Economic development in Malaysia has led to increasing quantity and complexity of
generated waste or by-product. The main objective of this study is to investigate the
antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of squid ink powder. The squid ink was collected
from fresh squid and dried using freeze dryer before it was ground into powder. The yield
of squid ink was 22.82% after freeze-drying which was 69.37g in amount. Proximate
composition analysis as well as two total antioxidant activity assays named 2,2-diphenyl-1
-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay, and
antimicrobial analysis were done on the powdered squid ink. The proximate results of
squid ink powder were 4.43 ± 0.29% moisture, 62.46 ± 0.62% protein, 3.96 ± 0.08% fat,
and 9.29 ± 0.05% ash. Results of DPPH assay showed that water extraction of squid ink
powder has the highest 94.87 ± 4.87%, followed by ethanol 67.57 ± 7.55%, and hexane
extract 2.10 ± 1.18%. FRAP assay result presented the same trend with water extraction
had the highest value of 929.67 ± 2.31 µmol Fe (II) / g of sample extract, followed by
ethanol extract 201.00 ± 26.29 µmol Fe (II) per gram sample and hexane 79.67 ± 12.66
µmol Fe (II) / g of sample extract. Both water and ethanol extract showed antimicrobial
properties with inhibition range of 7 to 15 mm, respectively. Fresh squid ink had 1.254 ×
103
colony forming unit per gram of sample of microbial content. Squid ink powder had
protein as major compound and microbial content was below from standard value of
fisheries products as stated in Food Act 1983 and Regulation 1985.