Neera, also called Sweet Toddy or Palm Nectar is a sap extracted from Inflorescence of various species of Toddy palms. It is sweet, oyster white, and translucent. It is widely consumed in India, Srilanka, Africa, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar
Neera is a non-alcoholic and unfermented beverage. Once fermented, neera gets converted to toddy.
Contents |
Neera is rich in carbohydrates, mostly sucrose, and has a nearly neutral pH.[1] It has a specific gravity ranging from 1.058 to 1.077. Composition of neera is as follows:[2]
Neera, the sweet sap of the Palm, is fast becoming a popular drink on account of its highly nutritive value, delicious taste and agreeable flavor. It requires neither mechanical crushing, as in the case of cane, nor leaching like that of beet-root; it is obtained by slicing the spathes of the Palmyra, Coconut and Sago Palms, and scraping the tender most part, just below the crown, of the Date Palm.
The chemical percentage composition of Neera varies, depending on various factors, namely, place, type of palm, mode and season of its collection.
| Substance | Concentration (g/100 mL) |
|---|---|
| Sucrose | 12.3 - 17.4 |
| Total ash | 0.11 - 0.41 |
| Protein | 0.23 - 0.32 |
| Ascorbic acid | 0.016 - 0.030 |
| Total solids | 15.2 - 19.7 |
Neera is considered as a nutritious drink as it contains a number of minerals and salts and is high in protein. It contains acids like ascorbic acid, nicotinic acid and riboflavin.[3]
Neera is highly susceptible to natural fermentation at ambient temperature within few hours of extraction from palms. Once fermented, it transforms to toddy with 4% alcohol. Using several technologies developed by various research institutes, neera can be processed and preserved in its natural form to retain the vitamins, sugar, and other nutrients beneficial for health. To preserve and extend the shelf life of neera, heat preservation techniques such as pasteurization are used.[2]
A special filtration technique to enhance the shelf life of neera was developed by the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, India.[4] Technologies for the preservation and processing of neera were also developed by the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore, India.[5]
Neera Syrup is produced when fresh neera is heated and concentrated into a syrup. This is used as a health drink in connection with Ayurveda and other systems of medicine.[1]
Other by-products include Jaggery[6], Sugar[7], Candy[8], and Chocolate.
Neera is also the name of a famous female character in Paigham Afaqui's Urdu novel Makaan.