Neera

Coconut Neera production and processing in G.M. Siddharameswara Swamy, Senior Technical Officer, CDB RO, Bangalore

Introduction in refrigerated and 30 days in What is Neera? The Neera Board was ambient conditions. In order to Neera, otherwise called Sweet constituted by the Government of commercialize the technology Toddy is a sap extracted from Karnataka to market the value developed by the CFTRI & DFRL inflorescence of various species of added products made from neera a project for demonstration of toddy palms. Neera is a natural and in the state. The Board consists of technology for processing and non alcoholic beverage, high in representatives from the neera packing neera at a cost of Rs.115 nutritional value and an instant thirst industry, i.e. farmers, state lakh was sanctioned with a sharing quencher. It is sweet, oyster white, government officials and neera pattern of 25:75 between and translucent. It is obtained by training institutes. The key objective Development Board, Government slicing the spathes of the palmyra, of the Board is to inspect and of and Government of coconut and sago palms, and control the quality of neera and its Karnataka for establishing a pilot scraping the tender most part, just products, give approval to labels and plant at Horticultural Farm, Tumbe, below the crown. It requires neither come out with various schemes for Dakshina Kannada district. The mechanical crushing, as in the case the sale of neera and its by-products pilot plant has already started trial of cane, nor leaching like that of in the international market. production and packing of neera. beet-root. This palm nectar is Attempts are also made at packing widely consumed in India, Sri Horticulture Department, in different flavors as per the Government of Karnataka prepared Lanka, Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, customer’s preferences. Thailand and Myanmar. This sweet a neera policy for commercial sap of the palm, is fast becoming a production of neera as a sweet In the state of Andra Pradesh beverage to be promoted as the Khadi and Village Industries popular drink on account of its highly nutritive value, delicious taste nutritious energy drink. The Commission (KVIC) is promoting Government is planning to promote ‘neera’, as a health drink, so as to and agreeable flavor. The chemical percentage composition of neera it as an energy drink with medicinal uplift the depressed toddy-tappers varies, depending on various values. The government came up economically. The central factors, namely, place, type of palm, to promote neera following the government is trying to develop mode and season of its collection. crash in prices of coconut and neera clusters under the scheme of copra. Department of Horticulture, Fund for Regeneration of Neera is considered as a nutritious drink as it contains a number of Government of Karnataka during Traditional Industries (SFURTI). 2002-03 sponsored a grant-in-aid The Gramodyog Sangh, which minerals and salts and is high in protein. It contains acids like project on “Technologies for undertakes programmes to help ascorbic acid (one form of vitamin enhancing the shelf life of coconut those who tap the palm trees, has sap (neera)” through Central Food under its fold 50 co-operative C), nicotinic acid (vitamin B3 and vitamin PP) and riboflavin (vitamin Technological Research Institute societies or institutions. The Khadi (CFTRI), and Defence and Village Industries Commission B2) Food Research Laboratory (KVIC) implements the scheme. Composition of Neera: (DFRL), Mysore. The CFTRI & Apart from increasing the Neera is rich in carbohydrates, DFRL have worked together and availability of the drink, the Neera mostly sucrose (table sugar), and developed a methodology of packing cluster aims at generating more has a nearly neutral pH. It has a and preserving neera up to 45 days employment for tappers. specific gravity ranging from 1.058

Indian Coconut Journal January 2013 31 Neera to 1.077. Composition of neera is susceptible to fermentation at In many countries, palm, syrup is given below: ordinary temperature, unless it is used as a health and wellness drink Concentrati quickly treated with some and is prevalently used in Ayurveda on preservative. and other systems of medicine. The Substance fresh neera is rich in carbohydrates (gms per Technological Developments: 100 ml.) with sucrose as its main constituent. Sucrose (table 12.3 - 17.4 Neera is highly susceptible to : Palm wine is an sugar) natural fermentation at ambient alcoholic beverage created from the Total ash 0.11 - 0.41 temperature within a few hours of sap of various species of palm tree Protein 0.23 - 0.32 extraction from palms. Once such as the palmyra, date palms and Ascorbic acid 0.016 - 0.030 fermented, it transforms to toddy coconut palms. Palm sap begins Total solids 15.2 - 19.7 with 4% alcohol. Using several fermenting immediately after technologies developed by various Production of Neera collection, due to natural yeasts in research institutes, neera can be the pores of pot and air (often Neera is collected every morning processed and preserved in its spurred by residual yeast left in the just at sunrise. The sap is extracted natural form to retain the vitamins, collecting container). Within two and collected by a tapper. The sap sugar, and other nutrients beneficial hours, fermentation yields an is collected from the cut flower of for health. To preserve and extend aromatic wine of up to 4% alcohol the palm. A container is fastened the shelf life of neera, heat content, mildly intoxicating and to the flower stump to collect the preservation techniques such as sweet. The wine may be allowed sap. The white liquid that initially pasteurization are used. A special to ferment longer, up to a day, to collects tends to be very sweet and filtration technique to enhance the yield a stronger, more sour and non- alcoholic. Neera is brought shelf life of neera was developed acidic taste. down from the top of the tree in by the National Chemical either earthen pots or vessels, and Laboratory, , and technologies In India, palm wine or toddy is then poured into stainless steel for the preservation and processing served as either neera or padaneer containers and bigger vessels, after of neera was developed by the (a sweet, non-alcoholic beverage being filtered through a fine mesh Central Food Technological derived from fresh sap) or kallu (a cloth or wire-mesh. Neera collected Research Institute, Mysore. sour beverage made from fermented as above contains all the sap, but not as strong as wine). Value added products from constituents of a cool and healthy Kallu is usually drunk soon after Neera drink with food and mineral value. fermentation by the end of day, as It keeps the human system cool and Palm Syrup: Palm syrup is it becomes more sour and acidic improves digestion. Fresh neera, as produced when fresh neera is day by day. Spices are also added it trickles from the tree, is easily heated and concentrated into syrup. in order to brew and drink and give it its distinct taste.

