Synthesis and Characterization of Cellulose Ethers from Screw Pine (Pandanus tectorius) Leaves Cellulose as Food Additives

Venty Suryanti , Triana Kusumaningsih , Diah Safriyani , Indri Sri Cahyani

Abstract


Isolation of cellulose from Screw pine (Pandanus tectorius) leaves and its transformation into cellulose ethers have been successfully conducted. Crystalline cellulose was obtained as a white powder in 40.24% yield from dried Screw pine leaf powder through alkalization with sodium hydroxide followed by bleaching with sodium hypochlorite. The crystalline cellulose was converted to methyl cellulose (MC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and obtained 94.6%, 71.47%, and 81.54% yields, respectively. The physicochemical properties of MC, CMC, and HPC, such as shape, color, pH, Degree of Substitution (DS), and viscosity meet the standards for application as a food additive. The pH and viscosity of the synthetic cellulose ethers were 7.53-7.60 and 61.98-62.41 cP, respectively. The DS value for MC, CMC, and HPC were 1.680, 0.996, and 0.696, respectively. The study revealed the potential of Screw pine cellulose to obtain food-grade cellulose ethers since the properties of MC, CMC, and HPC agree with food additive criteria.


Keywords


Cellulose , Cellulose ethers , Food additive , Pandanus tectorius , Screw pine

Full Text:

PDF


DOI: https://doi.org/10.14716/ijtech.v14i3.5288