Characteristics of Coagulants from Moringa Seed Extract (Moringa oleifera) with Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE) Method

Moringa seed is an alternative coagulant in various industrial fields, generally used for water purification and cheese making. In addition, to obtain the required chemical compounds, Moringa seed can be extracted by conventional or modern methods. This research was conducted to obtain the coagulant characteristics of Moringa oleifera extracts using the Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE) method with different extraction times. This research was conducted at the Animal Products Laboratory, Faculty of Animal Science, and Biochemical Laboratory, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Brawijaya University, Malang, between September 2021 and November 2022. The research material used was Moringa seed powder with different extraction times, designed by 4 treatments and 4 replications consisting of P0: maceration for 48 hours (control), P1: extraction for 6 minutes, P2: extraction for 9 minutes, and P3 extractions for 12 minutes with the MAE method. The variables tested were protein content, protein profile (SDS PAGE), milk clotting activity (MCA), and caseinolytic activity (CA), also the ratio of MCA to CA. The research method was a laboratory experiment analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) to determine if there were differences. The result showed a highly significant difference (P<0.01) in protein content, milk clotting activity (MCA), and caseinolytic activity (CA). However, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the ratio of MCA to CA. The characteristics of Moringa seed extract in this study were protein content ranging from 0.979-1.022 mg/ml, milk clotting activity (MCA) 3.837-3.999 SU/ml, caseinolytic activity (CA) 2.308-2.455 U/ml, and the ratio of MCA to CA 1.627-1.663. In conclusion, the best treatment for Moringa extraction time is 6 minutes with the MAE method, which can be used as a coagulant in the manufacture of mozzarella cheese.