Abstract :
Desiccated coconut is a preserved coconut product that can be used as raw material for
the making squeezed from coconut, substitute for the making cake, cookies and other
foods. The other advantages of desiccated coconut are more practicall, light in weight,
long shelflife, quick and easy used and transportation. It is related with era modern, the
consumer like practically and economic product to be used. This research aimed to
determine shelflife desiccated coconut with any pretreatment based on its chemicals,
physical and sensory of desiccated coconut characteristics so can be accepted by
consumer. In this research use 3 kind pretreatment are steam blanching with
temperature 70oC until 10 minutes, soaked with sodium metabisulfit along 10 minutes
and control (without anything pretreatment) and use Solar Tunnel Dryer of drying
methods. Shelflife of desiccated coconut depend on the chemical, physical and sensory
characteristics during storage ASLT with temperature 40oC and moisture 93% during 6
week. During storage, the quality of desiccated coconut measured based on chemical
analyze includes water content, lipid content, free fatty acid content, peroxide value,
physical analyze include viscosity of squeezed from desiccated coconut and sensory
analyze that use 2 samples that are desiccated coconut and squeezed from desiccated
coconut with any treatments. Sensory of desiccated coconut include parameters flavor,
color, chrispyness, and overall, while sensory to squeezed from desiccated coconut
include parameters flavor, cream content, color cream, and overall. Based on the result
of chemicals analyze obtained that water content, free fatty acids content and peroxide
values of desiccated coconut with any treatment more and more increasing during
storages, while viscosity of squeezed of desiccated coconut more decrease because lipid
content also more and more decreases. In the last storage, control yields the highest
water content (3,79 %) and followed steam blanching treatment (3,72%), and soaked
with sodium metabisulfit (3,47%). Steam blanching treatment yields desiccated coconut
with lipid content the highest that is 66,96% between others treatment. The highest of
free fatty acids content resulted control (0,1013%), then followed with steam blanching
(0,0853 %), and the less is soaked with sodium metabisulfit (0,0827%). Based on the
organoleptic of desiccated coconut result panelist are prefer desiccated coconut with
soaked with sodium metabisulfit treatment compared others treatment. In the research
can be determined shelflife desiccated coconut between 6 week in storage Accelerated
Shelf life Test (ASLT) that means endure along approximately 4 month in ambient
storage. The Quality standard (SNI) for qualified desiccated coconut that is white
natural color, deliciously, tasty, chrispy, water content maximum 3,5%, lipid content
minimum 65% and free fatty acid content (lauric acid) maximum 0,1%.