SAGO FOOD

sago Factory

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:23:00 +0000

Here are some ways...
PENGUMUMAN
NOMOR : 02/BADIKLITKESOS/PANSEL/VIII/2010
PENDAFTARAN CALON ANGGOTA BADAN AKREDITASI LEMBAGA KESEJAHTERAAN SOSIAL DAN LEMBAGA SERTIFIKASI PEKERJA SOSIAL PERIODE 2011 – 2016

Berdasarkan Keputusan Menteri Sosial Republik Indonesia Nomor : 62/HUK/2010 tentang Panitia Seleksi Anggota Badan Akreditasi Lembaga Kesejahteraan Sosial (BALKS) dan Lembaga Sertifikasi Pekerjaan Sosial (LSPS), membuka kesempatan kepada Warga Negara Indonesia untuk mendaftarkan diri menjadi Calon Anggota BALKS dan LSPS Periode 2011 – 2016.

I. PERSYARATAN CALON
1. Warga Negara Indonesia;
2. Sehat jasmani dan rohani
3. Memiliki rekam jejak yang baik;
4. Berpendidikan serendah-rendahnya Sarjana atau Diploma IV;
5. Memiliki pengetahuan dan pengalaman di bidang penyelenggaraan kesejahteraan sosial sekurang-kurangnya selama 5 tahun.
6. Bersedia mengikuti seleksi yang ditentukan panitia
7. Menyerahkan surat lamaran a.n. organisasi/pribadi (dicalonkan asosiasi/lembaga/organisasi) dengan melampirkan:
• Formulir isian Calon Angggota LSPS dan BALKS yang dapat di-download pada situs : www.depsos.go.id
• Surat pernyataan di atas meterai Rp 6.000,00 tentang:
i. tidak pernah dipidana karena melakukan tindakan kejahatan;
ii. bersedia bekerja penuh tanggung jawab;
8. Fotocopy ijazah terakhir dan transkrip nilai yang sudah dilegalisir;
9. Surat keterangan sehat dari dokter;
10. Fotocopy KTP yang masih berlaku;
11. Surat Keterangan Catatan Kepolisian (SKCK) dari POLRI;
12. 3 (tiga) lembar foto terbaru ukuran 4 x 6 (berwarna);
13. Surat rekomendasi dari organisasi yang mengajukannya untuk menjadi calon anggota LSPS dan BALKS
14. Surat ijin dari atasan bagi yang bekerja.

Selengkapnya, silakan downoad file berikut ini :

*
Download Pengumuman lengkap

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:53:00 +0000

SAGO FACTORY PICTURES

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:26:00 +0000

SAGO FACTORY PICTURES

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:21:00 +0000

622197208618

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:11:00 +0000

coconut shell coal

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:07:00 +0000

seller of coconut coal of indonesia

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:37:00 +0000

we are exporter of coconut coal best quality of indonesia coconut spices. there are many kinds of those....like the next pic..
to get it fast, everybody can order to our best service factory located at indonesia not so far from Singapore and Selat Melaka Strait....
Get it now on +6287893409153 (aziko)

Sago Palm Care - Ensure Your Sago Grows Well

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:07:00 +0000

Probably one of the most common palm trees and the one most grown by people at home is the sago palm tree. It is a beautiful type of palm that looks great no matter where it is, and although it is not a true palm tree, it is still quite beautiful and fairly easy to take care of as well. Of course there is some sago palm care to consider if you want your palm to grow well. Here are a few simple tips that will help you to ensure that your sago grows well and ends up looking great.

Where to Grow It

First of all, when it comes to sago palm care, you may be wondering where you should actually grow your sago palm. Well, they usually can do well about anywhere that has warm summers and in places where they can be kept out of snow and frost. If you life in a colder climate, you can keep your sago palm inside if you have to. Of course if you live in an area that doesn't get nasty winters, then you can easily grow one of these sago palms in the ground, which will make maintenance easier and you'll get a larger sago as well this way.

Potential Problems

There are some potential problems that can happen when you decide to grow a sago palm, which means that sago palm care is going to be important. First of all, you'll find that sago palms can take a long time to grow, not to mention that these palms are leaf catchers, which means that you'll want to make sure this tree is not located by a tree that sheds leaves. Sago palms need to have very warm summers and they definitely need plenty of sun as well. So, these things are very important when it comes to sago palm care. Also, it's important to note that Sago palm trees can harm dogs if dogs consume their seeds.

Care Tips

When it comes to sago palm care, there are a variety of tips to keep in mind. First of all it is important to make sure that you give it fertilizer about every six months or so and you'll also want to avoid over watering the sago as well. If you notice that your sago palm begins to catch a bunch of leaves, you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. With these simple sago palm care tips, you can ensure that you keep your sag healthy and looking great.

Sago Is Kepulauan Meranti regency's Agriculture

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:53:00 +0000

A distinction is made between the facts affecting food production and demand for food from an expanding population, the fact of forest conversion to meet that demand and, on the other hand, the uncertainty arising from the observed vegetational, atmospheric, and hydrological changes which are taking place at the present time. An attempt is made to distinguish between anthropogenic and cyclical climatic perturbance.

The author criticises some aspects of the crop-choice and cropping system selection of the so-called green revolution. He stresses the need to view food production systems, not just in terms of the direct agronomic cost, but in terms of the robustness, both of the crop and the cropping system. This view is needed to insure against uncertainty, taking into account the energy and environmental costs and the overall efficiency of the system. He discusses how sago fits into this revolution in agricultural philosophy.

sago stratch

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:58:00 +0000

Sago starch is either baked (resulting in a product analogous to bread or a pancake) or mixed with boiling water to form a paste. Sago can be made into steamed puddings such as sago plum pudding, ground into a powder and used as a thickener for other dishes, or used as a dense glutinous flour.^{[citation needed]}

The starch is also used to treat fibre, making it easier to machine. This process is called sizing and helps to bind the fibre, give it a predictable slip for running on metal, standardise the level of hydration of the fibre, and give the textile more body. Most cloth and clothing has been sized; this leaves a residue which is removed in the first wash.

In Indonesia and Malaysia, sago is used in making noodles and white bread. Globally, its principal use is in the form of pearls. In Brunei, it is used for making the popular local cuisine called the Ambuyat.

Pearl sago

Pearl sago, a commercial product, closely resembles pearl tapioca. Both typically are small (about 2 mm diameter) dry, opaque balls. Both may be white (if very pure) or colored naturally grey, brown or black, or artificially pink, yellow, green, etc. When soaked and cooked, both become much larger, translucent, soft and spongy. Both are widely used in South Asian cuisine, in a variety of dishes, and around the world, usually in puddings. In India, pearl sago is called javvarisi, or sabudana ("whole grain") and is used in a variety of dishes such as desserts boiled with sweetened milk on occasion of religious fasts.

enjoy natural life

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Tue, 05 May 2009 07:29:00 +0000

IMPROVEMENT ON SAGO FLOUR PROCESSING

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:31:00 +0000

IMPROVEMENT ON SAGO FLOUR PROCESSING

Siti Mazlina Mustapa Kamal1*, Siti Norfadhillah Mahmud1, Siti Aslina Hussain2 and Fakrul Razi Ahmadun2 1Department of Process and Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

2Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

*Corresponding author: Phone: +603-89466363, Fax: +603-86567123

*E-mail: siti@eng.upm.edu.my

ABSTRACT

Improvement on sago flour processing was analyzed by researching potential replacement of existing system. A study was conducted by imitating the process in a down-scaled operation employing two equipments with different techniques to compare the feasibility and efficiency. General process flow for both techniques followed the same extraction-sedimentation-drying pattern; differing only in extraction step. The first equipment was blender which was used to extract starch from raw sago by grinding; aided by sufficient amount of water. Resulting starch slurry was filtered and squeezed manually to produce starch paste. The second technique involved equipment which extracted sago starch by dry grating followed by squeezing. Less water was used. Produced sago flour was subjected to proximate analysis. The first technique resulted in 26% yield; that was 257.64 g of sago flour produced from 1 kg raw sago. The second technique yielded 13% recovery of starch; that was 134.8 g sago flour produced from 1 kg raw sago. Grating without assistance of water might be the explanation for the fewer yield in the second technique as water helped to dissolve and release starch granules. Revised from varying aspects, the ideal processing system of efficient sago flour production might be an integration of both blending and mechanized squeezing into one unit operation; aided by controlled amount of water.

Key words: ash content, sago flour, extraction, sago starch, yield

1. INTRODUCTION

Sago flour processing can be characterized as a process industry, since it transforms a raw material (Metroxylon sagu or sago palm) via a primary process, into a product (sago flour) that is of value to consumers. The processing is carried out using certain unit operations, thus, chemical engineers should make improvement in the processes or to the unit operations.

In Malaysia, sago palm is inexpensive and not nearly as agriculturally intensive as rice. Although rice is generally preferred as main staple food crops in Malaysia, sago is also a reliable source of carbohydrates. Presently, commercial production of sago flour in Malaysia occurs mainly in Sarawak and small parts of Johor. In Sarawak, the planting area of sago is estimated above 60, 000 hectare which is the fourth largest area for crops in Sarawak [1]. Sarawak is also one of the biggest exporters of sago. Sago brings above RM30 million in exports earning in latest year for Sarawak [1]. This value is expected to rise in coming years.

Sago flour has mainly been supplied as a raw material to food or cosmetic manufacturing companies. In Malaysia, many food manufacturing industries have used sago flour as main ingredient in the production of bee-hun (vermicelli), Kuay-Tiau, biscuits, cakes and many other foods. These sago flour-based products have great potential to expand in the Malaysian market, especially if there are improvements in production capacity and product quality. The production capacity could be increased by improving the processing level (technology improvement).

The principles and methods of palm sago extraction are similar for both traditional and commercial productions, differing only in scale of operation. In general, palms are selected and felled. Bark-like layer is stripped from the trunk and cut into sections or floated whole to a central processing facility. There, it is reduced to battens and rasped either manually or mechanically to pulverize the pith and loosen starch particles within the fiber. The starch is removed from the fibers by kneading with hands or trampling by feet or by a spray of water. Starch-laden

water runs into a settling container, where the starch is precipitated and the water overflows. The starch is then removed and dried. Native starch extracted from debarked pith yields only 25-30 % of total starch content [2].

Several studies have been done to improve the processing and quality performance of sago flour production. A process flow has been proposed with improvement in the extraction unit that produces sago flour [3] and another researcher has studied the optimization of extraction of sago starch (flour) using a prototype machine [4]. Both studies have used different unit operations at laboratory scale. Thus, research studies have facilitated the transformation of sago flour processing from traditional technology to a modern technology. Recently in Malaysia, these modern sago processing plants which are mainly in Sarawak have been claimed to be fixed with high technology equipments [5]. These modern factories are processing the sago to obtain sago flour (starch) by using the latest extraction technology [5] and a factory situated in Sarawak also has claimed to use the rotary drum dryer in the drying section [6]. In term of quality, it was claimed that the product from modern technology gives better quality compared to traditional factory [7].

One part of sago extraction technology is a process of milling or disintegration of sago starch and most operations are using hammer mill for this activity. Less research activity has been undertaken at this process level of milling (grinding). The performance of grinding could possibly be improved by using other types of grinders or by designing a new design of machine that could integrate the grinding and extracting of sago starch. It is expected that with a new design of machine for extracting sago starch, operation could be more efficient than hammer mills, and could produce better quality of sago flour.

The aim of this research project is to make improvement in sago flour processing that could increase the production capacity in compromise with quality. The first step in the study is to analyze the most crucial part in the whole operation; namely the extraction part, hence this paper focuses on identifying the most ideal method of extraction.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

Materials

Raw sago palms of Metroxylon rumphii species were purchased locally in Melaka and transported to the laboratory for the study. The sago trunks were first debarked manually; unveiling the pith which contains most of the starch [8]. The debarked pith was then chopped into small pieces which were packed in plastic bags and stored in a freezer at -20 °C.

Equipmenst Used

Employing different techniques, two different equipments were used for extraction; a standard electric blender and a machine resembling a coconut milk extractor called “AutoSqueezer”. The “AutoSqueezer” was developed in the laboratory of Process & Food Engineering, UPM. It consists of three parts: grater, squeezing part (screw extruder) and collecting funnels (liquid and waste).

Process Flow

The process flow of the whole operation that has been carried out in this study is outlined in Figure 1. There are four distinct stages of operation; 1) preparation of raw sago samples, 2) extraction of starch from sago pith using specified equipment, 3) sedimentation, and 4) drying.

ISSN 1823-

Raw sago

Debarking and chopping

Storage (freezer, -20ºC)

STAGE 1

------------------------------------------

SAGO STARCH EXTRACTION

Separation of ‘hampas’ and starch liquid

Collection of ‘hampas’ and starch liquid

STAGE 4

STAGE 3

STAGE 2

------------------------------------------

Sedimentation/precipitation of starch cake

------------------------------------------

Drying in oven, 100°C

Figure 1: General process flow of operation.

