Thesis (BS Biology) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2009

The morphometrics, starch content, and mesh fiber content from trunk segments of the sago palms indigenous in Mindanao, Philippines were investigated. Spiny and spineless varieties of the Metroxylon sagu Rottb were collected from two different sites in Midanao at the same time of the year, the rainy season in July. The spiny sago palms were collected from the mountainous and forest-like Sta. Cruz ecosystem. The spineless sago palms were felled from the damp and humid wetland ecosystem in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur. The huge palm trunks were sawed, measured and weighed on site, and observed macro- and microscopically at the Food Technology Laboratory in the University of the Philippines Mindanao. Starch was extracted from the palm samples using the pith rasper and filtered with the aid of water using the 20 and 60-mesh screen. Morphometric quantification of the trunks? diameters, number of leaf scars and starch sizes showed that both the spiny and spineless varieties of the sago palm were similar. Comparison of the segments within the spiny sago palm variety showed consistent bulking at the level of the two-thirds the length of all three trunks. Mean trunk diameter of the first segments of the spineless variety was significantly greater than the second, third, fourth and sixth segments (P<0.05). the number of the leaf scars within the spiny variety was significantly greater at the seventh and eighth segments compared to the third and fourth segments (P<0.05). no significant difference in the number of leaf scars was observed between segments of the spineless variety. Qualitative analysis of the shapes of the sago molecules observed through the electric light microscope, likewise showed no difference between the two varieties. However, quantitative analysis of the starch extracted by the 20 and 60 mesh fiber filters, revealed that starch content of the spiny palm variety is significantly higher than the spineless palm variety (P<0.05), and that mean starch content per segment of the spiny variety showed higher values when compared to that of the spineless variety at 4.13 and 0.70 kg respectively (P<0.0000). Mean starch content per segment within the spiny variety showed significantly higher levels in the sixth segment (P<0.05), coinciding with the increase in trunk diameter. This apparent difference may be attributed to the difference in habitat and the conditions within the particular habitat from where the samples were collected. It is recommended therefore, that the subsequent studies on the sago palm take into consideration the habitat from which samples are collected, and attempt to harvest both spineless and spiny varieties from the same collection sites