Open-Pan Evapoconcentration Kinetics and Physicochemical Characteristics of Oil Palm Wine Syrups

Oil palm wine is highly perishable, and conversion into syrup offers a technically accessible route for local value addition. This study described open-pan evapoconcentration profiles and the immediate physicochemical quality of syrups prepared from four identified batches of oil palm wine. For each batch, 2 L of wine were heated at a nominal hotplate setpoint of 80°C under regular manual stirring. Apparent total soluble solids were measured every 20 min, and five nonlinear equations were compared using the root mean square error, coefficient of determination, corrected Akaike information criterion, and physical admissibility of the fitted parameters. The syrups were characterized for pH, titratable acidity, moisture, dry matter, and water activity immediately after processing. Apparent soluble solids increased from 6.97-10.00°Brix to 74.25-87.77°Brix within 200-260 min, corresponding to concentration factors of 8.18-10.65. Apparent syrup recovery ranged from 6.83 to 11.24 g per 100 mL of feed. A simplified evaporation-balance equation best represented batches S1 and S4, whereas a power-law equation described S2 and S3; the selected fits gave R 2 values of 0.9713-0.9944 and root mean square errors of 1.434-2.976°Brix. Final pH ranged from 3.92 to 4.08 and titratable acidity from 0.36 to 0.91 g acetic acid equivalents per 100 g. Water activity separated the products into two lower-moisture syrups (0.472-0.482) and two higher-moisture syrups (0.660-0.704). The results establish the feasibility of producing highly concentrated oil palm wine syrup and identify simple nonlinear equations that can support endpoint control. Replicated runs with direct product-temperature measurement and standardized evaporation geometry are required for process optimization.