acid at con centrations of 0 %, 5 %, 10 % and 15 %. Total anthocyanin content was analyzed using the differential pH method. A total phenol analysis was performed spectrophotometrically using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The antioxidant activity of anthocyanin extracts from red dragon fruit was determined using the DPPH• method. The data was analyzed using ANOVA and followed with Duncan Multiple Range Test. The results of this study indicate that 96 % ethanol with 15 % citric acid was the best treatment to extract anthocyanin compounds from red dragon fruit. This yielded 37.04 %, total phenol content of 0.82 mg GAE/g, total anthocyanin content of 28.08 mg CyE/100 g, and DPPH• scavenging activity of 56.23 %. In conclusion, the anthocyanin pigments of red dragon fruit were extracted most effectively using 96 % ethanol with 15 % citric acid. It may be used as a natural pigment for the food industry in the future.