Secondary Metabolite Screening of Cocoa Cascara (Theobroma cacao L.) from Blitar, East Java Secondary Metabolite Screening of Cocoa Cascara (Theobroma cacao L.) from Blitar, East Java

Abstract

Agricultural by-products have attracted increasing attention as potential sources of bioactive compounds, including Cacao cascara, the outer shell remaining after Cacao bean processing. Cacao cascara is considered a promising natural material because it contains secondary metabolites that may exhibit various biological activities and could be utilised in pharmaceutical and functional food applications. This study aimed to identify the secondary metabolites present in the 96% ethanol extract of Cacao cascara (Theobroma cacao L.) collected from Blitar, East Java, Indonesia. An experimental approach was employed using the maceration extraction method with 96% ethanol for three consecutive 24-hour periods. The resulting extract was concentrated on a rotary evaporator before qualitative phytochemical screening. Identification of secondary metabolites was performed using specific reagents to detect alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, steroids, and saponins. The results demonstrated positive reactions for alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, and saponins, whereas steroids were not detected in the extract. The presence of these bioactive compounds suggests that Cacao cascara has considerable potential as a natural source of pharmacologically valuable substances with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties, as reported in previous studies. These findings indicate that Cacao cascara from Blitar, East Java, represents a valuable agricultural by-product with promising applications in the development of natural pharmaceutical ingredients, nutraceuticals, and functional foods. Further quantitative analyses and biological activity evaluations are recommended to determine the concentration and pharmacological potential of each identified compound.