Principal Component Analysis (PCA) Of The Physicochemistry Of Traditional Wet Cakes From South Sumatera

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the physicochemical quality of traditional South Sumatran cakes obtained from several producers in Palembang. The method used in this study is Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to analyze the relationship between physicochemical variables that affect product quality. The samples used consisted of three types of cakes (maksuba, engkak ketan, and delapan jam) from three different producers. The data obtained were analyzed using PCA. The results showed that there were significant differences in moisture, ash, fat, protein, and carbohydrate content between cake types and producers. The use of PCA was able to group the samples based on dominant physicochemical attributes. The two principal components obtained (PC1 and PC2) were able to explain a large proportion of the total variability of the data, indicating that the analyzed parameters have a strong contribution in differentiating the samples. The sample separation pattern in the PCA plot showed three clear clusters, indicating that each type of cake has a consistent chemical and textural profile within its group but significantly different between groups. These findings indicate that PCA is an effective tool in characterizing and standardizing the quality of traditional food products, and can be used to develop new formulations that are more consistent and competitive in the market. The results of this study are expected to be a reference in efforts to improve the quality and differentiation of traditional South Sumatran wet cake products.