Development of Gac Fruit (Momordica Cochinchinensis) Aril into a Potential natural Colorant Joanne Louise M. Calabig, Jireh Dasha L. Dormido, Kate F. Leaño, Andrea Ysabel Romero and Lance Ryneh D. Tuazon.--

Bachelor's thesis

College of Industrial Technology.-- Bachelor of Technology major in Nutrition and Food Technology Technological University of the Philippines 2019.

Includes bibliographic references and index.

Plenty of fruits in the Philippines were counted as indigenous but still considered as
underutilized such as gac fruit that also imparts color similar to annatto seeds. This study
aims to develop natural colorant from fully ripe gac fruit that comes in liquid and powder
from. Major process includes water extraction and dehydration of gac fruit aril then
contained in an opaque plastic bottles to protect the product for sunlight as well as control
the degradation by moisture, oxygen and heat. Standard testing conducted such as color
analysis shows that gac fruit aril colorantproduces a “yellowish red” hue. Fat analysis
reveals that among the three variants of gac fruit aril colorants: liquid, powder (A)
obtained fat content. However, no peroxide value was detected. The average pH level of
all colorants samples is 7.4 or slightly alkaline. The working wavelength of the liquid
colorants falls in the yellow-green region (400-465nm). While both powder A and B
colorants has maximum absorbance at the yellow region (464-482nm). Liquid colorant
produces brighter color compared to the powdered and very minimal residue formed
upon mixing with water. Overall, both liquid and powder forms of colorant derived from
gac fruit aril can be use as coloring agent.