3 rd Bandung International Teleconference on Pharmacy, Indonesia | 48 ISOLATION OF CELLULOSE FROM SIWALAN FIBER (BORASSUS FLABELLIFER L.) USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY Original Article YUSUF IKROM NUR AZAMI 1 , IDA MUSFIROH 1* , MUCHTARIDI 1 , RIMADANI PRATIWI 1 , OKTA NAMA PUTRA 1,2 1 Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, West Java, Indonesia. 2 Research Center for Agroindustry, National Research and Innovation Agency Soekarno Science and Technology Area, Jakarta-Bogor Street Km. 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, Indonesia * Corresponding author: Ida Musfiroh; * Email: ida.musfiroh@unpad.ac.id Received: 28 Aug 2023, Revised and Accepted: 30 Sep 2023 ABSTRACT Objective: This study investigated the isolation of α-cellulose powder from siwalan fibers (Borassus flabellifer L.). Methods: The methods include delignification using 10% NaOH, and bleaching using 10% NaOCl. The present research used response surface methodology (RSM) to investigate the impact of temperature and duration on the bleaching process. Two factors were evaluated and optimized using the central composite design (CCD). Results: The findings revealed that the hit quality and white degree were 91.5% and 52.58% when the temperature and time of bleaching were 40 °C and 30 min, respectively. Utilizing an analysis of variance (ANOVA), the most influential factors on the percentage of strike quality and whiteness degree were identified. Absorption at 3323.34 cm -1 for O-H, 2893.22 cm -1 for C-H, 1371.38 cm -1 for C-O-H, and 1157.28 cm -1 for C-O, according to FTIR characterization results, are characteristic cellulose peaks. Conclusion: The cellulose characterization results acquired in this work show that the temperature in the bleaching process has a significant effect on the cellulose isolation results. Keywords: α-cellulose, Siwalan fiber, Response surface methodology © 2023 The Authors. Published by Innovare Academic Sciences Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22159/ijap.2023.v15s2.09 Journal homepage: https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ijap INTRODUCTION Indonesia boasts the most biodiversity in the world, which provides enormous potential advantages for the nation. Hence, it is imperative to undertake endeavors aimed at devising strategies for the transformation of the nation's natural resources into higher- value commodities, encompassing veterinary foods, timber, paper, fibers, textiles, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical items [1]. Siwalan (Borrasus flabellifer) is a representative indigenous plant species found in arid regions of Indonesia, East Java (Madura, Tuban), NTT (Timor, Sumbawa, Rote, Sabu), Southeast Maluku, and South Sulawesi are the most affected. Following this, it can be observed that the Semanding district in Tuban City has the greatest proportion of the aforementioned plant. However, it is worth noting that the effective use of its plantation waste remains incomplete [2]. The use of trash as a food ingredient is primarily driven by its significant nutritional content. However, once subjected to processing, it is frequently discarded as a waste of little economic worth. In addition, the composition of the substance includes 68.94% cellulose, 14.03% hemicellulose, 5.37% lignin, and 0.6% wax [3]. Cellulose, an abundant polysaccharide, is a prominent component found in all plant products. It has the desirable characteristics of being both renewable and biodegradable. Photosynthetic processes routinely renew around half to one-third of plant tissues [4]. Nevertheless, environmental hazards are ubiquitous occurrences on a worldwide scale and are inherently intertwined with human existence. The occurrence of this phenomenon is frequently instigated by the human inclination to exploit the natural environment, coupled with the inappropriate use and disposal of waste materials. Hence, the optimization of siwalan waste utilization may be achieved by the advancement of research pertaining to the manufacture of cellulose derived from the peel of siwalan fruit. Cellulose, represented by the chemical formula (C6H10O5)n, plays a pivotal role as a fundamental component in the manufacturing of many pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, biodegradable polymers, and materials used for packaging food. Cellulose is a commonly seen component in plants, acting as a core component that is critical to the development of cell walls. Moreover, the substance in question is classified as a natural polymer due to its linear molecular arrangement and crystalline morphology. However, it exhibits limited solubility. Cellulose is a polysaccharide comprised of glucose units that are connected by 1,4-glycosidic linkages, leading to the creation of an extensive and unbranched chain [5]. Various methods can be employed to isolate cellulose, which can be categorized into mechanical techniques such as high-pressure and ultrasonic approaches, chemical techniques including organoleptic, strong acid hydrolysis, alkaline solvent, ionic liquids, and oxidation procedures, as well as a biological approach involving the use of enzymes. The chemical cellulose separation procedure was employed as the methodology in this particular investigation [6]. The procedure was initiated by employing solid acids, including sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and perchloric acid, for the process of hydrolysis. The amorphous component of prolonged plant fiber is effectively hydrolyzed by strong acids, resulting in its fragmentation. Additionally, they aid in the hydrolysis of hemicellulose, resulting in the production of xylose and other sugar compounds. Additionally, the subsequent phase is the elimination of lignin, known as delignification, by using a sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. In the third stage, a bleaching treatment is used to hasten the breakdown of lignin and other impurities that haven't been removed throughout the chemical process. Bleaching often involves the use of oxidizing chemical agents like hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorite. The obtained cellulose was then subjected to Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for characterization. A comparison of the cellulose isolate from the siwalan fruit's peel and the synthetic cellulose from Sigma-Aldrich® allowed researchers to assess the effectiveness of the synthesis [7]. Researchers aimed to investigated to isolation of α-cellulose powder from siwalan fibers (SF). Optimization was carried out based on a statistical approach using the Response Surface Method (RSM). The International Journal of Applied Pharmaceutics ISSN- 0975-7058 Vol 15, Special Issue 2, 2023