145
Applications and Products—Nata de Coco
et.al..2010)..There.are.a.number.of.operating.factors.that.affect.the.production.
of.nata.de.coco..A.culture.medium.with.appropriate.concentrations.and.types.
of.nitrogen.and.carbon.is.required.for.the.growth.of.Acetobacter.bacteria.and.
BNC.biosynthesis..Other.important.factors.are.pH,.temperature,.and.dissolved.
. oxygen.(DO)..During.the.first.stage.of.fermentation,.the.process.of.cellulose.
formation. and. the. consumption. of. glucose. are. controlled. by. oxygen. concentration;.however,.in.the.later.stages,.sucrose.becomes.a.limiting.substrate.
(Budhiono.et.al..1999;.Verschuren.et.al..2000)..Although.glucose.and.sucrose.
are.generally.used.as.carbon.sources.for.BNC.production,.other.carbon.sources.
such.as.fructose,.mannitol,.glycerol,.ethanol,.and.many.residues.from.agroindustries.can.also.be.used.(Carreira.et.al..2011;.Jung.et.al..2010;.Masaoka.et.al..
1993;.Mikkelsen.et.al..2009;.Takaaki.et.al..1998;.White.and.Brown.1989)..Sugar.
concentration,.pH,.and.ammonium.sulfate.concentration.are.important.factors.
that.affect.moisture.content,.hardness,.and.other.physical.properties.of.nata.
de.coco.(Jagannath.et.al..2008)..The.pH.of.the.fermentation.medium.strongly.
affects.growth.and.cellulose.formation..The.optimum.fermentation.medium.
pH.has.been.reported.to.be.4.0–6.0.(Masaoka.et.al..1993;.Phunsri.et.al..2003).
The.common.process.for.the.production.of.nata.de.coco.uses.coconut.water.
or.coconut.milk.as.a.fermentation.medium.with.supplements.of.sucrose.and.
ammonium.sulfate.((NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 ).at.concentrations.of.5%–10%.and.0.5%–0.7%,.
respectively.(Jagannath.et.al..2008;.Phisalaphong.et.al..2010)..The.initial.pH.of.
the.fermentation.medium.is.normally.adjusted.to.4.0–5.0.with.diluted.acetic.
acid.(Figures 7.1.and.7.2).
The. medium. is. statically. cultivated. with. 5%–10%. of. a. stock. culture. in. a.
plastic.tray.(or.jar).at.a.level.of.approximately.2–4.cm.in.height.and.covered.
with.a.piece.of.clean.newspaper.or.similar.material..The.optimum.temperature. range. for. nata. production. is. between. 23°C. and. 32°C.. Under. suitable.
conditions,.good.quality.nata.de.coco.that.has.a.smooth.surface.and.a.soft,.
chewy.texture.is.obtained.after.7–14.days.of.incubation..The.quality.aspects.
of.nata.de.coco.that.should.be.considered.are.shape,.thickness,.color,.purity,.
and. acidity.. Nata. de. coco. is. usually. produced. in. the. form. of. rectangular.
sheets. with. a. thickness. of. approximately. 1–2. cm. (Figure 7.3a).. The. sheet.
is. harvested. by. separating. the. nata. from. the. spent. liquor,. scraping. thin.
. bacterial. films. off. the. gel. surface,. and. soaking. the. nata. in. water.. To. make.
nata.de.coco.in.syrup,.the.gel.is.cut.into.small,.uniform.cubes.(. approximately.
1.5.cm.×.1.5 cm.×.1.5.cm),.washed.by.soaking.the.cubes.(nata).for.1.or.more.
days.in.several.changes.of.water.to.remove.the.sour.(acid).taste.and.smell,.
then.boiled.in.water.for.5–10.minutes..After.that,.it.is.cooked.in.sugar.syrup.
for.food.applications..The.sweetened.nata.product.is.packed.in.sterilized.preserving.jars,.cans,.or.plastic.bags.(Figure 7.3b).before.using.it.in.low-calorie.
desserts,. salads,. and. high-fiber. foods. (Figure 7.3c).. Nata. de. coco. is. highly.
regarded.for.its.high.content.of.dietary.fiber.and.its.low.fat.and.cholesterol.
content..It.promotes.a.healthy.digestive.system.
