The document discusses the sago palm (Metroxylon sagu), highlighting its high starch yield potential compared to other crops and its challenges in production and processing. While sago is a staple food in some regions of Asia and the Pacific, it remains largely unexploited with low-quality starch due to outdated practices. The document emphasizes the sago industry's development in Malaysia, particularly in Sarawak, and its potential for economic growth in the global starch market.

1. The Story of Sago
(Metroxylon sagu):
Unraveling the potentials
A.
A.
Karim
Universi.
Sains
Malaysia
Penang,
Malaysia
9th International Hydrocolloids Conference, June 15-19, 2008, Singapore

3. Classification of commercial starch
Tubers/roots– potato, sweet
potato, cassava
Cereals– corn, wheat, rice,
oats, barley, sorghum

4. Classification of commercial starch
Sago
starch
is
the
only
example
of
commercial
starch
derived
from
the
stem
of
palm

5. Comparison of starch yield
Crop
Yield
(tons/ha)
per
year
Sago
24
Rice
6.6
Corn
5.5
Wheat
5
Potato
2.5
The
produc.vity
of
sago
per
land
area
is
the
highest
among
the
starch
crops,
i.e.
3-­‐4
.mes
>
rice
and
~17
.mes
higher
than
cassava
–
tremendous
poten.al
for
commercial
produc.on

6. } Sago
is
one
of
the
unexploited
crops
(commercially),
less
understood
and
appreciated

7. } Exploited
as
a
staple
food
for
people
in
certain
parts
of
Asia
and
the
Pacific
Region.

8. } Long
matura.on
period
} low
produc.on
volume,
due
to
lack
of
modern
farming
and
harves.ng
methods
} low-­‐quality
starch
produced
(inefficient
extrac.on
and
processing
methods
)
} lack
of
a
comprehensive
strategy
to
promote
the
sago
palm
Challenges

9. Let’s
take
a
walk
through
the
sago
palm
forest

10. Sago
palm
in
the
wild
Photo
credit:
M.
Okazaki,
A.B.
Loreto,
M.T.P.
Loreto,
M.A.
Quevedo
(le]);
Dulce
Flores
(right)
} Sago
palm
is
found
growing
wild
in
the
marshlands
where
other
crops
cannot
thrive.
} Sago
palm
thrives
in
wetland,
swampy
area,
and
other
areas
where
water
is
abundant.

11. Sago
palm
–
the
robust
crop
Photo
credit:
M.
Okazaki,
A.B.
Loreto,
M.T.P.
Loreto,
M.A.
Quevedo
(le]);
Dulce
Flores
(right)
} Sago
palm
is
tolerant
of
low
pH,
high
levels
of
Al,
Fe,
and
Mn
in
the
soil,
soil
salinity,
as
well
as
heavy
impervious
clays
} Hence,
it
has
a
strong
advantage
for
cul.va.on
in
underu.lized
wet
and
peat
swamp
rain
forests
for
increasing
agricultural
produc.on

12. Geographical
distribu.on
of
sago
palms
Most
of
the
2.6
million
ha
of
sago
palm
in
the
world
is
found
in
tropical
Asia,
mainly
in
PNG
(41%
of
the
global
total)
and
Indonesia
(47%
of
the
global
total)
~
2.6
million
ha
of
natural
sago
forests
out
of
20
million
ha
of
total
swamp
area
in
Asia
and
the
Pacific
Region
-­‐
untapped/largely
unexploited
PNG
considered
the
centre
of
sago
palm
diversity
In
Malaysia,
sago
palms
are
largely
found
in
the
State
of
Sarawak
(East
Malaysia)

13. Aerial
view
of
the
vast
sago
palm
in
the
Sepik
area
of
Papua
New
Guinea
Photo
credit:
Prof.
Toyoda,
Tokyo
University
Papua
has
been
considered
as
one
of
the
centers
of
sago
diversity,
due
to
the
vast
natural
stands
and
the
high
gene.c
varia.on
of
sago
palm
trees
that
have
been
found
in
these
areas
Unfortunately,
there
is
no
significant
development
in
establishing
industries
based
on
sago.
In
contrast,
the
sago
industry
in
Malaysia
(in
the
State
of
Sarawak)
is
well
established
and
has
become
one
of
the
important
industries
contribu.ng
to
export
revenue.

14. } Covers
an
area
of
1.5
million
ha
(i.e.,
12%
of
Sarawak’s
total
land
area)
} In
2005,
export
of
about
45.3
thousand
tonnes
of
food
grade
sago
starch
earned
about
RM40.4
million
Photo
credit:
Abdullah
Chek
Sahamat,
CRAUN
Research
Sdn.
Bhd.

15. SARAWAK: SAGO EXPORT VOLUME (1960-2004)
-
5,000.00
10,000.00
15,000.00
20,000.00
25,000.00
30,000.00
35,000.00
40,000.00
45,000.00
50,000.00
55,000.00
60,000.00
65,000.00
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
YEAR
METRICTONNE
SAGO
INDUSTRY
DEVELOPMENT
(Export
Volume)
Abdullah
Chek
Sahamat,
CRAUN
Research
Sdn.
Bhd.