Preparation of crude sago flour was initiated by extraction of sago starch from the pith. In this study, the extraction was carried out using different techniques in order to identify the most ideal between the two. The first technique was to grind the sago pith with sufficient amount of water using a standard electric blender. Samples of chopped sago pith weighing 1000 g each were fed into the blender and proportional amount of water was added; meaning 1 L water for every 1000 g raw sago. Resulting slurry was then filtered using a sieve and squeezed manually to produce starch liquid.

The second technique was to grate and squeeze the sago pith mechanically using the “Auto Squeezer”. Samples of chopped sago pith weighing 1000 g each were fed into the “Auto Squeezer”. Grating was performed by the mechanical grater and so was squeezing. Using “Auto Squeezer”, water was added during the squeezing process.

The resulting starch liquid from both operations was collected and left for sedimentation to allow starch particles to be precipitated. The ‘hampas’ was weighed and bagged for further treatment. After 2 hours, the liquid was drained out and the initial weight of the starch paste was taken. The starch paste was then dried in the oven at 100 °C and the weight of the produced sago flour was taken periodically until it became constant.

Ash Analysis

Ash content of the sago flour samples was determined by employing gravimetric method; following the Standard American Association of Cereal Chemists [9]. The analysis was done in duplicate. The values were compared with those of industrial grade, according to SIRIM specifications [10].

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

3.1 Process

Sago flour has been successfully produced by following the process flow in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows the existing process flows currently practiced by traditional and commercial operations.

Figure 2: Process flows of sago flour production in traditional and commercial operations. Adapted from Ruddle et al., 1978 [11]

Ineffective extraction poses adverse effect on production yield since it depends greatly on the sophistication of the methods employed [12]. There are extensive studies on extraction and many are focusing on improving and increasing the efficiency; and subsequently the yields. In present study, two methods were analyzed. In respect with production yield, it was observed that the technique of grinding aided by water was the better option in giving more efficient extraction. The starch granules present in the pith were dissolved in water and subsequently released when it was ruptured by grinding. The second technique resulted in lower yield perhaps owing to the fact that grating was not aided by water. Although the sago pith was disintegrated into fine bits by grating, the starch granules remained trapped within the parenchyma cells.

Manual filtration and squeezing in the first technique however affected the yield in that losses due to inefficiency were inevitable. By hand, not all starch liquid was successfully squeezed from the pith. It was also far from hygienic. In the second technique, grated sago pith was squeezed mechanically by the machine and the ‘hampas’ was separated simultaneously. This resulted in clean or absolute performance in squeezing. The resulting ‘hampas’ contained very minimal moisture, which meant that most of the starch liquid had been successfully squeezed out. In addition to efficiency, mechanized squeezing was also more hygienic.

Thus, another step toward designing a new unit operation of processing sago flour should be initiated with designing new equipment for extraction. Based on the findings thus far, integrating grinding with mechanized squeezing seemed an excellent proposition. Furthermore, compared with usage of copious amount of water in traditional and commercial operations, controlled amount of water was used in the study. This should be highlighted as it would help in cutting back cost of water utilization.

3.2. Quantity

Figure 2 represents the diagrammatic mass balance of sago flour produced in the study using two techniques. Meanwhile, the percentage of yield is displayed in Table 1. The production yield of sago flour was calculated as follows:

____total end product x 100 = percentage of yield (%)

total input of raw material

Table 1

Percentage of yield

Extraction method

raw sago (g)

sago flour (g)

yield (%)

Technique 1

1000

257.64

25.76

Technique 2

1000

134.80

13.48

A total of 25.7 % (wt) of starch was recovered from the sago pith via the first technique. The yield is slightly higher than achieved by traditional and commercial operations as reported in literature. To date, only about 21 % of starch can be extracted from debarked sago pith depending on the technique used, and there is at least 66% of starch remaining in the ‘hampas’ [8]. Meanwhile, using the second technique, the yield decreased to nearly half of the first. Only 13.48 % (wt) of starch was recovered and converted into sago flour.

Technique 1

(blender) starch liquid

raw sago starch paste

1 kg

Technique 2 starch liquid

(Auto Squeezer)

extraction

dry grating – mechanical squeezing

grinding with water - filter -manual squeezing

sedimentation

drying

sago flour

257.64 g

sago flour

134.80 g

Figure 4: Mass balance of lab-scale sago flour production.

Proper development of a processing system employing the right technique promises a big potential of higher degree of yields than already achieved in the study carried out.

3.3. Quality

The ash contents of tested sago flour samples are displayed in Table 2. The values are low and similar to industrial grade (by referring to SIRIM standard [10]). Low ash content was observed in the produced sago flour and this indicated that the quality was good and comparable to sago flour in the market. The values are also consistent with the findings by Fasihuddin et al. [13] that had tested sago starch samples of varying origins and of both food and industrial grades. Furthermore, as included in Table 2 for comparison, the values are in accordance to the specifications set by SIRIM [10]. Ash content is a commonly used index in flour refinement; showing the quality of the product [14]. Ash is present in all starches and consists mainly of salty, inorganic constituents which normally originate in the crop or from the water used in starch processing [13].

Table 2

Ash content of sago flour samples (average value)

Sample

Sago floura

Sago flourb

Sago flourc

Ash content, %

0.18

0.12

0.2

a by Technique 1

bby Technique 2

c SIRIM, 1992.

There are other methods of determining ash content, other than the oven/furnace method specified in this study. Branscan; an online equipment developed using image analysis technique was claimed to be able to determine the quality of flour in every stream of a flourmill [15]. It measures the quantity of bran specks and correlates the result with ash content [16]. The reliability of this piece of equipment has yet to be verified to convince plant operators to apply it in the industry, yet it is still dependable for analysis of flour refinement. Another option is the online Near Infra Red (NIR) technique that has been used widely by researchers and industrialists due to its rapid measurements [17]. It was suggested however that the accuracy is checked regularly against laboratory reference measurements [18]. Even though both techniques are mostly used in studies on wheat flour, there is excellent prospect of their application in future research on sago flour, so as to obtain more accuracy in the determination of ash content.

CONCLUSION

Sago flour was successfully produced in a laboratory-scale operation using two techniques in the main unit operation of extracting sago starch. Grinding or blending aided by water worked reasonably well in producing end product of improved quality and yields. Via this technique, approximately 25.76 % of the starches in the debarked sago pith has been recovered and turned into sago flour. The second technique which is grating followed by mechanical squeezing gave lower yield of only 13.48 %. This reduction might be caused by absence of water in the dry grating process. Water addition was observed as a hugely important element in the extraction process as it helps dissolve and release the starch granules. The flour produced also exhibited lower content of ash; indicating better quality. Thus, a conclusion could be drawn that the most ideal technique of extracting sago starch is by integrating grinding with controlled amount of water and mechanized squeezing into one unit operation. This would result in a more efficient operation in terms of production yield, time consumption and also hygiene aspect. Labor and energy requirements could also be reduced reasonably owing to the fact that a few separate steps are combined into a single unit operation. Improvement on the whole processing system may take time to be accomplished yet is worth all the efforts seeing that sago production is still one of the most important industries in our country.

REFERENCES

[1] Access website Jabatan Pertanian Sarawak, 2006: www.doa.sarawak.gov.my

[2] S. Jalaludin, E. Sakaguchi, Y. Takamura, M. H. Bintaro, 1991. The feeding value of pith and pith residue from sago palms, Proceedings of the 4th International Sago Symposium, Kuching, Sarawak.

[3] Cecil, J.E., 1991. Proposals For A Small Floating sago Starch Extraction Unit, Proceeding of the Fourth International Sago Symposium, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, (pp. 153-157).

[4] Muhammad Nur Ahmad, 1991. Optimizing Starch Granule Extraction Using A Leaching Prototype Machine, Proceeding of the Fourth International Sago Symposium, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, (pp. 188-193).

[5] Teh-Ann Chew, Abu Hassan Md. Isa, Mohd Ghazali Mohayidin, Estimating the Environmental Benefits of sago Cultivation, Access from website on July 2005: www.econ.upm.edu.my/~peta/sago/sago.html

[6] Personal communication with Officer in Song Ngeng Sago Industries (E.M) Sdn. Bhd., No.11, Raminway, 96000, Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia.

[7] Mohd. Nasir Azudin, Kelvin Lim Eng-Tian, 1991. An Evaluation Of The Quality Of Sago Starch Produced in Sarawak, Malaysia, Proceeding of the Fourth International Sago Symposium, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, (pp. 149-152).

[8] S. Vikineswary, Y. L. Shim, J. J. Thambirajah and N. Blakebrough, 1994. Possible microbial utilization of sago processing wastes. J. of Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 11: 289-296.

[9] American Association of Cereal Chemists, 1995. Approved methods of the American Association of Cereal Chemists (9th ed.). St. Paul, Minnesota, USA: American Association of Cereal Chemists.

[10] SIRIM,1992. Malaysian Standard. MS 470: Specification for edible sago starch (first revision). Standards & Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia.

[11] K. Ruddle, D V. Johnson, P K. Townsend and J D Rees, 1978. Palm Sago: A Tropical Starch from Marginal Lands, Honolulu: The University of Hawaii Press.

[12] J. E. Cecil. 1992. Small-, medium- and large-scale starch processing. FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin. 98, Rome.

[13] Fasihuddin B. Ahmad, Peter A. Williams, Jean-Louis Doublier, Sylvie Durand, Alain Buleon, 1999. Physico-chemical characterization of sago starch. Journal of Carbohydrate Polymers, 39: 361-370.

[14] Siti Mazlina Mustapa Kamal, 2006. Evaluation of the potential role of recycle within the flour milling break system. PhD Thesis. University of Manchester.

[15] Kurt, K., Boyacioglu, D., Boyacioglu, M. H., 2000. Predicting ash content. World Grains. 18(9): 36-38.

[16] Osborne, B. G., 2001. Wheat Flour Milling, Part 2. Dendy, D. A. V., Dobraszczyk, B. J., Cereals and Cereal Products: Chemistry and Technology, Apsen Publication, Maryland, USA. (pp. 172-181).

[17] Osborne, B. G., 2000. Recent developments in NIR analysis of grains and grain products. Cereal Foods World. 45(1): 11-15.

[18] Gradenecker, F., 2003. NIR online testing in grain milling. Cereal Foods World, 48(1): 18-19.

ISSN 1823-

sago

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Sat, 02 May 2009 08:40:00 +0000

Sago Team;
Sago bark wastes are recycled through a bio-composite method and utilized the natural features and beautiful surfaces into interior decoration products.

Researchers:
Dr Khairul Aidil Azlin Abdul Rahman (contact details available to registered journalists)
Noorhaizat Sundin

Sago grows widely in peat land delta or riverine areas of Southeast Asia especially in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Sarawak has a long tradition of sago industry and over the years it has contributed significantly towards the socioeconomic development of the State. Sago bark is one of the waste materials in the sago production industries.

The locals use the barks of the trunk as timber fuel, wall materials, ceilings and fences. At present, sago bark is processed through bio-composite method to produce sago plywood and particleboards, which have potential as building materials. However, this process does not utilize the surficial beauty and other natural features of the sago bark.

An on-going product development effort at UNIMAS has succeeded in converting waste sago barks into numerous interior decoration products. Shredded sago bark is cured and rebounded in moulds using resins to produce decorative wall tiles. The low technology and simple procedures involved in this process should allow small industries to pick up this idea for commercial production.

