Profile of amino acids and fatty acids of some Indonesia tall coconut varieties

Abstract

The main content of coconut kernels are fats and fatty acids as well as protein and amino acids, and these contents vary among the varieties. This variation of amino acids and fatty acids also occurs in Indonesian tall coconut varieties. The objective of this study was to characterize amino and fatty acids content of Indonesian tall coconut varieties, namely Mapanget Tall, Palu Tall, Bali Tall, Tenga Tall, Selayar Tall, OdeskaLobu Tall, Babasal Tall, and Mastutin Tall. This study was conducted in Manado and Bogor from 2014 - 2019 by using an observational method. The results showed that the coconut kernel has eight types of non-essential amino acids and eight types of essential amino acids. Palu Tall has the highest amino acid content: alanine, arginine, aspartate, glutamate, glycine, serine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, and valine. Mapanget Tall has the highest contents of caprylic, capric, and lauric fatty acids, each with 9.04, 6.71, and 53.67 %, respectively. The result of this study can be used to develop varieties to obtain coconuts with high essential amino acids and fatty acids for the production of VCO, desiccated coconut, and other raw food materials.