Maintain and Improve the Quality of Nutmeg Seeds (Myristica fragrans) through the on Farm to Postharvest Strategy on North Maluku

Abstract

Nutmeg is a spice native to the North Maluku islands. The high and stable economic value of nutmeg has made this commodity a leading product for export, regional development and farmers' income. However, at the sales stage, not all of the nutmegs have high selling value. There are physical quality grades of seeds, namely A, B and C. The difference between the best grade A (whole seeds) and wrinkled B is IDR. 50,000;-75,000; whereas grade C nutmeg is crushed (sticky nutmeg to the shell). In the optimal harvest conditions, 70-80% of the nutmegs are produced including grade A. Still, the large amount of nutmeg that goes to grade B (30-40%) makes farmers' income not optimal. Besides that, the quality of the aroma of nutmeg produced is in the form of essential oil content, low myristicin. To maintain the quality of nutmeg, technical efforts are needed in the field, on farm to postharvest. The technology for preparing superior seedlings from selected certified mother trees is the first step in developing nutmeg in order to obtain high quality and not sticky nutmeg. This step includes the production of generative and vegetative seedlings from the certified parent tree entries. The next step, the nutmeg harvest based on the ripeness of the fruit on the tree is about 80%, marked by the opening of the pulp. This step requires monitoring the condition of the fruit so that the harvest is simultaneous and on time to avoid falling fruit that has prolonged contact with the soil surface. The drying stage is carried out with a clean drying floor using sunlight or a drying machine. It is necessary to develop policies for integrated nutmeg commodity estate that carry out a production system with location-specific optimal technology, from garden optimization, harvesting techniques to drying.