The main eco-design strategies applied to the design of the product
- Utilizes agricultural waste
- Efficient use of materials
- Encourages conservation of timber resources
- Low energy manufacturing
- Multifunctional and modular design

SAGO A PART OF INDONESIA

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:47:00 +0000

2. THE SALEM CLUSTER
2.1 ABOUT THE REGION
Salem has traditionally been known as the land of sago and starch. The industry got a fillip during the
Second World War when imports from the far-east were rendered impossible. The Salem region offers a
good raw material base, cheap labour and good sunshine throughout the year. All these factors provide a
congenial environment for growth of tapioca based products and have made this place famous for the
same even at an international level.
The productivity of tapioca is about 25-30 t/ha in this area, which is known to be the highest in the world.
The national average is 19 t/ha while the world average production stands at 10 t/ha only.
2.2 THE GROWTH OF SAGO AND STARCH INDUSTRIES IN SALEM
In the year 1943, Mr. Manickam Chettiar an adventurous entrepreneur went to Kerala and found tapioca
flour to be a good substitute for American corn flour. He tried various ways and means to improve the
production and marketing of this flour. To meet the growing demand of sago and starch, Mr. Manickam
with the help of a genius mechanic Mr. Venkatachalam Gounder, improved the method and machineries
for production. In their efforts, they were able to increase the production of Sago flour from 20 to 25 bags
per day.
The sago and tapioca starch industry was born during the Second World war but the end of war posed a
threat to its existence because of the changes in the import policies. As a result of the successful
representations made by the sago and starch manufacturers, and at the instance of the then Governor
General of India, Thiru. C. Rajagopalachari, the Indian Government imposed a ban on import of starch.
The industry heaved a sigh of relief temporarily before they were made to confront with the import of
maize starch under P.L.480, which again came to an end in 1965.
The sago industry in the Salem district and the adjoining areas has witnessed a phenomenal growth in the
last 60 years, as shown below:
Year No of Units Production (in tons)
1945 7
1949 45 7000
1957 125 23000
1960 200 50000
1970 650 1.5 lac tons
As on date there are more than 750 sago and starch units in Salem, Namakkal, Dharampuri and Erode
districts, registering an awesome growth! It is but appropriate to name this grand growth as the “Sago
Revolution”.
2.3 THE ROLE OF 'SAGOSERVE' IN THE CLUSTER'S GROWTH
Prior to the formation of SAGOSERVE, an industrial cooperative service society, the manufacturers of
starch and sago in this district faced a lot of problems such as lack of financial assistance, warehousing
and marketing facilities for tapioca products. The merchants used to offer low prices for their goods and
exploited the manufacturers due to an absence of organised marketing and warehousing facilities.
To overcome these problems, the sago/starch manufacturers in 1981 formed the Salem Starch and Sago
Manufacturers Service Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd., popularly known as the SAGOSERVE under
the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Societies Act 1961. This society is functioning under the administrative
control of the Director of Industries and Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu.
After the emergence of SAGOSERVE, the bargaining power of manufacturers has substantially increased
and the menace of middlemen in this trade has been completely eliminated. Owing to the sustained efforts
of the society, sago/starch industry has now become the backbone of Salem district’s rural economy,
providing employment to more than 5 lac people both in agriculture as well as factories.

