XANTHAN GUM/CARRAGEENAN-BASED HYDROGEL PADS WITH OKRA FRUIT MUCILAGE POWDER FOR COSMECEUTICAL AND MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

The main component of mucilage found in the fruit of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is okra gum consisting of pectic polysaccharides reported to exhibit, inter alia, antibacterial and antioxidant characteristics. It was used in the pharmaceutical industry, e.g. as a stabilizer or a modifier drug release. In this work, various formulations of xanthan gum (XG)/κ-carrageenan (CN)-based hydrogel with okra mucilage (OM) powder were examined to achieve the goal of developing OM-hydrogel pads that make good use of the advantages of OM polysaccharides relevant to drug delivery and/or stability. A straightforward cosmeceutical application of the OM-hydrogels is as under-eye masks since the OM itself is reported to contain diffusible small compounds with proven skincare benefits. OM from blended fresh okra pods without seeds was precipitated with ethanol. Preliminary studies showed that hydrogel pads prepared with XG, CN, glycerol, and NaCl at 0.5, 0.5, 13, and 4 wt%, respectively, possess a suitable hardness while exhibit the highest adhesive strength among other formulations tested. When OM powder was added at 0.02, 0.05, 0.06, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, or 0.6 wt%, the OM-hydrogels’ hardnesses substantially drop. Increases in hardnesses and adhesive strengths with increasing amounts of OM powder were observed. The upward trend of adhesive strengths continues only up to 0.2 wt% where the adhesive strength begins to drop. In OM-hydrogels containing 0.2 wt% OM powder, normalized rates of moisture loss are the lowest while water contents and water holding capacities are the highest.