FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF TABLE SUGARS DERIVED FROM THE SAP OF THE INFLORESCENCES OF 03 COCONUT (COCOS NUCIFERA.L) CULTIVARS IN COTE DIVOIRE

This study is part of a context of diversification of the uses of the Ivorian coconut tree. The objective was to determine the functional characteristics of crystalline sugars derived from the sap of inflorescences of three coconut cultivars. Red and white sugars from cane were taken as controls. Variations in final temperatures coupled with distinct cooking times were carried out in order to evaluate the effect of the time/temperature couple on the studied parameters. Thus, three different treatments were applied.The functional characterization of the sugars studied shows that coconut sugars are an important source of total polyphenols with levels ranging from 34.64 to 143.12 mg/100g.No polyphenolic compounds were assayed in white cane sugar. Coconut sugars from treatment 1 are less energetic than those from the other two treatments. On the other hand, brown and white sugars from sugar cane are more energetic than those from coconut trees.In view of all the above, coconut sugars, especially those from treatment 1, are natural sweeteners with a low energy value. In addition, they are rich in polyphenols and flavonoids, unlike refined cane sugar and its red counterpart which contains very few nutrients.Thus, coconut sugars produced in Cote dIvoire can be considered as a phytonutrient substitute, capable of replacing sugarcane sugars.

Efforts to Quantify Changes in Near-Infrared Spectra Caused by the Influence of Water, pH, Ionic Strength, and Differences in Physical State

The application of near-infrared spectroscopy to high-moisture samples has shown that the accuracy does not match that found for dried materials. The objective of this work was to attempt to quantify the effects of water, pH, ionic strength, and differences in physical state on near-infrared spectra with the use of model compounds. Spectra were compared by regression analysis of second derivatives after spectral subtraction of water. Spectra from 4900 to 4100 cm−1 at a resolution of 4 cm−1 were examined. Regression results showed spectra to be more similar among amorphous sugars and among dissolved sugars than among crystalline sugars. Also, spectra of amorphous sugars were statistically more similar to spectra of dissolved sugars than to spectra of crystalline sugars. While the spectra of one dissolved or amorphous sugar were statistically similar, this was not true for amino acids. Spectra of amorphous amino acids were similar to those of crystalline forms and neither were similar to those of dissolved forms. Spectrally, polymeric carbohydrates appeared very similar to one another when dry and behaved like amino acids when wet. Finally, efforts to directly relate these findings to near-IR spectroscopy calibration problems will require further research.