3. THE PRODUCTION DETAILS
3.1 SKETCH OF THE SMES IN THE CLUSTER
There are about 800 sago and starch units situated throughout Tamil Nadu. Though the sago industry is
spread over Salem, Namakkal, Dharmapui, Erode, Tiruchirappalli and Perambalur districts, the Salem and
Namakkal districts are known to have the highest concentration of sago units. While most of the centres
are known for simple Sago production, some of the units at Salem also produce 'Nylon Sago', a special
product which is made by subjecting the sago balls to steam cooking.
The sago factory owners at Attur and Harur area predominately produce starch in their factories. While
most of the sago units are producing sago from tapioca starch produced at their factories, a new trend has
emerged wherein wet starch is being purchased from factories that are only producing starch and then
sago is being produced from the wet starch thus purchased.
Sago widely referred to as ‘Sabut-dana’ in Hindi is consumed as a food item especially during religious
functions in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal. Earlier for
making sago, the outer skin of the tapioca tubers was completely peeled and crushed to produce starch
milk. This operation involved large amount of labour and resulted in loss of starch along with the peels. It
was also time consuming and expensive. No chemical was used in this type of processing. However the
resultant quality of the sago used to be wholesome and tastier. In this process the smaller tubers, which
could not be peeled had to be rejected, only to be used for making starch later.
But now due to the innovations made in the industry by the introduction of shaking machines and devices
like rotating peelers etc, the sago producers have started processing the sago tubers without the manual
peeling operation. But the machine peeling was not proving to be as efficient as that by hand and the
resultant starch used to contain impurities like portions of outer skin. To remove these impurities and to
improve the colour of sago, chemicals like bleaching liquid and sulphuric acid were started being used. In
this case the resultant product is less tasty than that by the earlier procedure.
At present there appears to be some consumer resistance in the Northern states for the products with
excessive chemical odour and inconsistent cooking quality. Therefore many sago factory owners are
resorting to the old practic e of hand peeling. In order to ensure a better quality in the products, the
SAGOSERVE has established a laboratory at its premises to test all the samples of consignments of
starch and sago brought for sale. And only the samples, which pass through the test are allowed to
participate in the auction process. The turnover statistics of SAGOSERVE is shown below: 1
SAGOSERVE, SALEM TURNOVER FOR 1982-83
TO 1999-2000 TURNOVER RS. IN LAKHS
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
1982-83
1983-84
1984-85
1985-86
1986-87
1987-88
1988-89
1989-90
1990-91
1991-92
1992-93
1993-94
1994-95
1995-96
1996-97
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
YEAR
Y-Axis Rs. IN LAKHS
3.2 PRODUCTS AND THEIR MARKETS
The main products of industry are Sabut-dana and starch. The different types of Sago are given below:
•Grades of Sago
o Super Fine
o Milk white
o Special
o Best
The other types of sago produced by some of the units in the cluster are Nylon Sago and Sago Brokens.
•Grades of Starch
o Textile Grade
o Edible Grade
o Glucose and Laundry Grade
10% of the sago produced is being marketed directly to the producers and the wholesale dealers in other
states. This procedure is undertaken by obtaining E&F form and is somewhat complicated. Another 10%
to 20% of the sago is being marketed through local traders in Salem. This procedure is followed by
obtaining the form C. A major portion of the sago production i.e. 70% to 80% is being marketed through
SAGOSERVE. Marketing through this society does not require filling of form C and is much more
advantageous than direct selling, which is why most of the sago producers prefer to go by this channel.
The main markets for sago are Northern States, like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa,
Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
Starch also is marketed through SAGOSERVE as well as through Salem traders directly. The
manufacturers undertake the following measures to improve the grade of the sago/starch.
1. Washing the tubers thoroughly with jet washing.
2. Peeling of outer skin with help of shaking machines with peeling devices and rotary peelers.
3. Hand peeling.
4. Use of chemicals like bleaching liquid and sulphuric acid to remove unwanted materials and to
improve the colour.
5. Use of agitators instead of manual walking process in the starch setting tanks.
6. Proper roasting of the product.
7. Keeping a high level of hygiene in the factory.
3.3 PROCESS FLOW CHARTS
The flow charts depicting the various stages involved in the production of Sago and Starch are
given below.
3.3.1 MANUFACTURE OF SAGO
Sago (globular shaped one) is one of the important products made from tapioca starch commonly
used in the dietary preparation. The unit operations for sago manufacture are given below.
Starch from settling tanks (moisture content @ 40%)
Pulverization
Globulation
Sieving
Roasting
Drying
Polishing
Sieving
Sago
Bagging
3.3.2 PRODUCTION OF STARCH
The process flow chart for the production of starch from cassava is given in Fig.1. below.
Waste water
Residual pulp
Cassava Tubers
Washing
Peeling
Washing
Rasping
Screening
Setting of starch
Disintegration
Drying
Pulverizing
Sifting
Bagging
3.4 PRODUCT DIVERSIFICATION
Cassava as such provides an ample scope of diversification and value addition. There lies a vast
opportunity for non-traditional uses of cassava in the form of value-added food, animal feed formulation,
sago and production of commodity chemicals like citric, high fructose syrup etc. It can exploit its
opportunities in the area of convenience food for which greater demands are projected in future.
Trade sources indicate that there is a great demand for chips (almost one lac ton per month) in the export
markets, which of course has competition from South-east Asian countries. The by-product of starch
factories, thippi and of cassava flour milling, bharda can be used as a cost effective ingredient in animal
feed formulations. Also the simplicity of sago and starch extraction puts cassava in a one-upmanship
position than other sources. This could be exploited for setting up units in non-traditional areas.
Nevertheless cassava faces stiff competition from other sources of starch in price as well as in the
preference for processed products. Starch and sago are the major processed products of cassava
manufactured mainly from 1000 small-scale factories of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. There are nine
large-scale starch factories mainly using maize and sorghum, and very rarely fresh and dried cassava. The
major reason for preference towards maize and sorghum is the relative advantage in price of these crops
over cassava. Dried cassava chips are 60-70% and 70-90% costlier than sorghum and maize respectively.
The applications of starch include textile sizing and finishing, foodstuffs, adhesives, starches and
sweeteners. Although cassava starch has specific advantages especially in hard printing of textiles,
adhesives etc., maize starch is mostly preferred for other applications.
However, it was observed that thippi, a by-product of cassava factories is used as a filler in the poultry
feed formula tions. Dried cassava chips may be used as a source of energy in compound feeds but most of
the feed companies are reluctant to include cassava chips as an ingredient due to the cost factor. It is a
matter of pride that two modern factories following Thaila nd model have come up on each in Dharmapuri
and Erode districts of Tamil Nadu. These factories are trendsetters for quality improvements of cassava
products.
3.5 EXPORT STATUS
Trade of cassava in the international market is either in its raw form of in its processed form. India has
been exporting cassava products since 1950’s in different forms viz. raw tubers, frozen tapioca, tapioca
chips, manioc starch, tapioca & substitutes, tapioca flour, sago pith and sago flour. The Indian cassava
exports declined after 1960’s due to domestic food situation especially in Kerala. However in late eighties
exports picked up momentum.
The bulky and perishable nature of cassava offers little scope in the export trade of raw tubers. However,
there is an active international trading in chips and pellets and to some extent starch and sago.
Between 1956 and 1964, India was exporting cassava products (70000 tons of dried chips) mainly to
European countries. But it went out of export trade gradually after-82 due to quota restriction imposed by
EC and in view of the emerging export giant of cassava, Thailand, whose 90% of the total cassava
production is exported to EC. In spite of the fact that the cost of the production of raw tubers in Thailand
did not have much advantage over India, the former could forge ahead in export due to low processing
costs, good export handling facilities and free trade environment.
Presently, India is exporting very small quantities of cassava raw tubers to the Middle East countries. It is
exported in two forms i.e. frozen tapioca and cassava raw tubers. These exports are routed through the
Cochin sea port and from Kozhikode and Trivandrum airports. As per the published data, raw tubers
exports started only recently. Dried cassava chips were exported mainly to European countries like
Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and USSR. Even though the published data shows that cassava chips were
exported between 1972–73 and 1985–86, trade enquiries in Andhra Pradesh revealed that even in 1987–
88, 92–94 and 95-96, dried chips were being exported to European countries from Kakinada port. An
annual export growth rate of 1.45 per cent was observed for dried cassava chips between 1972-73 and
1985-86. Trade enquiries indicated that a high percentage of sand and silica in the chips is the general
problem in the quality of chips exported from India.
Cassava chips offer a great scope for export provided more efforts are made to improve the product
quality. Tapioca flour, which is mainly exported to the European countries, has been increasing at the rate
of 1.17 per cent per annum during 1970-97.
Manioc starch exports started only recently from India i.e., from 1992-93 onwards. It is exported to
European and South East Asian countries. The major problem in starch exports is inconsistency in the
product quality. It is exported from Chennai, Mumbai and Calcutta ports. During 1997-98, India exported
3385.47 tons of starch valuing Rs2.89 crores.
Under the group tapioca substitute, various value added products prepared from tapioca starch in the form
of flakes, grains, pearls, siftings in smaller forms are exported. This group has a major share among the
cassava exports from India. During the last two decades quantity exported ranged between 2.4 tons to
35232.55 tons. These products are routed through Chennai, Mumbai and Calcutta ports.
Although there are no reports of sago & starch production derived from Sago palm in India but the
published data shows that products under sago pith and sago flour are being exported from here. Sago pith
exports have shown significant growth of 2.02 per cent per annum during 1980-97. It is exported mainly
to Bangladesh, Middle East countries from Mumbai and Calcutta ports. These exports have shown an
average growth of 1.75 per cent per annum since 1970.
4. ANALYSIS OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS
4.1 MARKETS
The traders of sago usually have to make payment through immediate cash or within a reasonable period
to the sago factory owners. However, in their turn they have to sell the produce to the wholesale dealers at
credit. Non-realisation of money in time poses a major problem for these traders.
Most of the traders are dealing in low end products like special and best and only a few of them deal in
super fine and milk while sago grades. These traders concentrate on quality and usually test every sample
of the produce. They sell the produce to other states under their brand name and try to build a brand
loyalty among the customers. Because of their focus on consistent quality, the wholesale dealers are ready
to pay a better price for their products and try to settle the payment dues as fast as possible. One such
trader even maintains a computerised record of the quality of all the consignments and is confident that he
can deal with any dispute regarding the quality of any consignment supplied to any wholesale dealers.
This also enables him to trace the producers who supply inferior quality of sago. Another wholesale
dealer makes a lot of efforts to market his brand through advertisement and by conducting Sago food
festivals at important market centres. Through his initiatives, he has made a good reputation in the
northern states.
As the competition for the low end products is high, the traders are not able to concentrate on quality and
also the payment for their products often gets defaulted or is either not received in full or in time. Most of
the time, disputes between the trader and the wholesale dealer is settled at the cost of the trader. The
reason for the fluctuating cost is often attributed to the supply and demand position of the sago. However
this aspect requires close scrutiny and detailed market surveys.
The major problem faced by the owners of sago units is the highly fluctuating prices of sago and starch
and sometimes even the mismatching of the purchase price of the tubers. Some owners of sago units feel
that as the traders have to analyse large number of samples within short time at SAGOSERVE and as a
result a proper classification on the grade of sago/starch is not being done. This, according to them gets
them a lesser price for their product than they deserve. Some manufacturers also feel that despite their
undertaking of hand peeling operations, their product does not get an adequate price to compensate the
additional expenses they have incurred or the quality they maintain.
The traders also have association of their own but the association is not very active and rarely arranges
organises a meeting of the members. Also the lack of awareness amongst the factory owners about the
quality standards affects the market.
4.2 RAW MATERIAL SUPPLY
Among the different tropical roots and tuber crops grown in India tapioca is one of the most significant
ones, as it can produce more calories per unit. Its importance in tropical agriculture is due to its drought
tolerance and wide flexibility to adverse soil, nutrients, and management conditions including the time of
harvest. Tapioca can be profitably cultivated throughout the year with irrigation.
Tapioca is grown in almost all the districts of Tamil Nadu, the major ones being Salem, Namakkal,
Dharmapuri, Vilupuram, and Kanyakumari. Tapioca grown in Kanyakumari district is mostly used for
culinary purposes. The area under tapioca is said to be expanding to Erode, Karur and Dindigul districts
as well.
The tapioca tuber is available in the industry from July to April but the maximum amount of raw material
is available only during the November to February period during which the starch content of the tubers is
at its peak. Winter appears to be helpful for the consolidation of starch in the tubers. Maximum crushing
activity is being undertaken during this period only. Availability of raw material starts from June end
onwards as mentioned below.
Tuber from Available during
Kolli Hills, Patchamalai June, July, August.
Karamundurai Hills August, September
Panruti Area September, October, November,
December
Salem, Namakkal Nov., Dec., January, February,
March.
Harur, Dharmapuri Dec. Jan. February.
Erode July to February
Brokers play a major role in supplying the raw materials for the sago and starch units. They have a wide
network of sub brokers who help in fetching the tubers even from the far-off places and ensure a
continuous supply of tubers to the sago and starch units. 90% of the raw materials sold from the farmers
are being routed through the brokers only. Mostly the main brokers are situated at Attur, Salem,
Namagiripet, Chellappampatti and a few other areas.
The main brokers get their produce through sub brokers. In hilly areas the sub brokers operate through
village brokers. The main brokers usually get a commission of Rs.2.50 per bag. The sub brokers earn their
living by negotiating both ways.
While the transactions between the main broker and the farmers are made in cash, those between the
broker and sago units are made in credit basis. The sago factory owners believe that the brokers exploit
both the farmers and the sago factory owners cleverly by manipulating the needs of the both. However the
brokers claim that their income is dwindling because of intense competition. Some farmers directly deal
with main brokers also.
Main Brokers
Attur is a major market for tapioca tuber, which has the maximum number of main brokers i.e. 23, most
of whom have offices of their own and another 15 who operate without offices. Kattukottai, a place near
Attur has 26 offices and Salem has two offices while Chellapampatti and Namagiripettai have two and
one respectively. The brokers also operate in other areas like Thammampatti, Senthamangalam etc.
The biggest broker in Attur deals on an average 5000 lorry loads of tubers in a year. Other brokers deal on
an average of 1000 to 1500 lorry load tubers per year. The farmers resort to sell their tubers through the
brokers for the following reasons.
1- They get advance money from the sub brokers or local brokers.
2- They believe in better bargaining power of the brokers to fetch a good price for their produce, as
the brokers are capable of knowing the current prices of the sago/starch in the market and
negotiate with sago factory owners accordingly and get maximum price for the tubers.
Some factory owners also get tubers directly from the farmers by giving advance money to the farmers
before the start of a season. Such type of transactions which where largely prevalent earlier have
diminished considerably now, as they find it increasingly difficult to get the tubers from the farmers with
whom they have made an advance deal. The farmers are supposed to bear the cost of transport from their
fields to the factories. Most of the farmers prefer that the arrangement of transfer the produce is left to the
broker itself as they believe that the labourers and transport owners can be handled by the brokers more
efficiently than them.
The major problems faced by the owners of the sago units with regards to procurement of raw
material are as below:
•Non-availability of quality raw material of adequate quantity.
•High fluctuation in prices of the raw material.
•Availability of raw material only for a short period.
The availability of quality raw material that is tubers with rich starch content is restricted to the winter
period that is November to February. The sago factory owners try to purchase maximum amount of raw
material during that period and process it into starch. However only a part of the starch thus produced is
converted into sago, while the rest of it is stored in tanks under water. After the crushing period is over
the stored starch is taken out from the storage periodically and then washed and used for sago making.
During the last season as the prices of sago had fallen below the prices of stored raw material, and as a
result many sago factory owners incurred huge losses. In case during a season the prices of tuber are very
low, the sago factory owners tend to purchase maximum tubers and store it in the tanks underwater. But
due to wide fluctuation in prices now a days the sago factory owners have started adopting a cautious
approach in storing the starch.
The major problems faced by the farmers of the sago units with regards to supply of raw material
are as below:
•The yield of tapioca is getting reduced year by year.
•Diseases like Cassava Mosaic virus, tuber rot, phoma leaf fall are affecting the crop badly.
•Good quality seed material is not available. The existing varie ties of H165, H226, and Mulluvadi
had been released by C.T.C.R.I. and T.N.A.U. long ago and their yield potential have come
down. New varieties like CO2 and CO3 has not spread among most of the farmers.
•The farmers are not aware of the modern methods of cultivation practices, which are cost
effective and environmentally sustainable.
•Depleting soil fertility.
•Depleting water table.
•Monsoon failure requiring drought tolerant varieties and cultural practices to withstand drought.
•Escalating cost of cultivation.
•Fluctuating cost of Tubers. Sometimes the cost of tubers is falls below the level of cultivation
expenses.
Another problem between the farmers and the sago factory owners is the determination of scale for
measuring the starch content in the tubers and fixing the price according to the starch content. The scale is
introduced by the sago factory owners to Tamil Nadu on the model of scale used in Thailand, where the
specific gravity of the tuber is correlated to the content of starch. The same quantity of tuber is first
weighed in air and then immersed in the water and then the difference is shown as percentage of starch
calibrated in the scale itself. The sago factory owners are of a unanimous view that the usage of scale is
the best method for buying the raw material However many farmers are skeptic about it and feel that as it
is not approved by the concerned Government authorities so its usage may give way to manipulation by
the owners of the Sago units.
Once the problem of applying a scale for the purchase of raw material is settled to mutual satisfaction of
both the farmers and Sago factory owners, it will be a major break through for the industry.
Even while applying the scale there is a variation between the starch content shown as per the scale and
the recovery of actual starch in certain varieties of tubers. For example Mulluvadi variety of Tapioca
though shows a higher starch content as per the scale but the percentage of starch derived is more than the
scaled measure. These variations are to be taken into account while applying scale for the purchase of raw
material.
4.3 PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY & PROCESING
The sago/starch industry in Tamil Nadu is nearly 60 years old. Though the kind of machinery deployed to
manufacture starch and sago has undergone a tremendous change over the years yet the existing practices
of processing require a lot more alteration in order to become cost effective and to produce quality
products acceptable to the discerning consumers. The sago/starch owners mainly depended on local
mechanics, who are well versed in the layout and erection of sago factories. Many sago factory
equipments are fabricated locally with the help of engineering workshops and laths available nearby. The
necessary spare parts and machines are also available in the neighbouring towns or at Salem itself.
Most of the machinery, which is presently used by a majority of the sago factory owners like tapioca
crusher are not efficient. However some innovative sago factory owners with the help of some machinery
manufacturers at Salem and Erode have introduced several new machines in their factories. The
machinery manufacturers are highly innovative and keep gathering information through different sources
like internet etc. A detail about some new machines that have been introduced recently in the cluster is
given below:
Rasper
'Rasper' is one such innovative machine that replaces the existing root crushing machine. The existing
root crushing machine uses perforated iron sheet to tear and crush tubers in order to release the starch
milk. This equipment needs replacement of iron sheets everyday or two after an average crushing of 400
to 500 bags. However, the new rasper is fitted with imported blades and it even separates the starch from
the tuber than the existing root crusher. This rasper is capable of crushing 20000 to 30000 thousand bags
of tubers without any replacement of blades. At present 4 manufacturers at Salem are manufacturing
raspers and around 30 raspers have already been installed in many factories. Many more persons are
known to be willing to install raspers in their factories.
Tippi Screw
Tippi screw is another such equipment that has been introduced by a machinery manufacturer at Salem.
This equipment separates the leftover starch milk from the tippi. It is gaining acceptance among the sago
factory owners. Two machinery manufactures are manufacturing tippi screw at Salem.
Hydro cyclone
Hydro cyclone is another device introduced to the industry by a British NGO, which is effective in saving
water to the extent of 40 to 50%. Many factories that are situated in the water-starved areas can be
immensely benefited by installing of this equipment. At present two persons are manufacturing this
equipment at Salem.
Mechanical un-loader
Mechanical un-loader is an innovative equipment, which is developed on the model of poclain earth
excavator and is slowly finding acceptance among the sago factory owners. It can replace 6 to 8 men
labourers.
Mechanical roaster
Mechanical roaster is being used in one factory to roast sago. This machinery is yet to be popularised
among the sago factory owners. It is found that the process of roasting, which is being used at many sago
units is 12 to 15% inefficient as compared to the efficiency level of this mechanical roaster.
A lot of simple improvements which if implemented will pave way for saving energy and cost. Use of
thermic fluid, butterfly valve in the chimney, use of methane gas etc are some of the suggestions for
improving the roasting made by scientist from National Productivity council at Hyderabad.
Many sago factory owners are showing interest on sago and starch dryer and metallic rotary screens.
Experiments have been carried out by some companies on the above equipments. The cost factor remains
one of the major blocks in introducing new machinery. The sago factory owners are averse to purchase
costly ready to install machinery from the manufacturers and usually fabricate most of the equipments
with the help of local engineering workshops. However the machinery manufactures feel that the sago
factory owners should take into account the cost to run these machinery-manufacturing units.
Problems faced by the sago factory owners with regards to technology
•Getting the skilled mechanics to install the equipments on time is very difficult. Instead the
factory owners have to oblige to the convenience of mechanics. The mechanics are also not
technically highly educated and hence the efficiency of machinery and equipments is below the
expected level.
•The average annual amount spent on repairing and replacement of machinery ranges from
Rs50,000 to Rs1 lac.
•The sago factory owners do not get adequate technical advice for machinery and the equipments
from any formal institutions.
•There is a mistrust prevailing among the sago factory owners and machinery manufactures
hampering the rapid technological advancement of the cluster.
Problem faced by machinery manufacturers with regards to technology
The sago factory owners often hesitate to offer the price quoted by the machinery manufacturers and are
not considerate to the establishment costs of the latter. They also don’t even pay the entire amount in
lump sum. There is feeling among the machinery manufacturers that the sago factory owners often try to
copy their equipments and neglect them afterwards.
4.4 PREMISES
The sago and starch factories are mainly situated in semi urban and rural areas with an exception of Salem
city wherein around 60 units are situated. Most of the sago factories are housed in large areas ranging
from three to seven acres in rural areas, and one to two acres in urban areas. In the city of Salem paucity
of space restricts the expansion of the factory. The sago factories are usually situated in formal structures.
4.5 FINANCE
Almost all the sago factories are family owned and most of them are farmer turned entrepreneurs. These
owners get their equity from the surplus fund that they generate from agricultural income. Many of the
sago factory owners were also previously brokers doing business as raw material suppliers to the industry.
They all usually maintain a current account in a commercial bank or a co-operative bank to en-cash the
cheques received from SAGOSERVE or traders.
Only 50% of them are availing credit from commercial or co-operative banks, while the rest of them
manage with their own funds or borrowed money from relatives or money lenders for a short period.
Availing credit facility for working capital is more prevalent than availing credit for term loan. Most of
them feel that their real incomes have reduced over the years due to the escalation of cost and
competition. Most of them tend to plough back their profits into improving their factories. However some
are even investing in transport business and other local businesses. The sago factory owners situated at
semi urban and urban centers are able to obtain credit from the banks easily than those situated in the
rural areas.
The following problems are expressed in financing the sago industry by the bankers.
•The bankers feel that the sago factory owners do not route their transactions through their bank
accounts.
•Multiple finance
•It is a seasonal business and therefore fixing credit limit is difficult.
•Non maintenance of proper accounts.
•Difficulty in measuring the starch stored in the tanks.
•Highly fluctuating price of sago and starch.
Though most of the sago factory owners who have availed credit facilities from the banks expressed
satisfaction with their services yet some are disillusioned with the behavior of the bankers. They feel the
credit limits offered by the banks are not adequate, are unrealistic and not sanctioned in time. They
generally feel their cash credit facilities should be enhanced when the raw material prices are low so as to
enable them to purchase enough material for the entire season.
4.6 INFRASTRUCTURE, POLICES REGULATIONS
The Government is providing with all the necessary infrastructure for the growth of the industry. The
electricity board is providing the necessary power supply and is also giving advice on economising
electricity charges.
The Government through the pollution board controls and monitor the pollution control efforts taken by
the sago factory owners. However the units feel difficulty in getting clearances from the board.
Through SAGOSERVE and District Industry Center, the Government disseminates the details about the
policies and incentives offered to the industry. Overall the cluster enjoys excellent logistic and
communication facilities.

