Coconut sugar

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Coconut sugar (also known as coco sugar, coconut palm sugar, coco sap sugar or coconut blossom sugar) is a palm sugar produced from the sap of the flower bud stem of the coconut palm. Other types of palm sugar are made from the Palmyra palm, the date palm, the sugar date palm, the sago palm or the sugar palm.

Coconut sugar is used as a sweetener in tropical regions where coconut palms are common.

Video Coconut sugar

Manufacture

Coconut sugar comes in crystal or granule form, block or liquid. It is essentially a two-step process. It starts with harvesting or "tapping" the flower bud stem of a coconut tree. Farmers make a cut on the spadix and the sap starts to flow from the cut into bamboo containers. The sap collected is then transferred into large woks and placed over moderate heat to evaporate the moisture content of the sap. The sap is translucent and is about 80% water. As the water evaporates, it starts to transform into a thick syrup-like substance known as a "toddy". From this form, it is further reduced to crystal, block or soft paste form, or it remains as a syrup.

Maps Coconut sugar

Taste and flavor

Coconut sugar is subtly sweet almost like brown sugar but with a slight hint of caramel. However, since coconut sugar is not highly processed, the color, sweetness and flavor can vary depending on the coconut species used, season when it was harvested, where it was harvested and/or the way the "sap" or "toddy" was reduced.

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Nutrition

The glycemic index (GI) of coconut sugar was reported by the Philippine Coconut Authority to be 35 and by that measure is classified as a low glycemic index food. However, another source measured the GI of coconut sugar to be 54.

Coconut sugar provides 16 calories per teaspoon and contains relatively low content of essential nutrients, with the exception of potassium at about 25% of the Daily Value per serving of 100 grams (approximately 25 teaspoons).

Sugar content

The major component of coconut sugar is sucrose (70-79%), glucose, and fructose (3-9% each).

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Uses

Although its use has become more common in developed countries where it may be perceived as a natural sweetener, there is no scientific evidence that coconut sugar is more nutritious or healthier than any other sweetener. For flavoring, nutritive value and sweetness, it is similar to table sugar or brown sugar.

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See also

• Jaggery, a form of brown sugar, is sometimes made from coconut sugar
• Coconut palm sugar is a type of Palm sugar

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia