Abstract:
Coconut sugar (gula kelapa) production is a common economic activiry
of coconut farmers in the Indragiri Hilir District. It is concentrated in
the Tempuling sub-district.The producers have low bargaining positions
compared to that of the traders or wholesalers. Producers'lack of
knowledge about end-consumers' perceptions of good quality coconut
sugar makes the situation worse. The study was aimed at identifying
the perceived quality by the producers, traders and buyers of coconut
sugar. Aspects of quality assessed were colour, texture, aroma, flavour,
hygiene, weight, shape, shelf-life and packaging. In general, the
producers, traders and industries shared similar quality perceptions of
coconut sugar which is similar to the Industrial Standard of Indonesia
(SII) . However, there were dffirences in colour preferences. The maioriQ
of producers preferred pale colour coconut sugar while the majority of
the traders and industries preferred reddish brown coconut sugar. These
findings offer guidelinesfor the producers to reconsider the use ofsodium
metabisulphite which has been used to enhance pale-colour coconut
sugar.
