Analysis of Physico-chemical Properties of Turmeric Powder Commercially Available in Sri Lankan Market

Abstract

At present, functional foods or nutraceuticals of plant origin, have gained popularity and constitute a major share of the health-care market. Majority of the consumers have a misconception, that these products are inherently safe for consumption. However, agronomic practices and processing procedures play a vital role in the quality of the ultimate product. Considering turmeric, color, aroma and other chemical properties of processed turmeric powder directly depend on the processing procedure. This study was conducted to determine the physico-chemical properties of turmeric powder manufactured by different manufacturers which were commercially available and largely used in Sri Lanka. Three batches from twelve different brands of turmeric powder and a pure turmeric powder sample were analyzed. Results were statistically compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Highest curcumin content (6.74 ± 0.01 %) was reported in sample 8, which had no significant difference with the control (6.47 ± 0.01 %). Highest volatile oil (5.85 ± 0.05 %) and oleoresin (17.55 ± 0.05 %) percentages were reported in the control sample. Gas liquid chromatograms (GLC) of all volatile oil samples report ar-turmerone as the main active compound, which is the most abundant compound in Curcuma longa. According to the results, the moisture, ash, and acid-insoluble ash percentages of all the samples were non-compliant with Sri Lanka standard (SLS), but the curcumin percentage of four market samples were compliant with SLS. There were significant differences among the market samples and the control sample, but the variation among batches in same sample was not significant.