Tinjauan Literatur: Komponen Bioaktif dan Manfaat Kesehatan Kunyit yang Berpotensi Sebagai Bahan Pangan Fungsional

Curcuma sp., popularly known as turmeric, is a medicinal plant and spice that has long been used in traditional medicine and Indonesian cuisine. Turmeric is rich in various bioactive compounds primarily curcuminoids (curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin), flavonoids, terpenoids (ar-turmerone, α-turmerone, β-turmerone), and phytosterols that contribute to diverse pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective and antimicrobial. These active compounds can be extracted using miscellaneous conventional and modern methods, such as maceration, Soxhlet extraction, ultrasonic extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and solvents such as ethanol, methanol, or ethyl acetate. The effectiveness of extraction is influenced by a number of factors, including solvent polarity, temperature, extraction time, and plant matrix characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review the main bioactive components in turmeric and their pharmacological mechanisms based on the latest scientific literature. This literature review was conducted by narrative review with systematic search by accessing Google Scholar, MDPI, ResearchGate, and ScienceDirect, focusing on scientific publications from the last ten years. The results of the study show that turmeric has broad therapeutic potential, with complex molecular mechanisms of action, although there are still challenges in terms of bioavailability and product formulation. Turmeric and its components show promising prospects as safe natural therapeutic agents, both as alternatives and as potential functional foods in the prevention and management of chronic disease. Keywords – Bioactive Compounds, Curcuma sp., Functional Food, Health Benefits, Turmeric.