Fresh coconut sap (neera), if kept at room temperature for a couple of hours, undergoes fermentation. Fresh sap is golden in colour, with pH > 7 and has no foul odour. The traditional way of tapping, i.e. collecting the sap in a mud pot kept at the top of the palm under atmospheric temperature for 8-12 h, ferments the sap before collection itself. The colour turns whitish, pH drops to below 6 and odour of toddy (fermented smell) slowly develops. Hence the only way to avoid fermentation of sap is either keeping collection boxes at low temperature or to collect the sap every hour and store chilled. Central Plantation Crops Research Institute has developed 'coco-sap chiller' with ice cubes inside, which maintains the temperature at 2-3C for 10-12 h, and also keeps the sap fresh and unfermented. The sap collected is sweet, non-alcoholic and also free from contaminants like ants, insects, pollen, dust, etc. The fresh, hygienic and unfermented sap is called Kalparasa. It can be sold as a ready-to-serve health drink under refrigerated condition or can be processed into value-added natural products like sugar, jaggery, honey, syrup, etc. without the addition of chemicals.

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Context:Research methodology in traditional Indian system of medicine.Aim:To determine the knowledge level of investigators conducting clinical trials in traditional medicines (TMs) including Ayurveda.Materials and Methods:This was a questionnaire survey conducted for selected researchers trained in any specialty and working in TM. 2087 researchers were selected based on selection criteria. A validated and pretested questionnaire containing the questions regarding regulatory issues, literature search, evidence-based medicine, clinical trial design, patient selection, and study reporting were sent either through E-mail or post. The answered questionnaires were analyzed. The parameters were analyzed based on median and interquartile range (IQR).Results:Forty two responses were received through E-mail and 21 researchers responded through post. Out of 63, six researchers sent incomplete responses. Among the remaining 57 respondents; 34 (59.6%) investigators had postdoctoral degree, 43 investigators (75.4%) did not receive any structured training on research methodology, 23 (40.4%) had two decades of research experience. Thirty three (74%) of investigators who received government funding didn’t have any training on research methodology. Ayurveda experts group had better knowledge compared to pharmaceutical sciences and basic science group although they had a dilemma about conducting clinical evaluation of TM within the specific framework of rigorous clinical pharmacological principles without ignoring the Ayurvedic concepts such as Dosha, Prakruti etc., Investigators below 30 years possessed higher knowledge of research methodology when analyzed based on the age. The respondents working in research organizations, government organizations, and academic institutions had lower knowledge compared to those who were in private organizations/practice.Conclusions:It is recommend that investigators, peer reviewers, and fund managers involved in traditional medicine research need training especially in research methodology.

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