Effects of Enzymatic Treatment on Physicochemical Properties of Sugar Palm Fruit Juice

The interest in fruit and vegetable juices production has increased significantly all over the world due to their benefit value, quality of production and increasing of consumer awareness and preference for healthy food. The production of sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) fruit juice with exotic characteristics has the potential to be explored based on the new technologies and methods in juices industry. In beverage industry, enzyme is an essential tool for quality improvement and cost saving by increasing the yield of the fruit juice. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of different enzymatic treatment on sugar palm fruit juice processing. Sugar palm fruit purees were treated individually and in combination using two types of commercial enzymes: Novozymes Cellulase and Pectinex Ultra SP-L at a concentration of 0.05% (w/w) and incubated at 45°C for 60 min. The results showed that there are significant (p<0.05) reduction on proximate content such as crude fibre, crude protein and carbohydrate for the enzymes treated juices as compared to the untreated juice. The enzyme treatment also significantly (p<0.05) reduced the juice viscosity and ascorbic acid content, promoted juice clarification and increased L value, yield, TSS and sugar content. In conclusion, the quality of sugar palm fruit juice can be improved by using the combination treatment of pectinase and cellulase enzymes.