 |
Coco Natura™
Organic Coconut Sweetener
(250g & 500g bags)
|
All Natural Pure Coconut Sap
The Philippines has an exciting new product - Coco Natura! Coco Natura, the original coconut sweetener, is 100% natural and free from additives and artificial flavorings. A nutrient-rich, high-value food product, it is derived from the fresh sap of organically grown coconut trees. The sweet juice is extracted when the budding flower is just about to grow and not the coconut fruit. This traditional process offers a delicious and nutritious sweetener with vitamins (particularly B vitamins), amino acids and minerals. Coco Natura is known for its low glycemic index (GI) of 35.
This sweetener serves as a healthier alternative, replacing sugar in coffee, tea, and other beverages. It is also used as a balancing agent and flavor enhancer for cakes, pastries, and even curries and robust sauces. Many patisseries will find Coco Natura’s rich caramel taste and distinctive aroma perfect for their concoctions.
Compared to sugarcane-based sweeteners, Coco Natura lives up to its claim of being the natural way to sweeten people’s lives. A comparative analysis made by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Plant Tissue Analysis Laboratory reveals that coconut sugar contains more amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sodium, chlorine, sulfur, boron, zinc, and copper compared to refined cane or brown sugar. This makes coconut sugar not only delicious, but also the more nutritious and smarter choice.
Glycemic Index
Tests conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute and the Dept. of Science and Technology revealed that the glycemic index (GI) of coconut sugar is only at an astounding 35, much lower than that of cane sugar at 50.
The glycemic index (GI) value measures how rapidly a carbohydrate turns into glucose.
Glycemic Index of Foods
GI values can be interpreted intuitively as percentages on an absolute scale and are commonly interpreted as follows:
| Classification |
GI range |
Examples |
| Low GI |
55 or less |
most fruits and vegetables (except potatoes and watermelon), grainy breads, pasta, legumes/pulses, milk, yogurt, products extremely low in carbohydrates (some cheeses, nuts), fructose, cane sugar
|
| Medium GI |
56–69 |
whole wheat products, basmati rice, sweet potato, table sugar |
| High GI |
70 and above |
corn flakes, rice krispies, baked potatoes, watermelon, croissants, white bread, extruded breakfast cereals, most white rices (e.g. jasmine), straight glucose (100) |
Low GI foods help in the management of diabetes mellitus and have been shown to lower cholesterol. It is the only sweetener that is Bureau of Food And Drugs (BFAD) approved and documented to be safe for both diabetics and non-diabetics. It is also useful for weight control and for the prevention of obesity. This breakthrough has the potential to make a major impact in the lives of millions of diabetics and health conscious people around the world.
Origin
In the Philippines, the coconut tree, known for its rich abundance of healthy produce, is called the “Tree of Life”. The unopened flower of the coconut tree is the source of the sweet sap which is the only ingredient in Coco Natura. This is the same nectar that bees gather to turn into honey. For people, gathering the sap requires age-old techniques and great physical agility. A person climbs up and down the tall coconut trees, balancing on a catwalk hung between them. A sharp knife is used to make a very fine slice in the bud. Several incisions twice a day results in the continuous flow of nectar. The nectar is then collected to produce an organic, naturally delicious and multi-purpose sweetener.
Coco Natura…
- to sweeten your coffee, tea, and other beverages
- to enhance the flavor of your cakes and pastries
- a balancing agent for curries and robust sauces
- the ideal sugar substitute for diabetics
- for weight maintenance and obesity prevention
Take a look at the facts, and compare Coco Natura for yourself!
