ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY, PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND SENSORY ACCEPTABILITY OF DARK CHOCOLATE DRINK INCORPORATED WITH KACIP FATIMAH (Labisia Pumila) POWDER EXTRACT

Abstract

Dark chocolate drinks are cocoa-based beverages produced using a higher percentage of cocoa powder and lower milk powder content than milk chocolate drinks. Furthermore, dark chocolate drinks offer a more intense chocolate flavour, antioxidants, and a luxurious mouthfeel. Kacip Fatimah (Labisia pumila) powder extract is increasingly available to incorporate into cocoa-based drink powder for women’s health and wellness. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of Kacip Fatimah powder extract (KFPE) as a functional ingredient in dark chocolate drink powder (DCDP) to enhance nutritional profile without compromising sensory qualities. Four DCDP formulations were prepared with varying concentrations of KFPE (0 mg, 60 mg, 120 mg, and 180 mg). Each formulation was analysed for antioxidant activity; 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, physicochemical properties (water activity, total soluble solids, pH, viscosity, solubility and colour) and sensory acceptability. Adding KFPE significantly increased (p<0.05) the antioxidant activity from 70.19% to 79.50%. Addition of KFPE increased the water activity (from 0.29 to 0.32) and total soluble solids (from 12.23% to 13.87%), but decreased the pH (from 7.47 to 7.42) and viscosity (from 36.67 to 10.67 cps) of DCDP. Solubility of hot dark chocolate drink (HDCD) with KFPE remained consistent, although dissolution time increased at higher concentrations due to larger particle sizes. Meanwhile, lightness (L*) of dark chocolate drink with KFPE increased in powder (from 36.52 to 46.45) and dissolved in hot water (from 4.81 to 15.99). In contrast, adding KFPE significantly increased the redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) of the HDCD. Sensory evaluation showed that HDCD with or without KFPE received similar scores (p>0.05) for all attributes (colour, bitterness, viscosity, cocoa flavour, and overall acceptability). Therefore, KFPE can be effectively incorporated into dark chocolate drinks to enhance their antioxidant activity and maintain physicochemical and sensory properties.