Vol.12 (2022) No. 2 ISSN: 2088-5334 Optimizing of the Parameters of Coconut Sugar Production Using Taguchi Design in Riau, Indonesia Viona Zulfia a , Makhmudun Ainuri b , Nafis Khuriyati b , Rachmiwati Yusuf a, Achmad Saiful Alim a , Usman Pato c,* a Agricultural Technology Research Center Riau, Agricultural Research and Development Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Pekanbaru, Indonesia b Agricultural Department of Agro-industrial Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia c Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Riau, Kampus Bina Widya Km.12,5 Simpang Baru, Pekanbaru 28292, Riau, Indonesia. Corresponding author: * usmanpato@yahoo.com Abstract— The quality of coconut sugar produced from Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau Province, is still fluctuating and has not compliant with SNI-01-3743 of 1995, which incorrect parameters in its production may cause incorrect parameters in its production. Optimizing of production parameters is needed to maintain the quality of coconut sugar. Coconut sugar quality indicators can be determined from the physical-chemical and organoleptic characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to modify the parameters of coconut sugar production, aiming to obtain optimal production parameters to produce a standard production process and coconut sugar following consumer needs and SNI. The experimental design uses the Taguchi method, which consists of 4- factor variables: (1) the type of sap preservative, (2) defoaming agent, (3) the time of tapping, and (4) the cooking temperature of the sap. The multi-response loss function approach was used to select the best production process parameters based on the typical characteristics of qualities. The results showed that the optimal production parameters were obtained in a combination of mangosteen peel and lime as sap preservative, coconut milk as a defoaming agent, long-time tapping time of 8 hours (heating) +16 hours, and cooking temperature of 135 o C with a yield of 15.58%, part of water-insoluble in 0.07%, (ΔE) color 62.30, hardness 99.92 N, moisture content 6.87%, ash content 1.96%, sucrose content 77.77%, reducing sugar content 8.09% with organoleptic test values close to 4 ( like) and equal SNI. Keywords— Coconut sugar; quality; Taguchi design; Indragiri Hilir. Manuscript received 5 Jul. 2021; revised 24 Sep. 2021; accepted 10 Nov. 2021. Date of publication 30 Apr. 2022. IJASEIT is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License. I. INTRODUCTION The development priority of Indragiri Hilir Regency places coconut as a superior regional commodity. Planted area of estate crops was 351,526 ha in 2019 [1]. Its processed products include coconut sugar, virgin coconut oil (VCO), copra, coconut oil, handicraft, activated charcoal, soap, syrup, coconut jam, and coconut flour. Of these processed products, coconut sugar is cultivated mainly by local farmers [2], [3]. Coconut sugar agroindustry prospect to be developed because of factors as follows:  The coconut sugar business has an excellent opportunity to improve the regional economy[4], [5].  Coconut sugar is a multi-functional product that is a direct final product for consumption and is widely used as a raw material for other products[6], [7].  It has a long storage time without reducing its quality to be distributed to various regions.  Coconut sugar can be produced continuously by processors or artisans throughout the year.  The texture and taste of coconut sugar are similar to brown sugar in replacing regular table sugar[8].  Coconut sugar can be used to alternate conventional refined sugar [9]. The quality of coconut sugar products produced in Indragiri Hilir District, Riau Province, is low on physical, chemical, and organoleptic characteristics. The color of coconut sugar still is at variance, from light brown to dark brown. The chemical quality characteristics of coconut sugar currently contain water content, ash content, sucrose content, and reducing sugar: 7.63%, 3.49%, 62.64%, and 14.92%, respectively. These values are not suitable for the Indonesian National Standard (SNI 01-3743-1995) [10] concerning the 752