''Nata de piña'' ("cream of pineapple" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

), also marketed as pineapple gel or pineapple gelatin, is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food produced by the

fermentation Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...

of pineapple juice. It is a traditional dessert in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, produced since the 18th century using waste pineapple juices from the

piña Piña ( ) is a traditional Philippine fiber made from the leaves of the pineapple plant. Pineapples are indigenous to South America but have been widely cultivated in the Philippines since the 17th century, and used for weaving lustrous lace- ...

fiber industry in

Pagsanjan Pagsanjan (pronounced ''PAG-sang-han''), officially the Municipality of Pagsanjan (), is a municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,327 people. Pagsanjan is the tourist capi ...

, Laguna. It has a sweet-sour taste and is popularly used in fruit salads, jams, ice creams, candies, and various other dishes. ''Nata de piña'' production is not as widespread as ''

nata de coco ''Nata de coco'', also marketed as coconut gel, is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food produced by the fermentation of coconut water, which gels through the production of microbial cellulose by '' Komagataeibacter xylinus''. Originating i ...

'', a variant that uses

coconut water Coconut water (also coconut juice) is the clear liquid inside young coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As developm ...

, largely because of the seasonal nature of

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

farming. Commercially produced ''nata de piña'' is generally made from extracts of discarded pulp and pineapple skin. The gelling is the result of the production of microbial cellulose by '' Komagataeibacter xylinus''.

References

{{portal bar, Food Plant-based fermented foods Philippine desserts Jams and jellies Pineapple desserts

See also

References