The main product of the clove plant (Syzygium aromaticum) is essential oil. Clove oil has the advantage of being able to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus compared to other essential oils containing eugenol. The nature of essential oils is volatile so that in this study clove oil was made in the form of microemulsions because microemulsions are thermodynamically stable, transparent and have low viscosity. The characteristics of the microemulsion are influenced by several factors including the duration of stirring and the speed of stirring. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of speed and duration of stirring on the characteristics of clove essential oil microemulsions and to determine the best speed and duration of stirring to produce the characteristics of clove essential oil microemulsions. This experiment used a randomized block design with two factors, namely speed and duration of stirring. Stirring was carried out for 4, 6 and 8 minutes and the stirring speed was 600, 700, 800 and 900 rpm. Data were analyzed for variance using excel, if there was an effect of treatment on the observed variables, the analysis was continued with the BNJ Test. The results showed that the combination of speed and duration of stirring had an effect on the characteristics of the resulting microemulsion. A speed of 600 rpm and a stirring time of 4 minutes was the best treatment for making clove essential oil microemulsions with the smallest turbidity index values after 24 hours of incubation and after centrifugation, namely 0.449 ± 0.026% and 0.473 ± 0.047%. Clove essential oil microemulsion particle size was 11.3 ± 2.5 nm. Clove essential oil microemulsion was stable for 8 weeks of storage.
Keywords : Microemulsion, essential oil, stirring speed, stirring time, Syzygium aromaticum.
Produk utama tanaman cengkeh (Syzygium aromaticum) ialah minyak atsiri. Minyak cengkeh memiliki keunggulan yaitu kemampuan menghambat pertumbuhan bakteri Staphylococcus aureus dibanding dengan minyak atsiri yang mengandung eugenol lainnya. Sifat dari minyak atsiri mudah menguap sehingga pada penelitian ini minyak cengkeh dibuat dalam bentuk mikroemulsi sebab mikroemulsi secara termodinamika bersifat stabil, transparan, dan viskositasnya rendah. Karakteristik mikroemulsi dipengaruhi oleh beberapa faktor diantaranya lama pengadukan dan kecepatan pengadukan. Adapun tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengetahui pengaruh kecepatan dan lama pengadukan terhadap karakteristik mikroemulsi minyak atsiri cengkeh dan menentukan kecepatan dan lama pengadukan terbaik untuk menghasilkan karakteristik mikroemulsi minyak atsiri cengkeh. Percobaan ini menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok dengan dua faktor yaitu kecepatan dan lama pengadukan. Pengadukan dilakukan selama 4, 6 dan 8 menit dan kecepatan pengadukan 600, 700, 800, dan 900 rpm. Data dianalisis varian menggunakan excel, apabila ada pengaruh perlakuan terhadap variabel yang diamati, analisis dilanjutkan dengan Uji BNJ. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kombinasi kecepatan dan lama pengadukan berpengaruh terhadap karakteristik mikroemulsi yang dihasilkan. Kecepatan 600 rpm dan waktu pengadukan selama 4 menit merupakan perlakuan terbaik untuk membuat mikroemulsi minyak atsiri cengkeh dengan nilai indeks turbiditas terkecil setelah inkubasi 24 jam dan sesudah sentrifugasi yaitu 0,449±0,026% dan 0,473±0,047%. Ukuran partikel mikroemulsi minyak atsiri cengkeh sebesar 11,3±2,5 nm. Mikroemulsi minyak atsiri cengkeh stabil selama penyimpanan 8 minggu Kata
kunci: Mikroemulsi, minyak atsiri, kecepatan pengadukan, lama pengadukan, Syzygium aromaticum.