Applications and Products—Nata de Coco
et.al..2010)..There.are.a.number.of.operating.factors.that.affect.the.production.
of.nata.de.coco..A.culture.medium.with.appropriate.concentrations.and.types.
of.nitrogen.and.carbon.is.required.for.the.growth.of.Acetobacter.bacteria.and.
BNC.biosynthesis..Other.important.factors.are.pH,.temperature,.and.dissolved.
. oxygen.(DO)..During.the.first.stage.of.fermentation,.the.process.of.cellulose.
formation. and. the. consumption. of. glucose. are. controlled. by. oxygen. concentration;.however,.in.the.later.stages,.sucrose.becomes.a.limiting.substrate.
(Budhiono.et.al..1999;.Verschuren.et.al..2000)..Although.glucose.and.sucrose.
are.generally.used.as.carbon.sources.for.BNC.production,.other.carbon.sources.
such.as.fructose,.mannitol,.glycerol,.ethanol,.and.many.residues.from.agroindustries.can.also.be.used.(Carreira.et.al..2011;.Jung.et.al..2010;.Masaoka.et.al..
1993;.Mikkelsen.et.al..2009;.Takaaki.et.al..1998;.White.and.Brown.1989)..Sugar.
concentration,.pH,.and.ammonium.sulfate.concentration.are.important.factors.
that.affect.moisture.content,.hardness,.and.other.physical.properties.of.nata.
de.coco.(Jagannath.et.al..2008)..The.pH.of.the.fermentation.medium.strongly.
affects.growth.and.cellulose.formation..The.optimum.fermentation.medium.
pH.has.been.reported.to.be.4.0–6.0.(Masaoka.et.al..1993;.Phunsri.et.al..2003).
The.common.process.for.the.production.of.nata.de.coco.uses.coconut.water.
or.coconut.milk.as.a.fermentation.medium.with.supplements.of.sucrose.and.
ammonium.sulfate.((NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 ).at.concentrations.of.5%–10%.and.0.5%–0.7%,.
respectively.(Jagannath.et.al..2008;.Phisalaphong.et.al..2010)..The.initial.pH.of.
the.fermentation.medium.is.normally.adjusted.to.4.0–5.0.with.diluted.acetic.
acid.(Figures 7.1.and.7.2).
The. medium. is. statically. cultivated. with. 5%–10%. of. a. stock. culture. in. a.
plastic.tray.(or.jar).at.a.level.of.approximately.2–4.cm.in.height.and.covered.
with.a.piece.of.clean.newspaper.or.similar.material..The.optimum.temperature. range. for. nata. production. is. between. 23°C. and. 32°C.. Under. suitable.
conditions,.good.quality.nata.de.coco.that.has.a.smooth.surface.and.a.soft,.
chewy.texture.is.obtained.after.7–14.days.of.incubation..The.quality.aspects.
of.nata.de.coco.that.should.be.considered.are.shape,.thickness,.color,.purity,.
and. acidity.. Nata. de. coco. is. usually. produced. in. the. form. of. rectangular.
sheets. with. a. thickness. of. approximately. 1–2. cm. (Figure 7.3a).. The. sheet.
is. harvested. by. separating. the. nata. from. the. spent. liquor,. scraping. thin.
. bacterial. films. off. the. gel. surface,. and. soaking. the. nata. in. water.. To. make.
nata.de.coco.in.syrup,.the.gel.is.cut.into.small,.uniform.cubes.(. approximately.
1.5.cm.×.1.5 cm.×.1.5.cm),.washed.by.soaking.the.cubes.(nata).for.1.or.more.
days.in.several.changes.of.water.to.remove.the.sour.(acid).taste.and.smell,.
then.boiled.in.water.for.5–10.minutes..After.that,.it.is.cooked.in.sugar.syrup.
for.food.applications..The.sweetened.nata.product.is.packed.in.sterilized.preserving.jars,.cans,.or.plastic.bags.(Figure 7.3b).before.using.it.in.low-calorie.
desserts,. salads,. and. high-fiber. foods. (Figure 7.3c).. Nata. de. coco. is. highly.
regarded.for.its.high.content.of.dietary.fiber.and.its.low.fat.and.cholesterol.
content..It.promotes.a.healthy.digestive.system.