SAGO IS A FORGOTTEN WEALTH

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:26:00 +0000

DIAGNOSTIC STUDY

SME

THE SAGO & STARCH INDUSTRY CLUSTER

SALEM (TAMIL NADU)

C.SUDHANDHIRAN

Project Co-ordinator,PROJECT UPTECH

STATE BANK OF INDIA, SALEM

DEVELOPED UNDER

THE CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT AGENT TRAINING PROGRAMME,

ORGANISED BY UNIDO CDP, NEW DELHI

THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE OF INDIA

(EDII), AHMEDABAD

YEAR 2001

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 THE GLOBAL SCENARIO

Tapioca Cassava (Manihot Esculenta Crantz) was introduced in India during the later part of the 17th

century by the Portuguese living in the state of Kerala. India’s share is about 6 per cent in the total world

production of tapioca. The other important tapioca producing countries are Brazil, Nigeria, Zaire,

Thailand and Indonesia. Tapioca is a tuber crop of huge economic importance as it is used not only for

human and animal food consumption but also as a raw material for various industrial products. Each day

about 500 million people consume tapioca world over and derive 300 kilo calories of energy (Edison,

1999).

Globally cassava is grown in about 95 countries with major contributions coming from Africa (57%)

followed by Asia (25%). The wide agro-ecological adaptability of cassava coupled with its ability to

withstand biotic and non-biotic stresses have made it a crop of primary importance for the weaker

sections of the society, especially in the developing countrie s of Africa, America and Asia.

Tapioca is one of the most important subsistence food and industrial crop for the developing countries.

Globally, about 158 million tons of tapioca is produced from an area of 15.7 million hectares with an

average productivity of 10 tons/ha. As mentioned earlier, among the tapioca producing continents in the

world, Asia ranks next only to Africa with an area and production of 3.97 million hectares and 51.44

million tons respectively (anon., 1993).

1.2 THE NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY

In India, tapioca is grown in an area of 3.1 lac hectares with an annual production of 60 lac tons.

Although cassava is cultivated in about 13 states of India, the major production comes form the southern

states of India i.e. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. In the view of the changing lifestyle, influx

of gulf money, availability of grains through public distribution system and a shift in cultivation pattern

favouring plantation crops, the areas in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh showed a gradual increase in

cassava production over the years.

While the total production of Kerala came down to 2.58 million tons in 1996-97 from 4.2 million tons in

1967-68, the same rose to 3.04 million tone from 0.42 million tons during the corresponding periods in

Tamil Nadu. This remarkable increase in production in Tamil Nadu was the result of adopting high

yielding cultivators like H 226 and H 165. A survey conducted by CTCRI has indicated that more than

three fourth of the cassava area in Salem, South Arcot and Dharmapuri districts was under these variety of

seeds.

The huge shift in the focus of cassava production from Kerala to Tamil Nadu is clearly evident from the

following table:

CASSAVA PRODUCTION KERALA TAMIL NADU

1967-68

a. Area under cultivation

b. Percentage of national

production

86%

91%

13%

1996-97

a. Area under cultivation

b. Percentage of national

production

61%

45%

29%

52%

Tapioca is cultivated predominantly in Kerala as a staple food crop while it is more of an industrial crop

in Tamil Nadu. Tapioca root is valued for its starch content and mainly used by sago industries. The

tapioca root contains 30 to 40 per cent of dry matters, which is principally carbohydrate. It has acceptable

levels of B vitamins and provides other minerals too. In Tamil Nadu, tapioca is being grown in an area of

85,412 ha accounting for an annual production of 32.22 lac tons. Around 80 per cent of the total tapioca

production is utilised by the sago and starch based industries in the state (According to Thamburaj and

Kannan, 1997; Vikas Singhal, 1999).

Based on the statistical projection, the production of cassava is expected to reach 6.08, 6.76 and 7.44

million tons respectively by 2000, 2010 and 2020. But considering the population growth rate, the

country should aim to produce cassava tubes to the tune of 12 million tons by the year 2020, which would

call for extensive R&D strategies in the field. The present productivity of 22.5 t/ha is projected to rise to

26.95, 32.57 and 38.20 t/ha by 2000, 2010 and 2020 respectively.

1.3 USES OF TAPIOCA

· Tapioca as a food security

Tapioca can serve as a nucleus for many industries with the application of biotechnology, especially

in the fermentation industries (Balagopalan et al., 1992). On the other hand, tapioca has emerged as a

cash crop in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The crop fulfills the need of the massive starch and sago industries in these states. In order to

maintain the supply of food materials and to keep pace with the ever-increasing population, tapioca

has to be retained well within the cropping system of marginal farmers.

· Tapioca based agro industries

Globally 58 percent of tapioca produced is used as human food, 28 per cent as animal feed, 4 percent

in alcohol and starch based industries and only 10 per cent is spoiled (Mandal, 1993). While more

than one fourth of the total tubers produced (158 million tons) in the world is in Asia, India accounts

for only 6.5 per cent and Indonesia and Thailand account for about 10 per cent (Anon, 1993).

Thailand and Indonesia export tapioca chips and pellets to other countries. The pellets are used as

animal feed in western countries. In India, particularly Tamil Nadu and Kerala have the potential of

increasing the productivity further and compete in the export of chips and pellets in the international

market.

Tapioca can be used as a raw material for a number of value added industrial products such as starch,

sago, glucose, dextrin, gums and fructose syrup. Most of the items mentioned are industrial products

which can be categorised as “growth industries”. The industrial tapioca starch finds its application in

various fields. The major consumers are cotton and jute textile, and paper and hard board industries.

Liquid glucose and dextrose are widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. Both these sectors

are in a rapidly growing stage. The Government of India has included liquid glucose and dextrose in

the list of items where there is likely to be a sustained demand and scope for investment. Since there

is substantial growth in the food and pharmaceutical industries, naturally the demand for liquid

glucose and dextrose is bound to go up in future. As tapioca starch possesses the advantageous

physio-chemical and structural properties it can be easily converted to liquid glucose and dextrose.

Many factories have been established recently with this objective.

· Cassava-chips and flour

White chips are used for the preparation of cassava flour, which is consumed in the same manner as

rice flour. It also forms a major component in many animal feeds. In industry it serves as a raw

material for manufacturing starch, dextrin, glucose and ethyl.

Very fine cassava chips or crisps are deep fried in edible oil, packed in polythene bags and sold as

snack food commercially in various parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Gold fingers,

wafers, sago pappads and tapioca pappads are some of the other snack food items produced in home

and cottage industries and are available in the market for sale.

· Sago

Sago (sabot-dana or pearls) is used as a snack food in preparation of porridge. It is also popular as an

infant food. About 35 industries from Andhra Pradesh and many from Tamil Nadu are engaged in

manufacturing sago from cassava tubers.

· Starch

Cassava finds a major industrial utilisation in the production of starch. Starch and sago are produced

from cassava tubers in more than 900 small and medium scale factories and at least two large-scale

industries in Tamil Nadu. In Andhra Pradesh one large scale and about 35 small-scale industries

process cassava tubers for starch and sago production.

The cassava starch is used in paper industries (at beater stage, as calendar sizing, for paper coating, as

wet and additive), Textile industries (as wrap sizing agent, in fabric finishing), Food industries and

Adhesives. Gum and laundry starch is produced in cottage industry near Trivandram for marketing

and sales on a regular basis.

· Modified Starches

Two firms in Tamil Nadu namely, M/s SPAC Tapioca Products (India) Ltd and M/s Varalakshmi

Starch industries Ltd, Salem are engaged in manufacturing, marketing and sales of cassava starch

derivatives such as corrugated gum starch, carboxyl methyl starch, acid modified starch, cationic

starch and pregelatinised starch.

Another firm in Andhra Pradesh, M/s Vensa Biotek Ltd of Samalkot is expected to commence

production of cold-water soluble cassava starch using CTCRI technology. And a firm in Kerala

named M/s National Chemicals and Adhesives of Quilon manufactures and markets carboxyl methyl

starch using cassava starch as animal feed material. This firm is also involved in large-scale

manufacture and marketing of Dextrin, which is derived from cassava starch.

· Dextrin

A good number of small-scale industries are engaged in producing dextrin from cassava starch, which

is relatively a simple process.

· Sweeteners

Liquid Glucose is being manufactured by M/s. Vensa Biotek Ltd., Samalkot, AP from cassava starch

and/or flour. M/s. Varalakshmi Starch Industries Ltd., Salem, TN reportedly manufactures maltodextrin

and monosodium glutamate from cassava starch. M/s. jayant Vitamins, Vadodara, Gujarat had

ventured in producing sorbitol as a sweetener and a precursor to manufacturing of Vitamin C.

· Ethanol

The CTCRI technology for the process of manufacturing ethyl alcohol using cassava chips, flour or

starch has been procured by M/s. Superstar Distilleries, Kochi, Kerala and M/s. Vairam Agro Fuels,

Chennai. The former licensee had commenced commercial production and limited marketing

· Starch-based biodegradable plastics

The CTCRI technology for manufacturing of starch-based biodegradable plastics has been licensed to

4 parties in the states of Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. M/s. Shivalik Agro Poly

Products, Parwanoo, HP has already commenced commercial production. The unit at Bangalore,

Karnataka is expected to commence production shortly using cassava starch.

2. THE SALEM CLUSTER

2.1 ABOUT THE REGION

Salem has traditionally been known as the land of sago and starch. The industry got a fillip during the

Second World War when imports from the far-east were rendered impossible. The Salem region offers a

good raw material base, cheap labour and good sunshine throughout the year. All these factors provide a

congenial environment for growth of tapioca based products and have made this place famous for the

same even at an international level.

The productivity of tapioca is about 25-30 t/ha in this area, which is known to be the highest in the world.

The national average is 19 t/ha while the world average production stands at 10 t/ha only.

2.2 THE GROWTH OF SAGO AND STARCH INDUSTRIES IN SALEM

In the year 1943, Mr. Manickam Chettiar an adventurous entrepreneur went to Kerala and found tapioca

flour to be a good substitute for American corn flour. He tried various ways and means to improve the

production and marketing of this flour. To meet the growing demand of sago and starch, Mr. Manickam

with the help of a genius mechanic Mr. Venkatachalam Gounder, improved the method and machineries

for production. In their efforts, they were able to increase the production of Sago flour from 20 to 25 bags

per day.

The sago and tapioca starch industry was born during the Second World war but the end of war posed a

threat to its existence because of the changes in the import policies. As a result of the successful

representations made by the sago and starch manufacturers, and at the instance of the then Governor

General of India, Thiru. C. Rajagopalachari, the Indian Government imposed a ban on import of starch.

The industry heaved a sigh of relief temporarily before they were made to confront with the import of

maize starch under P.L.480, which again came to an end in 1965.

The sago industry in the Salem district and the adjoining areas has witnessed a phenomenal growth in the

last 60 years, as shown below:

Year No of Units Production (in tons)

1945 7

1949 45 7000

1957 125 23000

1960 200 50000

1970 650 1.5 lac tons

As on date there are more than 750 sago and starch units in Salem, Namakkal, Dharampuri and Erode

districts, registering an awesome growth! It is but appropriate to name this grand growth as the “Sago

Revolution”.

2.3 THE ROLE OF 'SAGOSERVE' IN THE CLUSTER'S GROWTH

Prior to the formation of SAGOSERVE, an industrial cooperative service society, the manufacturers of

starch and sago in this district faced a lot of problems such as lack of financial assistance, warehousing

and marketing facilities for tapioca products. The merchants used to offer low prices for their goods and

exploited the manufacturers due to an absence of organised marketing and warehousing facilities.

To overcome these problems, the sago/starch manufacturers in 1981 formed the Salem Starch and Sago

Manufacturers Service Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd., popularly known as the SAGOSERVE under

the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Societies Act 1961. This society is functioning under the administrative

control of the Director of Industries and Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu.

