Study on the physicochemical and sensory profile of pliek-u: A traditional dried fermented coconut endosperm from Aceh, Indonesia

Pliek-u is dried fermented coconut endosperm that has been produced by people in Aceh Province, Indonesia for a long time. It is made by implementing a highly efficient process; thus, we want to conserve this tradition. The objective of this study was to determine the physicochemical and sensory quality of pliek-u. A survey was conducted in five local markets in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar District. About 12 samples were collected and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The parameters observed were moisture, ash, fat, protein, fiber and carbohydrate contents, as well as pH-value, color and volatile compounds. Three expert panelists were interviewed to document the information about the sensory quality of pliek-u. Results showed that the quality of pliek-u highly varied among the processors, as indicated by the distribution of those samples in all quadrants of the principal component analysis (PCA) biplot graph. About two principal components (PCs) were determined and two parameters were excluded i.e., fat and fiber content; PC₁ contributed to 34.111% of the variance, with pH value as the most important factor; while PC₂ contributed to 24.968% of the variance, with protein content as the most important factor. Interestingly, the volatile compounds of the three best samples selected by panelists were unique and different from the others. Therefore, the sensory quality of pliek-u should be supported by the physicochemical quality to guarantee the safety of consuming the product. Further studies on determining certain volatile compounds produced during fermentation are recommended.