Effect of Deacidification and Lemon Flavour Addition on the Antioxidant Capacity of Noni Extract

Noni extract (Morinda citrifolia) has been shown to have beneficial health effect. However, the consumption of noni extract is still limited due to the sour taste and less desired odour among the consumers. Use of deacidification and flavor addition might reduce the sour taste of noni but its effect on the antioxidative properties are not known. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the effect of deacidification process and addition of 0, 4 and 8% of lemon flavoring agent on the antioxidant characteristics of noni extract. The analyses conducted on noni extract were pH value, total phenolic content (TPC), free radical scavenging ability (DPPH) and ferric reducing power (FRAP). Results showed that pH values increased significantly (p<0.05) after deacidification, whereas the TPC, DPPH and FRAP of noni extract decreased significantly (p<0.05) after deacidification. The addition of flavoring to deacidified noni extract samples did not produce any significant effect on pH, TPC, DPPH, and FRAP. In general, deacidification method helps in reducing the acidity of noni extract but addition of lemon flavor did not showed any significant effect on the antioxidant characteristic of noni extract.