Pengaruh Penambahan Tepung Daun Kelor (Moringa oleifera) dan Perbandingan Gula dalam Pembuatan Kecap Manis

Abstract

Moringa leaves (Moringa oleifera) are highly nutritious, particularly rich in protein, and contain bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, and terpenoids. Sweet soy sauce is fermented soybean-based product widely used as cooking condiment, typically containing minimum of 40% total sugar. The type and ratio of sugar used can significantly affect the final characteristics of sweet soy sauce. This study aimed to examine the effect of moringa leaf flour addition and sugar ratio on the quality of sweet soy sauce. Complete Randomized Factorial Design was used with two factors: moringa leaf flour (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%) and white sugar:palm sugar ratios (100:0, 50:50, 0:100). The results showed that the addition of moringa leaf flour had a highly significant effect (P<0.01) on color index, pH, total soluble solids, protein content, and the hedonic values of color, aroma, taste, and overall acceptability of the sweet soy sauce. The sugar ratio also had a highly significant effect (P<0.01) on color index, pH, total soluble solids, total sugar, and the hedonic values of color, aroma, taste, and overall acceptability. The interaction between the two factors showed a highly significant effect (P<0.01) on color index, pH, total soluble solids, and the hedonic values of color, aroma, taste, and overall acceptability. The best treatment determined with De Garmo method is the K4G2 combination, which consists of 15% moringa leaf flour and a 50:50 ratio of white sugar to palm sugar.