Repeated use of bromelain immobilized on alginate membrane for virgin coconut oil production

The effectiveness of using the enzyme bromelain from the pineapple core can be increased through immobilization techniques. Bromelain immobilization was carried out by trapping entrapment method using an alginate matrix. The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of the immobilized bromelain in the production of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO). Bromelain immobilized with alginate was used 5 times in making VCO. The results showed that in the first and second use, the VCO yield was 30% and 33%, respectively. After the immobilized enzyme was used for 5 times, the VCO yield decreased to 17.83%. Based on the results obtained, the alginate immobilized bromelain enzyme can be used six times with an effectiveness >50%. The water content and peroxide number of VCO have met the APCC standards of 0.14% and 1.36 meq/kg, respectively, while free fatty acid content was still quite high at 0.4%. Physically, the obtained VCO has good quality until the third use of immobilized enzymes.