Effect of pH of Palm Nira (Arenga pinnata Merr) on Physicochemical Characteristics of Palm Sugar

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics of molded palm sugar with different nira pH. The method used in this research is a completely randomized design (CRD) method with one pH factor, namely pH 7.0, pH 6.5, pH 6.0, and pH 5.5. Each treatment level was repeated 3 times so that 12 experimental units were obtained. The parameters observed were hardness level and organoleptic test. In quantitative descriptive analysis, the test of reducing sugar content, total sugar, and water content was carried out and the data obtained from the research results were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the molded palm sugar from nira pH treatments P1 (pH 7.0), P2 (pH 6.5), P3 (pH 6.0), and P4 (pH 5.5) had a range of reduction sugar content of 0.70% - 2.33%, total sugar content of 78.14% - 81.58%, moisture content of 7.37 - 8.31%, and hardness level of molded sugar with a range of 14.80 N - 19.58 N. Based on the average chemical analysis results, it shows that the reduction rate, total sugar content, and moisture content still meet the SNI 01-3743-2021 standards regarding palm sugar quality requirements. Organoleptic test data showed that the P2 treatment of palm juice (pH 6.5) obtained the highest overall rating from panelists, namely 3.43 (neutral).