16. Sago
planta.on
development
by
LCDA,
Sarawak
Photo
credit:
Abdullah
Chek
Sahamat,
CRAUN
Research
Sdn.
Bhd.
Malaysia
has
been
pioneering
in
the
establishment
of
sago
palm
planta.on.
This
is
the
first
sago
plantaJon
in
the
world
(to
achieve
sustainable
produc.on)
Started
with
300
ha
in
1989,
then
increase
to
15,
740
ha
in
1994

17. Sago
planta.on
development
by
LCDA,
Sarawak
Photo
credit:
Abdullah
Chek
Sahamat,
CRAUN
Research
Sdn.
Bhd.

18. Sago
planta.on
in
Mukah,
Sarawak
Photo
credit:
Abdullah
Chek
Sahamat,
CRAUN
Research
Sdn.
Bhd.
SAGO
INDUSTRY
DEVELOPMENT
(Opportunities:
Plantation
Dev
&
Mgmt
Tech)

19. Sago
planta.on
in
Mukah,
Sarawak
Photo
credit:
Abdullah
Chek
Sahamat,
CRAUN
Research
Sdn.
Bhd.
SAGO
INDUSTRY
DEVELOPMENT
(Opportunities:
Plantation
Dev
&
Mgmt
Tech)

20. Classifica.on
of
sago
palm
Thorny
(spiny)
Non-­‐spiny
Photo
credit:
M.
Okazaki,
A.B.
Loreto,
M.T.P.
Loreto,
M.A.
Quevedo

21. The
Sago
palm
Photo
credit:
M.
Okazaki,
A.B.
Loreto,
M.T.P.
Loreto,
M.A.
Quevedo
In
Sarawak,
Metroxylon
sagu
is
the
preferred
sago
palm
to
be
planted
by
the
local
farmers
as
the
thornless
nature
of
the
palm
makes
it
easier
to
manage.

22. Sago
trunks
produces
an
erect
trunk
and
may
reach
7
to
15
m
in
length
and
akain
an
average
girth
of
120
cm
at
the
base
of
the
palm
Photo
credit:
M.
Okazaki,
A.B.
Loreto,
M.T.P.
Loreto,
M.A.
Quevedo

23. • The
vegeta.ve
phase
lasts
7
–
15
years
• The
starch
is
found
in
the
pith
of
the
palm
• On
average,
each
palm
yields
150
–
175
kg
of
dry
starch;
a
yield
of
>
20
tons
of
sago
flour/hectar
is
possible
under
favourable
growing
condi.ons

24. Growth stage Estimated age
from planting
(year)
Palm description
Plawei 10
Palms that have reached
maximum vegetative growth
Plawei Manit 11.5 Inflorescence emerging
Bubul 12 Inflorescence developing
Angau Muda 12.5 Flowering
Angau Tua 14 Fruiting
Different physiological growth stages of sago palm

25. Sago
palm
at
different
growth
stages
Angau Tua
stage
Plawei stage
Angau
Muda stage

26. Inflorescence emerging
(Plawei Manit stage)
Fruitless Inflorescence (from Angau
Tua stage)
Inflorescence developing (Bubul
stage)

27. Sago
palm
(growth
stages)
Photo
credit:
Dulces
Flores

28. Total starch content of sago pith from different
growth stages
Growth stage Height Starch content (%)
Plawei
Base
Mid
24.9
20.1
Bubul
Base
Mid
33.4
35.2
Angau Muda
Base
Mid
41.3
41.4
Angau Tua
Base
Mid
39.4
31.3
Late Angau Tua
Base
Mid
31.6
21.8

29. Photo
credit:
Dulce
Flores
Cutting the palm tree

30. Photo
credit:
Dulce
Flores
Cutting the trunk into
60-100 cm sections

31. Photo
credit:
Dulce
Flores

33. The small farmer brings his cut logs to the factory via
the river.

34. The cut logs are transported to the factory via the river (left)
The logs in transit to the starch factory (right)
Photo
credit:
Dulce
Flores

35. Photo
credit:
Prof.
Toyoda,
Tokyo
University
The
tradi.onal
method
of
extrac.on
of
sago
starch
The pith is rasped by means of a chopper
or a small hoe made from bamboo

36. Photo
credit:
Prof.
Toyoda,
Tokyo
University
Water
is
added
to
the
rasped
mixture
of
fiber
and
pith
and
kneaded
by
hand
(or
trampled
by
foot)

