Sensory Profile of Palm Syrups Produced from Oil Palm (<i>Elaeis guineensis</i> Jacq.) Sap during Storage and Consumer Preference

Syrup is a versatile ingredient widely used in the food industry as a flavouring and sweetener in confectionery, or as a coating in bakeries. With a view to adding value to the sap of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), this study assesses the sensory characteristics of the palm syrup obtained from the sap during storage. Thus, palm syrup was produced from fresh and stored sap. The quantitative sensory profile of the syrup samples was then established, and the tasters’ preferences were analysed. The results showed that syrup from fresh sap (SP0J) had higher sweetness and honey flavour intensities (37.83% ± 2.61% and 39.56% ± 2.49%, respectively) than syrup from stored sap. However, a decreasing trend in the intensity of these descriptors was observed between the first and fourth day of storage, even if the differences were not statistically significant. Inversely, that of the acid aftertaste increased. These sensory characteristics of the syrups guided the overall sensory appreciation of the tasters, who chose the SP0J syrup made from fresh sap as their first choice with an average rank of 1.29 ± 0.54 and the SP4J syrup as their last choice (4.16 ± 0.34). These results underline the importance of keeping the palm sap fresh to preserve the organoleptic qualities of the resulting palm syrup.