Prospect of processing lindur fruit (Bruguiera sexangula) biscuits as a culinaryproduct to support the development of mangrove-based nature tourism

Indonesia is a country with a mangrove forest area of 8.6 million hectares. Diverse forms of ecotourism based on mangroves have also begun to flourish. However, only a few coastal communities know that mangrove fruit can be consumed or processed into various types of food for humans, including the prospect of being developed into a unique culinary product for mangrove-based ecotourism. This research examined the production of biscuits from lindur fruit (Bruguiera sexangula) and the development prospects as one of the supporting culinary products in the mangrove beach tourism object of Kampung Nipah, North Sumatra Province. Appropriate methods were used to examine the process of making flour from mangrove fruit biscuits, testing the level of consumer acceptance through organoleptic tests and preferences for the taste treatment of lindur fruit. The results showed that 1 kg of lindur fruit produced 310 g of flour (31% yield), and with other supporting ingredients, it could produce 750 g. The sweet taste had the highest score at 4.46 (like), color at 3.99 (slightly like), and aroma at 3.1 (somewhat like). In all aspects, it was found that the highest consumer preference was given to biscuits with a sweet-taste treatment, followed by salty and original flavors. Consumer preferences for flavoring treatment differ significantly in aroma and taste. Additionally, the market potential is quite promising because it gives a positive response, when about 96.25% of visitors were willing to buy the product. This willingness to buy does not have a significant correlation with visitor characteristics on aspects of visitor age, education level, and occupation.