International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 07 Issue: 04 | Apr 2020 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 © 2020, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 7.34 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 453 Nira Water Bottle Design in a Bid to Elevate Malaysian Coconut Industry Marzuki Ibrahim 1 , Nurul Izzatul Hanin Kamal 2 , Mohd Hisham Omar 3 1 Faculty of Innovative Design and Technology, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu Malaysia 2 Product Design Cluster, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu Malaysia 3 Department of Industrial Design, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu Malaysia ---------------------------------------------------------------------***--------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract - The coconut stands as the fourth most important industrial crop in Malaysia. It produces a myriad of products including nira water, usually involves the use of plastic bottles. Data collection was initiated by literature reviews, followed by direct observations and interviews to gather additional information relevant to the research. Three main issues were identified, namely accelerated fermentation process, nira water sours rapidly and rainwater seeping into nira water. Design process started with the establishment of design statement, followed by the criterias of design, namely aesthetics, product function, and ergonomics. Ideas and basic principles of nira water bottle product were brainstormed at Design Conception stage, progressing to its amalgamation into a single design at the Design Embodiment stage. The next stage is Selected Design, where the researcher produced rendering, detailed drawing and full-scale model. Details of proposed materials and production process were also prepared. Design process was completed with nira water bottle design appreciation via Feldman theory that comprises of four steps, namely description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation. With this new nira water bottle design, it is hoped that the issues faced by nira water entrepreneurs in Malaysia could be somewhat mitigated. Hopefully this research will be a step forward in enhancing and upgrading the Malaysian coconut nira water industry, which is now seen as a potential source of wealth for the country, in addition to be on par with the world's leading producers of nira water. Key Words: nira water, coconut industry, bottle design, design process, Malaysia. 1. INTRODUCTION The coconut or known in Malay as kelapa (Cocos nucifera L.) is a species of palm that thrives in humid tropical areas. As reported by R.Sudha et al [11], this plant may have originated in the Southwest Pacific or the Indian Ocean and was introduced to Malaysia and the islands between South East Asia and the Western Pacific before it entered more than 90 countries. India is the top global coconut-based product producer. Other main producers include Indonesia and the Phillipines. In Malaysia, coconut stands as the fourth primary industrial crop after oil palm, rubber, and paddy. Currently, annual Malaysian coconut production is 504,700 metric tonne per year, with planting acreage of 84,600 hectares. The latest statistics cited Sabah as the state with largest planting area, followed by Sarawak, Johor, Selangor and Perak [10]. The diversity of coconut products is so outstanding that it was referred as the tree of a thousand use (tree of life). This is because almost the entire coconut plant parts like its trunk, leaves, fruit, fiber and water can be utilized and taken advantage of. Throughout Malaysia, young coconut water is an important commodity that serves as an isotonic drink due to its energy boosting and toxin removal properties. Young coconut water is also made into popular drinks such as coconut shake, while its flesh is eaten as it is or used as ingredients in "kuih-muih" and biscuits. Nowadays, Malaysian enjoy nira water as a natural drink in addition to young coconut water. Nira water is a sweetened drink extracted from the coconut tree or nipah palm. The production process of coconut nira water and nipah nira water are similar, with the slight difference being coconut nira water is extracted from the coconut bunch stem atop the tree while nipah nira water is collected from the fruit stem located at the base of the nipah plant (See Fig. 1 and Fig. 2). Both nira water can be enjoyed fresh, when processed into “tuak”, or turned into sweetmeats (gula Melaka or gula kabong). Pricewise, it is unregulated and usually depends on the seller, which can range from RM10 to RM15 per liter and RM50 to RM60 per 10 liters [1]. According to Anim Hosnan [2], fresh nira water will traditionally be sold at RM 2.00 - RM 3.00 per plastic container or per small bottle (approximately 180 - 250 ml). The exact number of direct nira entrepreneurs in Malaysia is unknown. According to the statistics provided by Anim Hosnan [2], in 2012, around 150 - 250 entrepreneurs were estimated to be involved in nira water production activities, with a production estimate of approximately 30,000 - 50,000 liters annually. Meanwhile, Omar Osman and Nur Syazwana Mansor [8] reported the existence of 36 nira entrepreneurs in Kedah and 9 in Perlis in 2015.