Productions and Functional Properties of Palm Sugars

Abstract

Sugar profile, antioxidant properties, DNA damages, and in vitro predicted glycaemic index (pGI) of palm sugars (syrup and powder) were investigated in comparison with refined cane sugar. It was found that palm sugars exhibited better nutritional qualities than refined cane sugars. Palm sugars in both syrup and powder forms showed similar results, except in some properties. They contained a high content of fructose and glucose. They also exhibited better antioxidant properties, as evidenced by the high content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids. This contributed to their great antioxidant activities when assessed by DPPH radical scavenging activity and FRAP assay. The addition of palm sugar extracts to the reaction mixture effectively protected against DNA damage. For pGI, the mixture of corn starch and palm sugars showed slow digestion rate and, consequently, lower pGI values than those of refined cane sugars. Nutritional and functional properties of palm sugars were thought to be influenced by their retained phytonutrients, as they were processed under mild conditions.