Penyimpanan Dingin dan Beku Kelapa Parut untuk Produksi Santan Kelapa

Abstract

Penyimpanan kelapa parut pada suhu dingin dan beku sebelum ekstraksi merupakan praktik umum dalam industri pengolahan kelapa skala kecil, namun pengaruhnya terhadap mutu santan belum dikaji secara komprehensif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh metode penyimpanan suhu dingin (chiller, 4°C ± 2°C) dan suhu beku (freezer konvensional, -18°C ± 2°C) serta durasi penyimpanan (0, 1, 3, 6, 10, dan 15 hari) terhadap kualitas santan hasil ekstraksi manual (rasio kelapa parut:air sebesar 1:1 b/v). Parameter mutu yang diuji meliputi pH, padatan total, kadar lemak, dan kadar asam lemak bebas (sebagai asam laurat), yang dievaluasi berdasarkan kriteria jenis "Santan" pada SNI 3816:2020. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penyimpanan beku mampu mempertahankan pH santan pada kisaran 6,22–6,49, dan seluruh parameter mutu tetap memenuhi persyaratan SNI 3816:2020 sepanjang 15 hari pengamatan. Sebaliknya, penyimpanan dingin menyebabkan penurunan pH di bawah batas minimum SNI (pH < 5,9) disertai pertumbuhan kapang psikrotrofik yang teridentifikasi secara visual sejak hari ke-3. Sementara itu, kadar asam lemak bebas pada seluruh perlakuan tidak melampaui 0,3%, yang mengindikasikan bahwa kerusakan mikrobiologis mendahului kerusakan lipolitis pada kondisi penyimpanan dingin. Berdasarkan hasil tersebut, penyimpanan beku direkomendasikan sebagai metode efektif untuk mempertahankan mutu kelapa parut hingga maksimal 15 hari sebelum proses ekstraksi.

Low-temperature storage of grated coconut prior to extraction, encompassing both chilling and freezing conditions, is a common practice in the small scale coconut processing industry, yet its comprehensive impact on the quality of the resulting coconut milk remains under-researched. This study aimed to analyze the effects of storage methods, namely chilling (4°C ± 2°C) and conventional freezing (-18°C ± 2°C) and storage durations (0, 1, 3, 6, 10, and 15 days) on the quality of manually extracted coconut milk with a grated coconut-to-water ratio of 1:1 (w/v). The evaluated quality parameters included pH, total solids, fat content, and free fatty acid content (as lauric acid), which were assessed against the standards for the "Santan" (coconut milk) category under SNI 3816:2020. The results demonstrated that frozen storage successfully maintained the pH of the coconut milk within the range of 6,22–6,49, with all quality parameters consistently meeting the SNI 3816:2020 requirements throughout the 15-day observation period. Conversely, chilled storage caused the pH to drop below the minimum SNI threshold (pH < 5,9), accompanied by visually identifiable psychrotrophic mold growth on the surface of the grated coconut starting from day 3. Meanwhile, the free fatty acid content across all treatments remained below 0,3%, indicating that microbiological spoilage preceded lipolytic degradation under chilled storage conditions. Based on these findings, frozen storage is highly recommended as an effective method to preserve the quality of grated coconut for 15 days or less prior to extraction.