Modification of Cooking Methods on Nipah Sap to Produce Nipah Sugar

• Main Author: Nur Amirah Asyiqin, Zaihuri
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) 2018
• Subjects: Q Science (General)
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35166/1/Nur%20Amirah%20Asyiqin%20Binti%20Zaihuri%20ft.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35166/

Nipah sugar or gula apong is a well-known commercialized sugar described as a solid to semi-solid brown sugar cake. The effects of cooking Nipah sap were investigated using induction stove and microwave, in comparison to the traditional cooking method. Nipah sap was obtained at Kampung Pinggan Jaya, Kuching, Sarawak. The sap was heated using induction stove at 60·C, 80·C,100·C,130·C and 240·C, while microwave at 170W, 340W, 510W, 680W and 850W using 500mL volume of sap respectively. All the sugar produced were analysed for its physical and chemical characteristics by pH measurement at I: IO ratio, moisture reduction, individual sugar types and its concentration, presence of ethanol, phenolic and flavonoid compounds. From the analysis, that highest weight of sugar was 90.9g produced using microwave cooking method. Shortest time taken was 6 minutes through induction cooking that able to remove the highest moisture content, 94.2% and produced highest sugar pH 5. 71, which is the lowest acidic property. Induction cooking also retained the most sucrose concentration, which is 95.38g/L, while the highest glucose and xylose concentration, which are 30.41 g/L and 19.73 g/L were preserved by traditional cooking method. Only Kaempferol flavone discovered at 371nm wavelength in all sugar and sugar produced from microwave cooking method covered the largest area which is 20386503 mV.s. Both induction and microwave cooking methods found to be effectively eliminated the ethanol compound. Result obtained concluded that modem methods have more advantages than traditional method such as user and environmental friendly, easy and quick to use, high accuracy, guaranteed safety, more efficient, save cost and time as well as energy.