After the emergence of SAGOSERVE, the bargaining power of manufacturers has substantially increased

and the menace of middlemen in this trade has been completely eliminated. Owing to the sustained efforts

of the society, sago/starch industry has now become the backbone of Salem district’s rural economy,

providing employment to more than 5 lac people both in agriculture as well as factories.

sago natural

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 11:52:00 +0000

In what most people are describing as a medical miracle, Randall McCloy Jr., the only surviving miner of the West Virginia Sago Mine disaster, has returned home. McCloy endured more than 40 hours trapped underground in a collapsed mine exposed to carbon monoxide before being liberated.

When rescued from the Sago mine nearly four months ago, he had brain failure, heart failure, kidney failure, and liver failure.

Needless to say, his outlook appeared very bleak. He was immediately transferred to one of the 30 brain trauma centers in the United States located at the West Virginia School of Medicine and was to be under the care of Dr. Julian Bailes.

Dr. Bailes called upon Dr. Barry Sears, one of the leading authorities in high-dose fish oil in the United States, to see if there was anything Dr. Sears might suggest.

"Barry's our hero," Bailes said recently. "For me, Barry is one of the main reasons why I got interested in the whole essential fatty acid area. I've read everything he's written, and he convinced me that DHA could play a role in Mr. McCloy's recovery. He sent me his product, which was the main source in his treatments."

Dr. Sears suggested administering 30 grams per day of the fish oil concentrate he developed, OmegaRx*, that would provide 18 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) via tube feeding. The oil was an integral daily part of Randall McCloy's treatment for the next several months.

Because this was a very high dose of EPA and DHA, McCloy's blood levels were constantly monitored to ensure that the levels of these fatty acids (EPA and DHA) fell within a certain therapeutic range. Bailes said the blood test numbers were "right on the money." The EPA was needed to reduce the inflammation caused by the lack of oxygen within the organs, and the DHA was required to rebuild the brain, Dr. Sears said.

Today the damage to his heart, kidneys, and liver has been reversed, and he is home with his family. A miracle it is, but a miracle that Dr. Bailes believes was considerably helped by high-dose fish oil. "I certainly think it played a big role," Bailes said. "How can he rebuild his brain if he doesn't have the substrate to do it?"

Dr. Sears said he plans to continue to do studies with Dr. Bailes through his nonprofit Inflammation Research Foundation on the impact of high-dose fish oil on brain trauma patients.

Maintaining a Healthy Brain

Sago ഫുഡ്

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 06:57:00 +0000

Sago
Proper Sago Palm care is essential for a beautiful looking plant. The Sago Palm tree, scientifically known as the Cycas revoluta, is one of the most primitive living seed plants. They are unusual ornamental plants that are very hardy. In the United States, they are typically found in warm moist climates like the Houston area. They are related to conifer trees. They are characterized by a rough trunk with light feathery leaves.

Sago Palms are one of the simplest plants to grow, whether indoors or out, no matter your level of gardening expertise. They live for an extremely long period of time, and are tolerant of many different temperatures, levels of sunlight, and types of care. There are several things to remember with Sago Palm care. Do not bother the plant as it new leaves emerge. Moreover, do not allow the plant to dry out during this time. While Sago Palms are quite tolerant, temperatures too high or too low can damage the plant. The growth rate for a Sago Palm is very slow. Most only increase in size one inch per year.

While not difficult, sago palm care is essential for the maintenance and reproduction of your Cycas revoluta.

A part of Sago Palm care includes reproduction. Sago Palms are dioecious, which means there are both male and female plants. If you wish to propagate these plants, it is best to do it through hand pollination techniques. May is pollination season. The female seed is ready to be removed in January or February. Once removed, you should place the seed in water for a number of days. Take off the red covering, but do not remove the hard white coat. You can then plant the seed or hold it until spring. The seed must be planted sideways. Do not expose more than the top edge in moist soil. If the soil gets soggy, you might have problems growing your Sago Palm. The seed will usually begin to sprout in three months, but it will require several years to reach more than one inch in height. An excellent way to propagate Sago Palms without hand pollination is to remove an offset of a healthy Sago Palm by popping it off gently with a small shovel. It should be allowed to dry for at least a week. It should then be planted and well watered.

A beautiful looking plant can only be achieved through proper Sago Palm Care.

Sago Palms make lovely plants. It is important to remember, though, that proper Sago Palm care, while not difficult, is essential to the life of the plant

SAGO GETO LOH.........

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:06:00 +0000

SAGO GETO LOH

Sago natural food The valid scientific name for sago is Potamogeton pectinatus, assigned by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum of 1753. The name Potamogeton is derived from the Greek for "river neighbor," and the specific epithet pectinatus ("comb-like") derives from the closely set insertion of the plant's leaves. The synonyms P. interruptus Kit., P. latifolius J. Robbins, P. flabellatus Bab., and P. columbianus Suksdorf have been used in North American botanical texts. Many other synonyms have used in Europe. Two modern treatments, Kartesz and Kartesz (1980) and United States Department of Agriculture (1982), recognize 40 and 35 North American species of Potamogeton, respectively, and place the genus in the family Potamogetonaceae. Earlier, the genus had variously been placed in the families Zosteraceae and Najadaceae (Fernald 1950). There are about 100 species of Potamogeton world-wide (Kadono 1982). Sago flowers and leaves are simple and anatomically reduced, compared to those of other family members (Sculthorpe 1967). Sago was one of the first Potamogetons to be described. An illustration of "fennel-leaved water milfoile" is easily recognized as sago in the ancient herbal of John Gerarde (Johnson 1633; Moore 1915). An excellent history of the genus is available (Moore 1915).
Colloquial names for sago in the United States include duck grass, duck moss, eelgrass, fennel pondweed, foxtail, Indian grass, old-fashioned bay grass, pondgrass, potato moss, and wild celery (McAtee 1939). In Europe, sago has been called poker and pochard grass (McAtee 1917) and, in Australia, string weed (Fletcher et al. 1985).
In North America, sago is placed with P. filiformis and P. vaginatus in the subgenus Coleogeton, in which all leaves are linear or setaceous, nonfloating, and divided their full length by crosspartitions (Fernald 1950). Harrison (1949) claims members of this subgenus are, unlike others, water pollinated. The three coleogetonous species have also been shown to form a distinct subgroup based on the chemistry of the waters they inhabit (Pip 1987). In the field, sago can be differentiated from the two other coleogetonous species by the presence of usually sharp-tipped or gradually pointed leaves and leaf sheaths that are rather narrow but free at the tips.
Sago has an average of 2n = 78 (70-87) chromosomes (Kalkman and Van Wijk 1984). Analyses of isoenzymes indicated that the species is genetically very heterogeneous (Hettiarachchi and Triest 1986; Van Wijk et al. 1988). Sago hybridizes with Potamogeton filiformis (P. x suecicus Richt.) and P. vaginatus (Hagstrom 1916; Dandy and Taylor 1946; Harrison 1949). Meriaux (1978) and Van Wijk (1988) reviewed the work of many European taxonomists who named many varieties or "proles" of sago (dichotomus Wallr., drupaceus Koch, flabellatus Crep., interceptus Asch., protensus Wallr., setaceus Mey., scoparius Wallr., vulgaris Cham. and Schl., and zosteraceus Fries). Both questioned whether these are simple morphs or truly have value as indicators of specific biotopes or habitat types. Luther (1951, cited in Van Wijk 1983) also concluded that the different types of sago were habitat modifications. The varieties interruptus Asch., pectinatus, and scoparius have been maintained in a recent European flora, although their taxonomic validity is said to be unclear (Casper and Krausch 1980, cited in Van Wijk 1988). Van Wijk (1983) found different morphological and ecological characteristics of annual and perennial P. pectinatus in the field and in cultured plants and recommended that the existence of these ecotypes be considered when studying the taxon. Wiegleb (1978) associated the variety scoparius with HCO3-poor waters and the variety interruptus with sites polluted with sewage. Recent work has shown that genetic differentiation does occur in sago and must be considered along with morphological characters if the taxonomy of the species is to be clarified (Van Wijk et al. 1988).
________________________________________
Autoecological Classification
Sago is one of only three or four North American species of Potamogeton that bear starchy underground perennating organs called turions or tubers, although a few other species have tuberous rootstalks. Sago is generally classified as a ruderal (capable of occupying mechanically disturbed areas), has multiple regenerative strategies, and is a stress tolerant, competitive plant that, depending on exposure to wave action, can alter its allocation of resources to different reproductive organs (Grime 1979; Kautsky 1987). In growth form, sago is considered a parvopotamid--that is, a higher aquatic plant rooted in sediment, perennially submersed except for inflorescences, and possessing long stems and small, mostly undivided, leaves (Hutchinson 1975). Luxuriant parvopotamid growth results in dense leaves, branches, and inflorescences in the upper part of the water column, with much thinner vegetation of stems and widely spaced leaves below; vegetation density of the upper part increases as water levels drop (Verhoeven 1980a).
Meriaux (1978) reviewed the work of devotees of the Zurich-Montpellier school of phytosociology (Braun-Blanquet 1932) who placed sago in various orders, alliances, and associations with other species in this elaborate phytosociological classification system. Sago was also recognized as a character or dominant species in several European and Asian associations by Hejny and Husak (1978). Sago is the most prominent plant in the Potamogeton facies of several estuarine plant communities in Europe (Kornas et al. 1960) and a faithful taxon in the class Potamea (den Hartog and Segal 1964) in some wetlands in India (Zutshi 1975). Sago also is a member of several Chara-, Ruppia-, and Zannichellia- dominated communities in the Baltic, Mediterranean, and Eurosiberian regions (Lindner 1978; Verhoeven 1980a; Van Vierssen 1982a).
Sago can be considered a pioneering species, because it quickly inhabits newly flooded areas (Nelson 1954) and invades shallow waters with relatively strong wave action (Ozimek and Kowalczewski 1984) or those that are polluted (Haslam 1978). Sago is one of the first species to colonize areas reclaimed from the sea (Wolseley 1986). den Hartog (1963) and Van Vierssen (1982a) considered sago a survivor species that often showed mass development in areas where the environment became temporarily unsuitable for other species. Davis and Brinson (1980) placed sago in a group of plants tolerant of, and able to maintain dominance in, altered ecosystems.
Sago is found in submerged, floating-leaved, and emergent communities. Best plant development occurs in submerged communities, and the poorest in emergent communities where sago plants tend to be short in stature (Van der Valk and Bliss 1971). In general, most other growth forms of hydrophytes, except similar types such as charids, valisnerids, and ceratophyllids, negatively influence the environment for parvopotamids, usually because of competition for light (Hogeweg and Brenkert 1969).
Most submersed macrophytes are sensitive to frost damage (Lohammar 1938). This, combined with the rapid decomposition of plants in water, causes sago to usually behave as an annual in shallow waters in temperate climates, with buried turions the only vegetative structure to survive winter (Lapirov and Petukhova 1985). However, green sago shoots can be collected under winter ice, presumably in deeper waters (Hammer and Heseltine 1988). Turions are perennial diaspores formed underwater and take several weeks or months to develop. The fruit-like seed (drupelets) can require a stratification period to germinate well in areas of fairly mild climate. These findings, plus the observation that sago could not compete well in shallow water against species that produce seeds (annual diaspores) more quickly, led Van Vierssen and Verhoeven (1983) to consider sago a species rather intolerant of habitat desiccation.
In mild climates sago can be evergreen (Spence et al. 1979b). Rarely, some deepwater forms of sago grow perennially from submersed rootstalks and can also have green shoots that survive winter (Moore 1915). Sago can behave as an annual by dying under conditions of high salinity and regenerating from drupelets when salinity decreases (Congdon and McComb 1981). When sago is compared to Potamogeton nodosus, a species that forms winter buds rather than turions, both species invest about the same amount of photosynthate in perennating structures, but sago produces about twice as many propagules (Spencer and Anderson 1987).
The functional aspects of sago's ability to thrive and survive in a wide variety of environments have been addressed in detail by Van Wijk (1988) and will be discussed in later chapters. Van Wijk (1988) points out the confusion that has resulted from use of the terms annual and perennial to categorize plant types as well as life-cycle types, and argues that they should only be used to indicate life cycles of populations without implying a classification of plant species. Under this system, sago could theoretically be said to have an annual life cycle with either (1) generative reproduction by seeds or vegetative reproduction by turions or thickened rhizomes or (2) a perennial life cycle with vegetative reproduction by whole plants or shoots. Not all of these strategies have been observed in nature.
In Europe, the Potamogeton pectinatus association is often linked to brackish water (den Hartog 1963) and inland marshes and depressions affected by mineral pollution (Meriaux 1978). den Hartog (1981) placed sago with a small group of plants that share many properties with marine angiosperms but cannot compete well with them except under special circumstances. He termed sago a member of the eurysaline group of plants in that they are able to tolerate waters from fresh to hyperhaline that vary greatly in chemical composition. These plants are also able to withstand rapid and considerable fluctuations in salt content of the waters they inhabit., Iversen (1929) included sago in a group of species restricted to alkaline waters. Lohammar (1938) found sago in lake waters characterized by both high pH and calcium content. Further analysis of Lohammar's data by Hutchinson (1975) showed sago to be a eurytopic species able to tolerate a wide range of nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus) concentrations. Moyle (1945) placed sago in an assemblage of hard water species able to withstand waters high in sulfate ion. Other classifications based on water chemistry have been proposed by Spence (1967) and Seddon (1972).
________________________________________
Distribution
Unlike most of the Potamogetons, which are interior and northern in global distribution, sago is nearly cosmopolitan (St. John 1916). The plant occurs circumboreally to about 70° N (Hulten 1968) and can also be found in South Africa, South America, South Eurasia, and New Zealand. The species occurs from sea level to nearly 4,900 m above sea level in high mountains of Venezuela and Tibet (Ascherson and Graebener 1907, cited in Yeo 1965). Pip (1987) recorded 19 species of Potamogeton at 430 wetland sites distributed throughout a large area of central North America and found sago second only to P. richardsonii in frequency of occurrence.

