The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is well known for its infamous nutritious nut. Nowadays it offers an ingredient equally exciting called coconut palm sugar. The sugar that is extracted from its blossom nectar has great potential as a natural sweetener. It is very similar to dark brown or cane sugar in its taste profile and even looks like these more common ingredients when dried.
Coconut sap is about 70 to 80% sucrose. All the sweetener comes from this sap. There are similarities in quality to jaggery from cane sugar and palm sugar.
The other components found in this palm sugar also make it more nutritious than refined sugar but it’s worth checking the benefits against natural raw cane sugar. The coconut nectar is rich in various vitamins and minerals; potassium, calcium, zinc, iron and the B vitamins to name a few. It also contains inulin which is a useful dietary fibre.
Processing Of Coconut Palm Sugar
Much of the coconut sugar we see today is produced in south-east Asia. The Phillipines is now the largest commercial centre. Processing can yield a variable product – it is dependent on the variety of coconut and heating methods used. The sugar does not retain any coconut flavour but has a profile similar to brown sugar which is slightly richer and more complex. There is no bitter aftertaste hence it can be a valuable substitute for other forms of sugar in cooking.
The calorie content in coconut palm sugar is similar to raw cane sugar but it has a lower glycaemic index (GI) which means the sugar uptake is comparably slower into the bloodstream. According to GI data, coconut palm sugar has a value of 35 compared to refined sugars of various types which have a glycemic index of between 60 and 75.
The low GI value makes coconut sugar more suited to those looking to avert dietary spikes in plasma glucose levels. The reasoning is that a rapid hike in blood glucose (sugar) levels causes the insulin level to rise very rapidly in a short period of time. This causes issues for diabetics in particular but claims still require much more considered research.
Product Development Trends
The advertising agency, Sterling-Rice Group identifies coconut sugar as one of the major trends for ingredient use in 2015. The top 10 culinary trends were established in their 2015 report. Due to its naturalness, coconut sugar will become established in leading brands as an alternative to other sweeteners. Suchero is one of the leading brands if not the top brand at the moment. The dried sweetener comes in various packaging. These include individual sachets, 350g pouch packs and 1kg tubs for home kitchen and mass catering. The web-site describes a number of recipes covering mainly desserts like cup cakes but also sauces for savoury dishes.
The Purely Elizabeth granola contains this sweetener and builds on the message of a product with a low glycaemic (glycemic) index. One conclusion from the report, is towards the inclusion of coconut palm sugar into foods popular with Millennial parents who want lower-sugar alternatives and options for their children.
1st revision 25/07/2018
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