Organoleptic properties evaluation of Ternate Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt)

Abstract

Ternate City, North Maluku Province is a producer of nutmeg. The nutmeg that is cultivated comes from smallholder plantations. So far, post-harvest handling is still traditionally with simple equipment and poor hygienic which results in low-quality nutmeg. Efforts to improve post-harvest handling need to be done to improve the quality and farmer's income. The purpose of this activity is to provide knowledge on good post-harvest handling of nutmeg in Ternate. One of the phases of activity carried out is through a survey to farmers to identify the organoleptic properties of nutmeg, as well as testing the water and vitamin C content of the nutmeg. The test results show that the drying process is not optimal because the resulting water content does not meet Indonesian National Standard (SNI), which is above 10%. The content of vitamin C in the flesh is 22 mg. Meanwhile, the organoleptic properties found that the colour, flavour, and taste were the most preferred by the farmer in the mace, seed, and flesh, respectively. The results of this activity can provide information about the characteristics of nutmeg that have been produced by Ternate farmers as a recommendation for proper post-harvest handling of nutmeg.