A researcher from Aklan State University (ASU) in Banga, Aklan, has ,found an easy way to germinate sago palm (Metroxylon sagu) seeds for planting. Previously people found it hard to germinate seeds of this palm species which yields valuable flour as well as leaves for roofing.
He is Michael Ibisate, research coordinator of the ASU’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Environmental Sciences, who said that sago seeds easily germinate when soaked in a swampy and muddy environment provided that they are physiologically mature.
In his experiment, Ibisate simulated the environment which favors seed germination. This resulted in one hundred percent germination of mature sago seeds after one month, he said.
Ibisate, who has been working on the conservation of sago palm using tissue culture technique, said in their previous study that the sago seed was believed to have poor germination due to the presence of pericarp and sarcotesta. Thus, his research team used embryo rescue technique which enabled the successful development of an immature or weak embryo into a viable plant in vitro.
Aside from tissue culture, sucker is the widely used planting material for mass propagation of sago palm. In this regard, ASU researchers are planning to study further the use of sucker as planting material to determine the optimum conditions required to reduce mortality rate at seedling stage.
Sago, locally known as Ambolong in AkIan, has enormous starch deposit in its trunk. The starch has a high food value and has a big potential for industrial use. A mature sago palm could yield 50 to 70 kilos of starch. The pith, bud and shoot can also be eaten; the sap can be processed into sugar, vinegar and wine.
Apart from its use as food, Aklanons find sago as the best source of material for making shingles used as roofing material for light houses or huts. Ibisate said that many shingle makers in the province prefer using sago leaves over nipa leaves because sago leaves are more -durable, especially when used in coastal areas. Sago shingles fetch a higher price than nipa shingles. The biggest market for sago shingles is Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan.
Ibisate revealed that there is now a growing demand for sago palm as ornamental plant, both for use indoor and outdoor. Sago, he said, can be grown in an ordinary garden soil and does not require much attention.
Ibisate’s ongoing study on the conservation of sago palm is one of the projects being supported by ASU. At present, he is studying various parameters to further enhance the development of sago by using seeds as planting material.
Meanwhile, Ibisate continues to mass propagate sago palm from seeds to help increase the local supply of seedlings. And the good news is that several hundreds of seedlings are now available to interested growers at P50 each.
Answer
Mike, cannas and day lilies are propagated identically from seed. Actually, regardless of what plant you are propagating by seed, the process is the same for seed starting.

Starting seeds is actually an easy process, but success only comes through many years of trial and error. I have been starting seeds indoors for the last ten years and thoroughly enjoy it. Since I start over 500 seedlings, including annuals, vegetables, and herbs, it does become a full-time hobby. The obvious advantages are the cost savings and the variety as opposed to purchasing seedlings at the garden center.

Most vegetable and annual flower seeds need to be started 6-8 weeks prior to your last expected frost. The exact timing can be found on the seed packets, but 6 weeks is usually a good rule of thumb. Trees and bushes need at least 6 months of growing in a pot before transplanting outdoors.

Never sow seeds deeper than twice their diameter. For small seeds, place them on the surface of the growing medium, and then lightly sprinkle the mix over the seed until it is barely covered. Water from the bottom to avoid disturbing the seed.

Larger seeds may need a little help to germinate, such as seeds with extremely hard shells that need broken down before sowing. These require soaking for 24 hours to break down the coating and improve germination. Another method is stratification; a process that entails nicking the seed with a sharp tool or rubbing the seed lightly on fine grit sandpaper.

Seedlings need to be in simulated sunshine for at least 14 hours per day. They also need 8 hours of dormancy for good growth. You either need to invest in fluorescent bulbs called gro-lights, which are as close to natural light as anything sold on the market, or substitute these with less expensive bulbs. By using one cool and one warm white fluorescent in combination, you will achieve the same effect.

If given the correct conditions, namely adequate moisture, strong light, and healthy soil, the plants will germinate and grow to maturity with few or any problems. To maintain moisture, seeds should be covered with plastic. I grow my seedlings in seed trays with individual cell packs. After sowing, I cover with a pre-fitted plastic dome. But once the first seedlings sprout, it is important to remove the cover to avoid damping-off disease. This is a fatal fungus disease which only attacks young seedlings, and is caused by inadequate air circulation and non-sterile soil. That is why I advise all those who start seeds indoors to only use sterile, soils mixes composed of vermiculite, perlite, and sphagnum moss. These mixes can be purchased at any reputable garden center.

Once the seedlings develop their second set of leaves, you can begin supplementing the plants with a diluted solution of fertilizer. Since you want to keep the nitrogen and salt levels low at this stage of growth, I highly recommend staying away from the chemical mixes. Rather, use a seaweed/fish emulsion formula at ¼ the recommended level. This will help the plants’ development and also help ward off disease. You can purchase these organic formulas at most garden centers or through online websites such as Gardens Alive.

Finally, be sure to keep your fluorescent lights no higher than 3” above the seedlings at all times. This is critical to prevent the plants from becoming weak and spindly. As I mentioned earlier, they should be left on 14 hours per day. If fluorescent lighting is not possible, put them in a southwest window and turn them every three days to avoid leaning.

I am attaching a few websites that should prove helpful. I would also advise you to purchase “The New Seed-Starters Handbook” by Nancy Bubel. It has many good ideas and techniques that benefit even experienced gardeners.
Copied from MIKE

INDONESIA SPICES

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:05:00 +0000

Sago, an interesting but underutilized ethanol crop

The true sago palm, Metroxylon sagu, has been described as mankind's oldest food plant with the starch contained in the trunk used as a staple food in southeast Asia. Traditionally, hunter-gatherers use a complex and labor-intensive process of felling the tree, splitting it open, removing the starch and cleaning out its poisonous substances, after which it is ready to be consumed. The starch itself is very nutritious and some of us may have even tasted it because tapioca flour is made from it.
As these sago-growing hunter-gatherers migrate to the cities, they abandon their healthy starch-rich diet and choose for fat and sugar food habits that don't differ much from ours.

But the sago palm remains, in the wild. The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), which strives towards diversifying the world's agricultural crop base and maximizing the potential of less known plant species, considers the palm to be a typical "underutilized" crop. It published an easily accessible but comprehensive study about sago[*.pdf], in its series about "neglected and underutilized species". The study shows the potential of the crop, where and how it is currently used, which barriers there are to increasing its use, and which environmental problems could be associated with its cultivation.

One of the potential uses of the sago palm is ethanol. Throughout its lifecyle, the tree accumulates vast amounts of starch, reaching a maximum when it is about 15 years old, right before its (single) inflorescence occurs. In the wild, around 5 tonnes of starch per hectare can be harvested, but plantations show starch yields of up to 30 tonnes per year.

More importantly, the starch is of such a quality that ethanol conversion efficiencies of up to 72% can be obtained (for hydrated ethanol). Taking an optimistic yield of 20 tons of clean starch per hectare, this comes down to an alcohol yield of 14,400 litres, (1540 gallons per acre) making sago one of the most productive energy crops.

But this is theory. Contrary to palm oil, soya, coconut, cassava and most other tropical crops, sago suffers under a lack of research and development, most notably in crop improvement, phytopathology and plantation management techniques. Despite yearly symposia on sago, the palm has a long way to go before it will be used on a large scale.

Here and there, things are moving, though. The Malaysian government has started a 50,000 hectare plantation with sago palms in Sarawak, and considers it to be a crop with large potential for the development of a biofuels industry. Sago is set to become the second pillar [*.pdf] of Malaysia's bioenergy program.

This is just an introductory file which we will be updating regularly. Here at the BioPact we try to broaden the debate about biofuels, and we try to introduce underutilized crops into it.

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:17:00 +0000

SAGO OF INDONESIA

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:10:00 +0000

SAGO MAKES GREEN NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Barer-Stein, Thelma. 1999. You EatWhat You Are. A FireFly Book, [GT 2850 .B371 1999]
The Sago Palm (Metroxylon sago) grows well with minimum care in swamp and peat areas otherwise inhabitable for most other crops. It has a high starch yield: one palm may yield between 150 to 300 kg of starch.

Sarawak exports up to 40,000 tons sago a-year and the effluent (sago starch factory wastewater) resulting from sago debarking and processing are often discharged to nearby rivers. This inevitably contributes to river pollution. A typical sago mill consumes about 1,000 logs per day, generating a minimum of 400 tons of slurry effluent which contains about 5% solids (20 tons).

The Biochemistry Laboratory at the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, UNIMAS under the supervision of Professor Dr Kopli Bujang has for the past couple of years been working on exploiting the potential of the sago waste solids in the slurry effluent, looking at the possible generation of beofuel.

Although the use of sago starch is a clear possibility, the production of biofuel from a food source doest not seems appropriate especially when one is looking at the rising prices of food supply around the world. The group, therefore, have put their focus on using the sago waste solids. This not only shifts the reliance away from the sago starch but also minimize the effects of environmental pollution from the sago factories.

To begin with, the research group has successfully established a complete bench-plant in campus, in preparation for the pilot-plants which are currently being constructed at Kotobuki (Japan) and Malaysia under the supervision of a Malaysian private company.

The parameters are currently being set to increase the filtration efficiency of the slurry effluent to carve the possibility of harvesting the sago fibres for production of fermentable sugars in a continuous pilot-scale level. Using an in-house modified enzymatic process, initials attempts were able to extract 20-25% of fermentable sugars from sago fibres. At the conservative conversion of 20%, it is possible to produce a minimum of 4 tons/day of fermentable sugars from the slurry effluent produce in a typical sago mill.

Two units of hydrolyses and one unit of rotating vacuum pump filter for continuous filtration of the sago effluent have been developed and constructed to enable the efficient hydrolysis of sago fibers at the pilot-scale level. These will make a convenient attachment to the pilot-plant for a maximum production of biofuel and other by-products.

One of the other by-products currently investigated is the alga Spirulina culture on the filtered sago effluent. Standard parameters have been established to allow for the culture to be harvested after 10 to 20 days. The final objective is to market this product as a source of protein and organic health supplements, adding further commercial value to a potential pollutant.

SAGO NATURAL

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:07:00 +0000

INDONESIA SAGO PRODUCER
Sago food is also obtained from Metroxylon Rumphii as well as from various other East Indian palms such as the Gomuti palm (Arenga saccharifera), the Kittul palm (Caryota wrens), the Sago Palm (Metroxylon Sagu), much reduced . 1, Portion of See also:
Sago natural flour is used not only as staple food but also as one basic material for adhesives. However, the cultivation of sago trees in Indonesia has not been developed yet. The utilization of land which is suitable for the growth of sago trees has been very low although the acreage of such land in Indonesia is potentially large. According to the Department of Industry, around 51% of the world's sago tree population grows in Indonesia.
The land suitable for sago trees in Indonesia has not been utilized to the optimum level. The productivity of such land is still low. Most of the land is occupied by natural forests while the rest, on which sago trees grow, is managed in...
Excerpts from Bender, Arnold E. 1990. Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology. Butterworths, Boston.
Starchy grains prepared from the pith of the sago palm (Metrozylon sago); almost pure starch free from protein. Analysis per 100g: protein 0.5 g, fat negligible, carbohydrate 88g, trace of B vitamins.
Excerpts from Passmore, Jacki. 1991. The Encyclopedia of Asian Sago Food and Cooking. Hearst Books, New York.
The tree from which sago is produced grows wild in low-lying fresh-water swamps in Southeast Asia. Valued for the starch that builds up in the pith of the trunk, the tree trunk is split open, the pith scooped otu and rasped or ground to a course, dries paste. It is moistened to release a milky fluid containing the starch, which is dried into sago starch. Pearl sago is produced by pushing a moist paste through a forming sieve; the resulting “pearls” are dried. They are used in making desserts. In many parts of Southeast Asia sago palm fronds are used for thatching and the fruit, which has an astringent taste, is considered a delicacy. Also known as subadana (India); ambooloong booloo (Inodnesia); pohon sagoo, rombeea (Malaysia).
Garrett, Theodore Francis (edited by). 1898. the Encyclopedia of Practical Cookery. L. Upcott Gill, 170, Strand, W.C. London. Vol. III
is derived from the Malayan Sago, which signifies pith. The sago of commerce is obtained from the interior of the trunk of several palms. It resembles arrowroot in many of its characteristics.

