1. Climb a palm tree and locate a palm fruit.

2. 2

Identify the fruit's kernels. They reside deep inside the fruit which consists of 3
parts: a thin skin, a somewhat thicker and fibrous flesh beneath and at least one
seed covered by a woody shell with kernels inside.

3. 3

"Tap" the tree by making an incision between the kernels using a knife or
machete and tying a gourd around the tree to collect the sap that flows out.

4. 4

Descend from the tree leaving the gourd behind for 1 to 2 days.

5. 5

Retrieve the gourd and transfer the wine to a clean glass or plastic bottle. The
wine is ready to drink immediately.

Read more: How to Make Palm Wine | eHow.com

http://www.ehow.com/how_2247489_make-palm-wine.html#ixzz13d2KgL2x

Tips & Warnings

• Fermentation begins soon after the sap begins flowing. Within 1 to 2 hours the
alcohol content may reach upwards of 4 percent. Sap that ferments for more than
1 day takes on a vinegary flavor. Some people prefer this vinegary flavor while
others prefer the relatively sour, lightly-fermented flavor of a younger wine.
• Keep the wine in a cool, dry place and out of direct sunlight. Drink it within 1 to
2 days.
• The quality of the wine depends largely on the collection process. Palm wine
makers or "tappers" tend not to wash their collection gourds between tappings.
This leaves residual yeasts in the gourd that assist in fermenting the next batch
of wine.
• Palm wine is an alcoholic beverage so drink it responsibly.

Read more: How to Make Palm Wine | eHow.com

http://www.ehow.com/how_2247489_make-palm-wine.html#ixzz13d2wniuj
Short Description
• Problem: Wine processing
• Idea: to use Palm Sap to produce Palm Wine
• Difficulty: Medium
• Price Range: Less than 10 US$
• Material Needeed: Palm sap,
• Geographic Area: Tropical, Warm Climates
• How Many people? One

Toddy and Palm Wine - Fermented Plant Saps

Virtually any sugary plant sap can be processed into an alcoholic beverage. The process
is well known being essentially an alcoholic fermentation of sugars to yield alcohol and
carbon dioxide. Many alcoholic drinks are made from the juices of plants including
coconut palm, oil palm, wild date palm, nipa palm, raphia palm and kithul palm.

Palm wine
Palm ‘wine’ is an important alcoholic beverage in West Africa where it is consumed by
more than 10 million people. Palm wine can be consumed in a variety of flavours
varying from sweet unfermented to sour fermented and vinegary alcoholic drinks. There
are many variations and names including emu and ogogoro in Nigeria and nsafufuo in
Ghana. It is produced from sugary palm saps. The most frequently tapped palms are
raphia palms (Raphia hookeri or R. vinifera) and the oil palm (Elaeis guineense). Palm
wine has been found to be nutritious.

Raw material preparation

Sap is collected by tapping the palm. This is achieved by making an incision between
the kernels and a gourd is tied around to collect the sap which is collected a day or two
later. The fresh palm juice is a sweet, clear, colourless juice containing 10-12 percent
sugar and is neutral. The quality of the final wines is determined mostly by the
conditions used in the collection of the sap. Often the collecting gourd is not washed
between collections and residual yeasts in the gourd quickly begin the fermentation.

Processing
The sap is not heated and the wine is an excellent substrate for microbial growth. It is
therefore essential that proper hygienic collection procedures are followed to prevent
contaminating bacteria from competing with the yeast and producing acid instead of
alcohol.

