PUDING FUNGSIONAL Sebagai Agen Hipoglikemik dengan Penambahan Ekstrak Stevia dan Kayu Manis

Functional food provides nutritional benefits and promotes health. Pudding is a popular dessert due to its sweet taste and soft texture. Agar, the primary ingredient in pudding, is a functional food because it is rich in dietary fiber and low in calories. The use of sugar as a sweetener in pudding is not recommended for individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) due to its high glycemic index. To maximize the potential of agar as a functional food, this study investigated pudding formulations that minimize sugar use by substituting stevia leaf extract as a non-sugar sweetener and cinnamon extract as a flavor enhancer with hypoglycemic properties.
The study aimed to: (1) Analyze the formulation of functional pudding with the addition of stevia leaf extract, (2) Examine the physicochemical characteristics of functional pudding with the addition of stevia and cinnamon extracts, (3) Evaluate the physiological effects of functional pudding with stevia and cinnamon extracts.
The research was conducted from May 2023 to July 2024 in the Food Technology Laboratory at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang, the Faculty of Agricultural Technology Laboratory at Brawijaya University, and the Animal House and Biomedical Laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Muhammadiyah Malang. The study consisted of three stages: (1) Development of functional pudding with six treatment levels of sugar and stevia extract mass ratios: 170 g : 0 g; 136 g : 0.17 g; 102 g : 0.34 g; 68 g : 0.51 g; 34 g : 0.68 g; and 0 g : 0.85 g. (2) Physicochemical characterization with six treatment levels of cinnamon extract mass: 1 g, 2 g, 3 g, 4 g, 5 g, and 6 g. (3) In vivo testing of physiological effects on experimental animals using five treatment groups: P0(-), P0(+), P1, P2, and P3. Quantitative data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and continued with LSD tests (α = 0.05), while qualitative data were descriptively analyzed.
Stage 1. Analysis of functional pudding formulation with stevia extract, different proportions of stevia extract significantly affected fiber content, syneresis, lightness, yellowness, gel strength, pH, moisture content, ash content, fat content, protein content, carbohydrate content, and organoleptic attributes (color, texture, taste), but did not significantly affect redness or aroma. Energy content decreased as sugar proportions were reduced. The best formulation was pudding with 0.85 g stevia extract (FF) with the following averages: fiber content: 0.212 %; syneresis: 2.747 %; gel strength: 80.1 gf; color intensity: lightness (L+) 31.26, redness (a+) 0.33, yellowness (b+) 1.13; pH: 7.360; moisture content: 99.19 %; ash content: 0.489 %; fat content: 0.002%; protein content: 0.004 %; carbohydrate content: 0.066 %; organoleptic scores: color 3.50 (fair), aroma 2.5 (neutral), taste 3.47 (fairly tasty), texture 3.47 (fairly soft) and energy: 0.713 kcal.
Stage 2. Physicochemical characterization with stevia and cinnamon extracts, different proportions of cinnamon extract significantly affected fiber content, pH, antioxidant activity, gel strength, lightness, redness, yellowness, moisture content, ash content, fat content, protein content, carbohydrate content, and organoleptic attributes (color, aroma, taste, texture) but did not significantly affect syneresis. Energy content remained stable with increasing cinnamon extract proportions. The best formulation was pudding with 3 g cinnamon extract (F3) with the following averages: fiber content: 0.216 %; syneresis: 1.297 %; gel strength: 121.8 gf; color intensity: lightness (L+) 29.96, redness (a+) 2.29, yellowness (b+) 1.63; pH: 7.424; moisture content: 99.00 %; ash content: 0.656 %; fat content: 0.003 %; protein content: 0.013 %; carbohydrate content: 0.110 %; organoleptic scores: color 3.17 (fair), aroma 3.37 (noticeable), taste 3.33 (fairly tasty), texture 3.77 (fairly soft); antioxidant activity: 0.128 % and energy: 1.033 kcal.
Stage 3. Physiological Effects Testing, different pudding mass levels in modified AIN93 diets significantly affected blood glucose levels and body weight in rats but did not significantly affect feed intake. All experimental animals experienced reduced blood glucose levels, with the lowest levels in the P3 group, except for P0(+), which remained hyperglycemic. P3 (15% pudding substitution) reduced blood glucose levels from 295.6 mg/dL to 254 mg/dL (a decrease of 41 mg/dL) by day 28. Body weight increased in all groups except P0(+), which continued to decline due to hyperglycemia. The highest body weight was in the P3 group at 119.2 g by day 28. Additionally, the average alpha pancreatic cell count was highest in diabetic control rats (47.33 cells) and lowest in diabetic rats fed 15% pudding (19 cells). Conversely, the average beta pancreatic cell count was highest in diabetic rats fed 15% pudding (33.46 cells) and lowest in diabetic control rats (18.4 cells). The results of the study indicate that the P3 treatment with a 15% substitution of functional pudding can serve as an alternative snack with beneficial physiological effects for individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The addition of the pudding to the diet of diabetic rats increased feed intake and body weight while potentially reducing blood glucose levels. Furthermore, the treatment did not decrease the number of pancreatic beta cells.