SAGP TECHNOLOGI ALTERNATIF POWER

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:56:00 +0000

AN ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY TO READILY PRODUCE ELITE SAGO(METROXYLON SAGU ROTTB.) PLANTING MATERIALS WAS FOUND EFFECTIVE.
COPIED FROM AGRIBUSINESSWEEK.COM

Based on the results of the study entitled “Regeneration and Conservation of Sago Palm in Panay Island, Philippines through in vitro Techniques,” the method called in vitro culture works for mass propagation of Sago palm. The study was conducted by Michael Ibisate and Dr. Elsa I. Abayon of the Aklan State University College of Agriculture, Forestry and Environmental Sciences in Banua. Aklan.
Sago, a monocot and a sucker-producing plant, can be propagated by suckers, or by seeds. Suckers with unopened buds are the best planting materials.
Recently, however, a shortage of planting materials prompted the increased use of seeds for planting. The problem with seeds is its generally poor germination due to the presence of pericarp and sarcotesta, which restrict water absorption and leach out endogenous germination inhibitors.
What farmers usually do to hasten germination was to soak the seeds in water with a temperature of 30°C, but the researchers said here had been no research findings reported as to its success.
Thus, Ibisate and Abayon tried to evaluate the regeneration capacity of sago through embryogenesis, or embryo rescue, which promotes the development of an immature or weak embryo into a viable plant.
The process first involved seed sterilization wherein pre-mature fruits of different sizes were washed with detergent solution for an hour. re-sterilized inside the inoculating chamber in a bleach solution for 30 minutes, and finally washed thrice with sterilized distilled water.
Embryos were then obtained from sterilized sago seeds and cultured into basal MS medium supplemented with Benzylaminopurine (BAP) until the shoot developed.
The newly-cultured tissues were finally exposed to daily light illumination for eight hours a day, with daily temperature of 26°C to 28°C in the growing chamber.
Actually, the study which the University funded aimed to evaluate the regeneration capacity of sago palm through in vitro technique by, determining the optimum level of BAP supplement in the medium in terms of percentage of browning of the resulting embryo, percentage of embryo survival, and the number of shoots per culture.
The researchers found that the MS culture medium supplemented with 5 ppm (parts per million) BAP had the highest percentage of survival (83.33 percent) compared to those added with 3 and 7 ppm which had a comparable survival’ rate of 50 percent with the control.
Results also showed that the medium added with 5 ppm BAP concentration had resulted in less degree of browning of the newly excised embryo. Browning is a frequently encountered difficulty in palm in vitro culture and is generally_ believed to be a response to wounding.
In terms of the number of shoot produced, embryos cultured in MS medium added with 5 ppm BAP developed two shoots per embryo while those without BAP developed only one shoot per embryo. Media supplemented with 3 and 7 ppm BAP levels did not produce shoot.
The researchers also determined the best seed size for in vitro culture in MS medium supplemented with 5 ppm BAP level. Results revealed that immature fruits whose sizes range from 0.99 to 1.99 mm produced 2.11 shoots and 2.11 roots per embryo at 60 days of culture.
SAGO TECHNOLOGI ALTERNATIF POWER
http://azicha-sago.blogspot.com
Keyword: sago food, natural food, diabetes food

SAGO FOOD

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:45:00 +0000

SAGO FOOD JPG.
http://azicha-sago.blogspot.com
Keyword: sago food, natural food, diabetes food
Discovering Sago – pearls of South East Asia

SAGO PRODUCT NICER AND MORE NATURAL
One of my favourite tropical desserts is Sago Gula Melaka (or simply sago in palm sugar). Served chilled, I enjoy the plain pearls of sago drenched in the delicious richness of coconut milk and sweet nutty flavours of gula melaka (palm sugar). It is particularly refreshing after a robust spicy meal, and is so Malayan in style and form.
I only noticed this dessert when my boyfriend now husband expressed a liking for this local pudding many years ago. I found the recipe in one of my much-treasured “Female” cookbooks, found the recipe simple enough, tried it, and the rest was history.
For a long time sago sat quietly in kitchen drawers only to be used for desserts. In Singapore, that really seems to be the only way it is eaten. Besides Sago Gula Melaka, it can also be found in the sweet Indian dessert of payasam, the Chinese “xi mi lu” a delicious chilled dessert of honey dew melon, sago and coconut milk, and the Nyonya/Malay snack of steamed sago cake.
I thought very little about sago other then enjoying them in these marvellous ways. That is until I started doing some research on South East Asian Food history. In various books, and travel accounts I read, sago kept popping up with increasing regularity. My interest piqued, I delved further into this innocuous pearl of starch, and found a little sago saga to be told.
So it is once upon a time, in a land far far away in the Malay Archipelago, sago was eaten regularly as a staple in this land, until it was displaced by rice. However it continued to be eaten many centuries ago in areas where rice was expensive or not available, such as Timor, the northern Moluccas, the Aru Islands, Buton and Selayar. It came to be seen as food for the poor. How sago was eaten and processed in Amboina, in the Moluccas in the 19th century was described by Anna Forbes, the wife of a naturalist,
“Sago as they used it would be unrecognisable to you. The first time I saw it was as we rowed up the bay of Amboina: the men were eating hard rust-coloured cakes, which seemed to me made of sawdust. And such they in a sense are. Unlike rice or barley, sago is not the fruit of a tiny stem, - it is the pith of the trunk of a great tree. The tree is felled, the pith – a soft fibrous wood – is scraped out, then it is beaten fine, and laid in a trough with water to steep. The water passes through a sieve into another trough, carrying with it the starch in the wood, and this settles at the bottom. The sediment of sago in its first stage – a fine powder, which is at once packed into cylinder-like cases for export. The neighbouring island of Ceram supplies most of the surrounding islands with their daily bread, and while we were at Paso boats frequently landed laden with this product.”
Sago continues to be extracted from the sago palm or other palms which develops a starchy pith. Not unlike Anna Forbes’ description, the pearl sago is known to be produced from the grinded pith. The processed starch from the pith is pressed through a sieve and dried on a hot surface, creating the white pellets of sago we are familiar with.
During the heydays of the East India trade, it was a product traded in the region, and was even considered a superior substance when it was first imported to Britain in the 18th century. It was added to soups and made into puddings and desserts, with its plainness relieved by the use of fruits. Yet its decline in popularity was steep, and it is now at best viewed as quixotic in the British kitchen. Its gluey texture and plain flavours can repel those unused to it.
However in colonial Singapore in the 19th and 20th century, it valiantly captured the palates of the British in the form of Sago Gula Melaka. Popular at home and at dinner parties, it was also the traditional dessert to famed curry tiffins and rijstaffel served in grand households and hotels in the Dutch East Indies and Malaya. The British continued to rave about it even during the post-war period. In the foreword of the 1947 Malayan cookbook, “Good Food” by Mr P C B Newington, A J H Dempster, the Assistant Food Controller of Perak wrote, “And here I would like to add a request that in the next edition Mr Newington includes recipes for the ever-popular mahmee and “Gula Malacca” in the preparation of which most Europeans are quite ignorant” The Gula Malacca here refers to Sago Gula Melaka.
Perhaps it is not a coincidence that all these desserts used sago with a variety of milk, for it contrasts and complements so well with a rich liquid. This method of use is even documented in the far-reaches of Canton, China in the Tang Dynasty, when it is taken with water buffalo milk. Yet from this simple record on the use of sago in Tang China, I marvel at the trade links between South East Asia and China those many centuries ago.
Sago is a natural food that had been in existence for centuries. Its use had evolved with the passing of time. Although it is widely used in Singapore for desserts, the Thais invented a savoury twist to this unglamorous substance. It can be found as a bite-sized snack, saku sai moo, which has a cooked filling of pork, coriander, garlic, peanuts, fish sauce and palm sugar inside a sago covering.
Being such an “ancient” food in the region, I am certain of more innovative ways of using sago in neighbouring lands which we are not aware of in Singapore. It will be more than a culinary adventure to rediscover sago, for it is so intimately intertwined with the people of Southeast Asia.
SAGO FOOD JPG.
POWERED BY
http://azicha-sago.blogspot.com
Keyword: sago food, natural food, diabetes food

SAGO FOOD

ochabisnis@yahoo.com (abdul aziz) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:43:00 +0000

SAGO FOOD
http://azicha-sago.blogspot.com

WHEN I was a child, a typical dessert dish in an English household was sago pudding. It was simply sago cooked with milk and sugar, and eaten with a dollop of jam on top. I used to nickname it frogspawn due to its texture. It resembled tapioca pudding which had a smoother texture, but is from cassava. In Malaysia sago dishes are commonly eaten with gula melaka. However, other societies use sago as a staple food item instead of rice or potato.

Sago forms a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and Maluku (The Moluccas). The sago plant has dozens of uses, so when I was in Maluku I was able to see this for myself.

The islands of Maluku in Indonesia were originally known at The Spice Islands and even today many spices are still grown. Although not a spice, sago is an important commodity in Maluku.

Sago is a powdery starch made from the processed pith found inside the trunks of the sago palms . These palms grow alongside rivers and in freshwater swamps. The sago palms grow all over Southeast Asia, and are used as staple foods in places where there is insufficient rain to grow wet rice.

During my stay on Seram island, I was able to see the process of sago preparation right on the riverbanks. The tall palm trees grow at a rate of up to 1.5m of vertical stem growth per year. The palm builds up a store of starch during its life of about 15 years and attains the maximum amount of starch just before the inflorescence opens. Then the tree will die after flowering.

When the palm is judged to be mature, men will cut it down and divide the stem into several lengths. Each piece is split in half lengthways, and used as a container into which the pith containing the dry starch is put. Buckets of water are hoisted from the river and added to the pith, then the mixture is pounded and washed in order to free the flour from the fibres. Pieces of sago bark are used as a filter although nowadays they also use manmade materials.

When the slurry is ready, it is allowed to flow down a sloping ramp into a goti or container made from another length of the palm trunk. This wet sediment will form the sago flour. Round shaped baskets are made from sago leaves, held together by string made from sago fibres. The wet sago is put into these baskets and transported from the river. The purified starch is then dried and preserved as flour.

Just two men work on one palm tree, one pounds and one washes. It takes about seven days to extract the flour from one palm. One tree can produce 400-600kg of wet sago flour, which is is 80 per cent starch, 16 per cent water and four per cent nitrogen.

The waste fibres left over from the washing process were dumped on the ground forming a soggy carpet which squelched between my toes. However, these fibres are still rich in protein and can be fed to pigs and chickens, and can also be used to make string.

The prepared sago flour can be preserved in the form of baked biscuits. During my stay in Maluku, I saw various different types of biscuit. Some tasted OK whereas others resembled chewing a small wad of compacted sawdust! The "toasted bricks" in the market caught my eye but I never tried them. They looked like hollow, extremely thick slices of bread. No doubt they are meant to be eaten with a sauce. The slices of toast made from sago were just about edible on their own. Sago flour is nearly pure carbohydrate and has very little protein, vitamins, or minerals.

Papeda is the sago pudding which totally resembles thick glue and is eaten with fish sauce. It reminded me of glue we used to make as children for sticking papers in scrapbooks! Sago starch is used in making bread and noodles. Pearl sago is the same starch mixed again into a paste and sieved through mesh of various sizes. The finished sago pearls have a long shelf life.

Sago is also used in the textile and pharmaceutical industries, especially as a thickener. For textiles it is used to treat fibres to make them easier to machine.

The sago palm is like the coconut palm, where nothing is wasted. Traditional Maluku houses are 90 per cent made from sago palms. The roof is made from the leaves which resemble attap, but is more durable than nipa commonly used in Malaysia. The walls are made from the fronds.

The palm parts can even be useful inside the house, as the midribs are used for making brooms and baskets. The barks of the petiole are stripped and woven into mats.

So sago certainly lives up to its nickname of the "the tree of a thousand uses".

Copied from bt.com
Whether used for making foodstuff,ustensils, textiles or roofing, sago certainly lives up to its nickname of the ‘tree of a thousand uses’, writes LIZ PRICE out of Kuala Lumpur
SAGO FOOD
http://azicha-sago.blogspot.com

Keyword: sago food, natural food, diabetes food