Fermentation starts soon after the sap is collected and within an hour or two becomes
reasonably high in alcohol (up to 4%). If allowed to continue to ferment for more than a
day, it starts turning into vinegar. Some people like a vinegary flavour. The organisms
responsible are mainly S. cerevisiae, and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and the bacteria
Lactobacillus plantarum and L. mesenteroides. There are reports that the yeasts and
bacteria originate from the gourd, palm tree, and tapping implements. However, the
high sugar content of the juice would seem to selectively favour the growth of yeasts
which might originate from the air. This is supported by the fact that fermentation also
takes place in plastic containers. Within 24 hours the initial pH is reduced from 7.4-6.8
to 5.5 and the alcohol content ranges from 1.5 to 2.1 percent. Within 72 hours the
alcohol levels have increased from 4.5 to 5.2 percent and the pH is 4.0. The organic
acids present are lactic acid, acetic acid and tartaric acid.

The main control points are extraction of a high yield of palm sap without excessive
contamination by spoilage micro-organisms, and proper storage to allow the natural
fermentation to take place.

Flow diagram

Cut → Cut 10-15 cm from the top of

the trunk
↓

Tapping → A gourd is fixed below the

cut.
↓

Collection → collected

Fermentati → The sap is collected each day

on

↓ Natural fermentation starts as soon as sap

is collected
↓

Filter → Optional

Bottling → Clean bottles should be used

Packaging and storage

Packaging is usually only required to keep the product for its relatively short shelf life.
Clean glass or plastic bottles should be used. The product should be kept in a cool place
away from direct sunlight.

Toddy
Toddy is an alcoholic drink made by the fermentation of the sap from a coconut palm. It
is white and sweet with a characteristic flavour. It is between 4 and 6% alcohol and has
a shelf life of about 24 hours.

Raw material preparation

The sap is collected by slicing off the tip of an unopened flower. The sap oozes out and
can be collected in a small pot tied underneath.

Processing

The fermentation starts as soon as the sap collects in the pots on the palms, particularly
if a small amount of toddy is left in the pots. The toddy is fully fermented in six to eight
hours. The product is usually sold immediately due to its short shelf-life.

Flow diagram

Tapping → A small pot is fixed below the cut.

Collection → The sap is collected each day

Fermentati → Natural fermentation starts as soon as sap is collected

on

Packaging → Clean bottles should be used

Packaging and storage

Packaging is usually only required to keep the product for its relatively short shelf-life.
This is usually clean glass or plastic bottles. The product should be kept in a cool place
away from direct sunlight.
Introduction
Toddy and palm wine are alcoholic beverages that are made by fermenting the sugary
sap from various palm plants. Virtually any sugary plant sap can be processed into an
alcoholic beverage – it just needs the correct yeasts, temperature and processing
conditions.

Throughout the world, alcoholic drinks are made from the juices of locally grown plants
including coconut palm, oil palm, wild date palm, nipa palm, raphia palm and kithul
palm. The terms toddy and palm wine are both used to describe similar alcoholic drinks
– the terminology varies from country to country. In this brief toddy refers to the
fermented flower sap from the coconut palm (Cocus neusifera) and palm wine refers to
the fermented sap, collected from the trunk, of other palms including raphia (Raphia
hookeri or R. vinifera) and the oil palm (Elaeis guineense).

Palm wine
Palm wine is the fermented sap of certain varieties of palm trees including raphia palm
(Raphia hookeri or R. vinifera) and the oil palm (Elaeis guineense). It is collected by
tapping the top of the trunk or, in some countries, by felling the palm tree and boring a
hole into the trunk. It is a cloudy, whitish beverage with a sweet alcoholic taste and a
very short shelf life of only one day. The wine is consumed in a variety of flavours
varying from sweet unfermented to sour, fermented and vinegary. There are many
variations of the same product and no individual method or recipe. Palm wine is
particularly common in parts of Africa, South India, Myanmar and Mexico. Some of the
local names for the product include emu and ogogoro in Nigeria and nsafufuo in Ghana,
kallu in South India and tuba in Mexico.

Principles of processing and preservation

The process of sap fermentation is an alcoholic fermentation of the sugars in the sap to
produce alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. The extracted sap is sweet. After collection it
undergoes a rapid natural fermentation to produce alcohol. The shelf life of the product
is very short – only one day - after which the wine becomes acidic.