Comparative Analysis of the Macro & Micro Nutrient Contents of Three Types of Sugar
Nutrient Content |
Coconut Sap Sugar ( a ) |
Brown Cane Sugar ( b ) |
Refined (White) Sugar ( c ) |
Micronutrients mg/L (ppm) in dry matter |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Boron (B)** |
0.30 |
0 |
0 |
Zinc (Zn)** |
21.20 |
2.0 |
1.20 |
Iron (Fe)** |
21.90 |
12.60 |
1.20 |
Copper (Cu)** |
2.3 |
0.6 |
0.60 |
| |
Macronutrients mg/L (ppm) in dry matter |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Nitrogen (N)* |
2,020 |
100 |
0 |
Phosphorus (P)** |
790 |
30 |
0.70 |
Potassium (K) |
10,300 |
650 |
25 |
Calcium (Ca) |
60 |
240 |
60 |
Magnesium (Mg) |
290 |
70 |
10 |
Sodium (Na) |
450 |
20 |
10 |
Sulfur (S) |
260 |
130 |
20 |
a Sourced from Zamboanga Research Center; b Brand GK; c Brand Hermano
* Determined through combustion method using Nitrogen Analyzer
** Determined using ICP-AES
Analyzed by: Philippine Coconut Authority - Plant and Tissue Analysis Laboratory
Source: Kozaki, 1974 as cited in PCARRD, 1993 / Coconuts Today, Vol. XIX November 2004/October 2005
*Dominant amino acids
COCONUT SUGAR FOOD AND NUTRITIVE VALUES
Particulars |
Values |
Total Energy Content a, cal/100g |
369.40 |
Total carbohydrate a, g/100g |
92.3 |
Moisture a, % |
2.2 |
Ash a, % |
2.2 |
Crude Protein a, % |
1.3 |
Crude Fat a, % |
0.12 |
Vitamins and Minerals |
|
Vitamin C a, mg ascorbic acid/100g |
23.4 |
Thiamine a |
0.41 |
Macronutrients, mg/100g |
|
Potassium b |
1,300.0 |
Phosphorus b |
79.0 |
Magnesium b |
29.0 |
Sulfur b |
26.0 |
Calcium b |
6.0 |
Micronutirents, mg/100g |
|
Zinc b |
2.0 |
Iron b |
2.0 |
Boron b |
0.63 |
Copper b |
0.23 |
Manganese b |
0.13 |
a Analyzed by SGS, Philippines
b Analyzed by PTAL-PCA
Multiply by 10 to convert mg/100g to ppm (mg.kg)
Analyses of Coconut Sap Sugar
(Sample analyzed by Sugar Regulatory Administration)
Glucose, 2.0%
Fructose, 2.9%
Sucrose, 84.98%
Quality Test of Coconut Sap Sugar
(Sample tested by Sugar Regulatory Administration)
Moisture, 2.20%
Sucrose, 85.64%
Reducing Sugar, 7.51%
Total Sugar as Invert 97.65%
|
News article addressing coconut sap:
Mar 30th, 2008
Coconut sap may find global niche market in cancer medicine
The possibility of preserving coconut sap’s inositol, a Vitamin B complex component that prevents prostate cancer, is offering the Philippines a new niche for coconut in the international market.
Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Administrator Oscar Garin is focusing a research and development (R&D) effort on the preservation of inositol on coconut sap amid numerous studies proving the significant presence of this cancer-preventing substance in the sap.
First, PCA is contracting Ateneo de Manila University or the Food and Nutrition Research Institute to document inositol content on coconut sap.
Following this, the government agency will develop products that can ensure preservation of a significant amount of inositol on the sap which may be possible through the production of fresh coconut sap juice.
"Admin Garin is enthusiastic about developing technologies and methodologies that can preserve inositol," said a PCA official in an interview.
Inositol, a dietary phytochemical present in cereals, soy, legumes, and fiber-rich foods, has long been known to suppress hormone-refractory prostate cancer growth.
And its presence will maximize marketing of coconut sap and is expected to likewise boost the market of a related product, coconut sap sugar, a sweetener good for diabetics which is already sought after as a health product in the United States.
PCA is further boosting marketing prospects of coconut products by accrediting producers and traders of coconut sap and coconut sap sugar.
PCA is also coordinating with the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Products Standards (BAFPS) to come up with a quality standard for coconut sap in order to protect product quality and likewise protect their producers.
An expansion of coconut sap production in General Santos; Aroman, South Cotabato, and Zamboanga is already on-going. Each of these three production centers should yield three metric tons of coconut sap per month.
While only 375 trees are productive sources of the sap and only from Aroman at present, PCA believes volume can readily be stepped up once markets will have been established in Japan and Canada.
While aiming to give livelihood to farmers originally under the Asian Development Bank-funded International Coconut Genetic Resource Center (Cogent), PCA is also ensuring that farmers will get their fair share of profit in this envisioned sustainable entrepreneurial project.
The export market for the country’s coconut sugar has started expanding since the completion last year of scientific studies showing that coconut sugar is a low glycemic index (GI) food. GI is a numerical system of measuring the effect of a carbohydrate on the circulating blood sugar.
While the Low GI is at 55, coconut sap sugar’s GI is far lower at only at 35.
Coconut sap sugar is foreseen to create numerous livelihood opportunities in rural areas as the process involves a simple farm level technology, but it is labor-intensive due to the coconut sap harvesting activity.
The entire Mindanao is seen as a big potential source of coconut sap sugar since it is where most hybrid coconuts have been planted. Hybrid coconut, which yields three to five MT per hectare compared to the Laguna variety which only gives about one MT enables high recovery rate for the granulated sugar.
A coconut sap or "tuba" contains 12 to 18 percent sugar.
PCA first came up with coconut sap sugar from a poverty reduction project in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental through Cogent. Farmers from Misamis Oriental were the first ones to produce the low GI food that is being exported to the US through a marketing effort of a Filipino doctor promoting the food’s health benefits. But PCA hopes to expand its production all over Mindanao .
By MELODY M. AGUIBA
Manila Bulletin
News ID: 11046
|
|