37. Photo
credit:
Prof.
Toyoda,
Tokyo
University
Collec.on
of
the
wet
starch

38. Photo
credit:
Dulce
Flores
Some other traditional practices of
sago extraction

39. Drying the thin strips/slices.
Photo
credit:
Dulce
Flores

40. Drying
stripped
pith
Photo
credit:
M.
Okazaki,
A.B.
Loreto,
M.T.P.
Loreto,
M.A.
Quevedo

41. Storage
of
pith
chunks
Photo
credit:
M.
Okazaki,
A.B.
Loreto,
M.T.P.
Loreto,
M.A.
Quevedo

42. Pulverizing of the dried strips by mortar and pestle

43. Use of grating machine

44. Rasping
of
debarked
sago
log
sec.ons
to
release
starch
granules
from
disintegrated
fibers
Modern
processing
of
sago
starch

45. Sago
starch
Sago
palm
thrives
in
wetland,
swampy
area,
and
other
areas
where
water
is
abundant.
Photo
credit:
M.
Okazaki,
A.B.
Loreto,
M.T.P.
Loreto,
M.A.
Quevedo

46. Sago granules under light microscope (x40) Iodine stained granules in sago fiber (x10)
Iodine stained sago granules in sac (x40) Iodine stained granules in sago fiber (x40)

47. Sago
starch
Native
sago
starch
granules
Broad
granule
size
distribu.on
(10-­‐65
µm;
average
31
µm)
Compare:
Rice
(3-­‐10
µm)
Corn
(5-­‐20
µm)
Cassava
(5-­‐25
µm)
Potato
(15-­‐85
µm)

48. Comparison
of
some
starch
proper.es
} Amylose
content:
26
–
30%
(sago);
28%
(corn),
34%
mung
bean,
22%
potato,
18-­‐20%
cassava
} X-­‐ray
pakern:
C-­‐type;
corn
(A-­‐type);
potato
(B-­‐type)
} Pas.ng:
Similar
gela.niza.on
proper.es
to
that
of
potato
starch
} Retrograda.on:
resembles
corn
and
mungbean
} Swelling
power
&
solubility:
higher
than
corn,
close
to
sweet
potato
or
cassava
but
lower
than
potato
} Whiteness:
L=79
(sago);
potato,
corn,
mungbean,
cassava
(90-­‐93)
} Acid/enzyme
suscep.bility:
Sago
is
most
resistant
compared
to
other
starches

49. Comparison
of
some
starch
proper.es
S.
Takahashi,
Sago’85

50. Pasting Profile of Sago Starch from Different
Growth Stages

51. Pasting Profile of Sago Starch

52. Particle size distribution pattern
of sago starch at base and mid
heights of different growth
stages.
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0
LATM
ATM
AMM
BM
PM
LATB
ATB
AMB
BB
PB
Particle size (µm)

53. Amylose content of sago starch from different growth
stages
Growth stage Height Starch content (%)
Plawei
Base
Mid
24.4
22.9
Bubul
Base
Mid
23.6
22.7
Angau Muda
Base
Mid
24.7
24.2
Angau Tua
Base
Mid
26.6
25.4
Late Angau Tua
Base
Mid
27.1
26.0

54. Pasting Profile of Sago Starch from Different
Growth Stages
0
30
60
90
120
40
60
80
100
120
0 3 6 9 12 15
Time, mins
Viscosity,RVU
Temperature,°C
BL
LAT
AM
PL
AT
Temperature profile
0
30
60
90
120
40
60
80
100
120
0 3 6 9 12 15
Time, mins
Viscosity,RVU
Temperature,°C
BL
LAT
AM
PL
AT
Temperature profile

55. Viscosity,RVU
Temperature,°C
PM
BM
AMM
ATM
LATM
PB
BB
AMB
ATB
LATB
70
72
74
76
78
80
Base height Mid height
Pasting tem
Peak visc
Breakdown
Setback
Growth stages Growth stages

56. Polymorphic form of sago starch

57. Uses
of
Sago
Starch

58. Uses
of
Sago
Starch
Sago
pearls

59. Uses
of
Sago
Starch

60. • Leaves
as
roofing
material
Useful
parts
of
sago
palm

61. • The
bark
as
housing
materials
Useful
parts
of
sago
palm

62. Conclusion
} In
view
of
the
significantly
high
yield
and
century-­‐long
economic
life
span
of
sago
palm,
sago
starch
should
be
in
a
very
strong
posi.on
to
compete
with
starch
produced
from
annual
crops
} If
sufficient
sago
starch
of
suitable
quan.ty
were
produced,
it
should
be
able
to
penetrate
and
compete
favourably
in
the
current
world
starch
market.

64. Acknowledgement
} CRAUN
Research
Sdn.
Bhd.,
Sarawak,
Malaysia
} Ministry
of
Science,
Technology
&
Innova.on
} Japan
Sago
Society
} Japan
Society
for
Promo.on
of
Science
(JSPS)
} Professor
Toyoda,
University
of
Tokyo,
Japan
} Dr
Dulce
Flores,
U.P.
Mindanao,
Philiphine
} Dr
Okazaki
et
al.,
Tokyo
University
of
Agriculture
&
Technology,
Japan
} Dr
T.
Noda,
NARCH,
Hokkaido,
Japan
} Prof.
Takeda,
University
of
Kagoshima,
Japan

65. Thank
you
for
your
aken.on