Raw material preparation

The sap should be collected from a growing palm. It is collected by tapping the palm.
This involves making a small incision in the bark of the palm, about 15cm from the top
of the trunk. A clean gourd is tied around the tree to collect the sap, which runs into it.
The sap is collected each day and should be consumed within 5-12 hours of collection.
Fresh palm juice is a sweet, clear, colourless juice containing 10-12 percent sugar.

Processing
The sap is not heated and the wine is an excellent substrate for microbial growth. It is
therefore essential that proper hygienic collection procedures are followed to prevent
contaminating bacteria from competing with the yeast and producing acid instead of
alcohol.

Fermentation starts soon after the sap is collected and within an hour or two becomes
reasonably high in alcohol (up to 4%). If allowed to continue to ferment for more than
a day, it starts turning into vinegar. Some people like a vinegary flavour.

The main control points are extraction of a high yield of palm sap without excessive
contamination by spoilage micro-organisms, and proper storage to allow the natural
fermentation to take place.

The quality of the final wine is determined by the conditions used for the collection of
the sap. Often the collecting gourd is not washed between collections and residual
yeasts in the gourd quickly begin the fermentation. This is beneficial as it prevents the
growth of bacteria which can spoil the sap.

Flow diagram
• Cut
Cut 10-15 cm from the top of the trunk
• Tapping
A gourd is fixed below the cut
• Collection
The sap is collected each day
• Fermentation
Natural fermentation starts as soon as sap is collected
• Filter
Optional
• Bottling
Clean bottles should be used

Packaging and storage

Packaging is usually only required to keep the product clean and to transport it for its
relatively short shelf life. Clean glass or plastic bottles should be used. The product
should be kept in a cool place away from direct sunlight.

Toddy
Toddy is an alcoholic drink made by the fermentation of the flower sap from a coconut
palm (Cocus neusifera). It is white and sweet with a characteristic flavour and contains
between 4 and 6% alcohol. Toddy has a short shelf life of about 24 hours, which can be
extended if it is refrigerated.

Principles of processing and preservation

A natural fermentation takes place due to yeasts that are present in the sap and those that
are added from a previous batch of toddy. The sugar in the sap is partly fermented to
alcohol, which helps to preserve the product. It requires refrigeration if it needs to be
stored for more than 24 hours.

The collecting pots should not be washed out. That way they retain a small amount of
starter inoculum for future fermentations. However, it is important to ensure that they
are kept clean and do not become contaminated by other bacteria. The fermentation
vessels should be kept clean and the product must be hygienically handled.

Raw material preparation

The sap is collected by slicing off the tip of an unopened flower. The flower should be
clean and free from infection or mould. Flowers can be used until they cease to provide
sap or become infected. The sap oozes out and is collected in a small pot tied
underneath. A small amount of toddy from the previous days fermentation should be
left in the pot to start the fermentation.

Fermentation
The fermentation starts as soon as the sap collects in the pots on the palms, particularly
if a small amount of toddy is left in the pots. The collecting pots are emptied into a
larger vessel and the fermentation continues for six to eight hours.

Packaging and storage

The product is not usually packaged. It is sold immediately or transferred to a
refrigerator to extend its shelf life for one or two days.

Toddy can be distilled to make a brandy-like spirit (known as Arrack in Sri Lanka).
Distillation requires a special licence and is banned in some countries. Check with the
local authorities before starting this process.

• Sap collection
Slice off the tip of the unopened flower. Tie a small point under the
cut and collect the sap that oozes out. Leave a small amount of
toddy in the pot to initiate fermentation.
• Fermentation
Empty the collecting pots into a fermentation vessel. Continue to
ferment for 6-8 hours.
• Storage
Toddy is usually sold immediately but can be stored in a refrigerator
for 1-2 days.

Packaging and storage

Packaging is usually only required to keep the product for its relatively short shelf-life.
This is usually clean glass or plastic bottles. The product should be kept in a cool place
away from direct sunlight