Temporal Influences on Proximate Composition, Physicochemical Properties and Sensory Acceptability of Coconut Sap

Temporal Impacts on Chemical and Sensory Attributes of Coconut Sap

Abstract

Coc

Coconut sap, locally known as neera, is a sweet, oyster-white liquid collected from the unblossomed spadix of the coconut tree (Cocos nucifera). Although the sap has economic importance and is well-known for its outstanding nutritional profile, studies on the influence of collection times and seasonal variation on its properties remain limited in Malaysia. It is important to know how the seasons and tapping time can affect its nutritional quality and consumer acceptance. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics, proximate composition and sensory attributes of the coconut sap collected at different sampling times (8 am, 5 pm and 12 am) from both wet Northeast Monsoon (NW) and dry Southwest Monsoon (ND) seasons. The physicochemical analyses (pH, total soluble solids (TSS) and colour), proximate composition (moisture, ash, crude protein, crude fat and carbohydrate) and food energy determination were conducted. The acceptance test was evaluated by 50 untrained panelists using a 9-point hedonic scale. The findings demonstrated that NWs (86.85%-88.10%) and NDs (85.93%-86.89%) did not significantly differ in terms of moisture content during both seasons. In contrast, NW8 has the lowest ash content (0.22±0.01%), crude protein (0.15±0.01%), and carbohydrates (11.51±0.05%) across the seasons and sampling times. The crude fat content is not significantly different across all samples. Meanwhile, the pH, TSS and colour of all samples are not significantly different by sampling times but vary across seasons. NWs have a higher pH (6.85±0.67) than NDs (5.94±0.18), and NDs possessed a higher value of TSS (15.89±4.21°Brix) than NWs (14.2±1.80°Brix). The colour determination was done using CIE Lab* colour system. NWs exhibited a lighter color as indicated by a higher L* value (37.21±0.72) than NDs (17.69±1.07). Sensory evaluation further indicated that NW samples were more acceptable, particularly in terms of color, sweetness and aftertaste, with NW12 (6.28 ± 1.80) having the “slightly like” score. Thus, this study highlights that the proximate and physicochemical values of coconut sap vary between seasons, but not by different sampling times.