Processed neera Packing neera Packed neera

Indian Coconut Journal 32 January 2013 Neera

Palm Jaggery Liquid Palm Jaggery Palm Vinegar Neera converted into a solid or Palm Jaggery is in liquid form Coconut vinegar can also be a semisolid crystalline mass ready or semi solid form. It is very fine produced from the inflorescence for direct consumption is called and Chemical free liquid syrup. sap other than from matured Palm Jaggery. It has got wide use Palm Honey coconut water. Fresh sap is poured as sweetening agent in Indian in a wide large plastic container with village food products. Palm gur has It is produced at 78 Brix level. clean – netted cover to allow a characteristic smell of its own. It is thick liquid syrup like honey. It aeration and prevent entry of dirt Traditionally, Palm Jaggery is made is used as a table syrup as a and foreign objects. After about ten by boiling raw palm sap in large, sweetner in confectionary items like days fermentation in well ventilated shallow, round-bottom vessels. The ice creams. It is a rich source of room, the sap can be harvested as raw juice is heated at 40°C in a pan iron for anemic patients and hence vinegar. Vinegar has extensive use and this juice is then delimed to it is mainly used in pharmaceuticals as preservative in pickle industry neutrality ie., pH by adding either formulation. and flavoring agent in food phosphoric acid direct or triple Palm Sugar processing sector. The palm super phosphate solution slowly and stirring all the while. Boiling of the Crystalline sugar made from vinegar has good export potential as filtered juice is done over open-fired Neera or Palm Gur with or without compared to the synthetic vinegar. improved furnaces using metal pans clarification is known as Palm Promotion and marketing of of 20 to 24 gauge thickness. As sugar. Ordinary Palm sugar has a Neera boiling proceeds, the froth and polarisation value of 96° to 98°. The foam coming up to the surface is initial process of sugar making is Neera can be promoted as a soft removed by means of a perforated practically the same as that of gur. drink. ladle. The juice is stirred at intervals In this case also, juice is delimed, If neera could be filtered to facilitate mixing and rapid filtered and boiled. Chocolates, properly using a simple scientific evaporation. When the juice toffees and confectionery items are method and if some preservatives thickens, the fire is judiciously made by Palm Sugar added immediately after extraction, controlled in order to prevent it from Palm Candy neera could be bottled or canned caramelizing. Correct strike and stored for 45 days. temperature is judged by patting a Like palm gur, palm candy has small quantity of the thickened also its importance among the Chilled neera is a nutritious mass in water and rolling in into ball products of neera. It is being drink. It contains a number of shape. If ball forms into a hard one, produced and used since procuring minerals and salts; acids like the strike is over and the mass is sweet neera from palmyra has been ascorbic acid, nicotinic acid and moulded into moulds. The strike known. It has got its various uses riboflavin; and also proteins and temperature can also be controlled in Ayurvedic medicinal vitamin C. It has less calorific through the use of thermometers. preparations. value, apart from being sweet and In order to facilitate easy removal delicious. It has been medically Molasses of the blocks from the moulds, the proved that neera is better than moulds are either moistened with Palm molasses is a sweet syrupy mineral water. water or besmeared with fresh material obtained as a by-product Once the shelf life of neera is sweet oil before putting the thick of palm sugar. Golden syrup and mass into them. After allowing the cattle feed are the other products increased properly stored and gur to set for some time, the gur is made from Molasses. Bio-chemical packed, the drink could be removed from the moulds and products like ethyl alcohol, acetic transported to longer distances. packed. The quality gur is always acid, citric acid etc., can be Neera could become a nutritious hard, crystalline and golden- prepared out of molasses by drink offering a healthy alternative coloured. fermentation methods. to aerated beverages.

Indian Coconut Journal January 2013 33