DETERMINATION OF POLYPHENOL CONTENTS IN Hevea brasiliensis AND RUBBER-PROCESSING EFFLUENT (Penentuan Kandungan Polifenol dalam Hevea brasiliensis dan Sisa Pemprosesan Getah)

The information on polyphenol composition of Hevea brasiliensis is limited despite the importance of understanding the value of this phytochemical, especially in terms of plant protection. There are also no reports available on the polyphenols content of rubber-processing effluent. The objective of this study is to determine the presence of polyphenol compounds in latex C-serum and effluent using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. This study also aims to profile specific phenolics using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Results from the FTIR analysis showed the presence of polyphenols in both latex and effluent. The optimal method for determining polyphenol by HPLC was determined which uses methanol and 0.5% acetic acid as the mobile phases. Several polyphenol peaks, including gallic acid, naphtoic acid, quercetin, chlorogenic acid and rutin, were detected in both latex and effluent when compared to authentic polyphenol standards. Optimization of the solid phase extraction using weak anion-exchange reversed-phase (WAX + C18) chromatography was shown to yield a higher recovery percentage compared to a C18-E cartridge. The results of this study show the potential for understanding polyphenol composition in latex of H. brasiliensis and effluent from rubber processing which has not been explored before.