Coconut palm sugar, a type of palm sugar, is used like cane sugar as a sweetener for food and drinks. Since it is produced using a method that is free of animal products, vegans can use palm sugar as an everyday sweetener. Despite a relatively low glycemic index, you should use this sugar in moderation. During the manufacturing process, the strained sap of coconut palm flower buds is boiled until it reaches the syrup stage. Therefore, palm sugar is not a raw food product.
Culinary uses:
Coconut palm sugar is an unrefined sweetener with a glycemic index (GI) that is comparatively low for a sugar. Its GI is on average between 35 and 40, while refined table sugar reaches levels of over 60, sometimes even 70. However, there are no definitive studies that have examined its glycemic index or longer-term effects. These values should not be used as a license to overindulge in a craving for sweets.
You will find that palm sugar is not as intensely sweet as white cane sugar. It has a caramel-like taste, which adds a certain depth of flavor.
Cooks in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa use palm sugar as an ingredient in both sweet and savory dishes.
Purchasing:
As with most products, coconut palm sugar is available in a wide range of prices. Since its manufacturing process is relatively labor intensive, prices for this sweetener are usually higher compared to other sugar types. Products that follow organic cultivation guidelines, where workers are paid fair wages, are typically more expensive. But even under these conditions, a higher price does not necessarily mean that the consumer will receive higher quality goods. In addition, there are suppliers who advertise raw coconut sugar, which is not possible because of the methods used to produce the sugar or syrup.
Storing:
Like other sugars, coconut palm sugar needs to be stored in a cool, dry place.
Nutritional information:
While coconut palm sugar is an unrefined sweetener with a glycemic index (GI) that is lower than that of refined table sugar, you should still take care to use it in moderation as it contains almost the same amount of fructose as regular sugar and only slightly more macronutrients. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has stated that there are no advantages to using fructose as a sugar substitute in diabetic meals. Eating a diet high in fructose can have a negative effect on the metabolism, increasing the risk for obesity and metabolic syndrome.2
Production and habitat:
The plants used to produce oconut palm sugar grow in coastal areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Major suppliers are Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Cultivation and harvest:
The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) yields coconut palm sugar from the sap of its flowers. … Palm sugar is produced by boiling collected sap until it thickens. The boiled sap can be sold as palm syrup. It is sold in bottles or tins and tends to thicken and crystallize over time. The boiled sap can also be solidified and sold in the form of bricks or cakes. It can range in color from golden brown to dark brown or almost black, like Indonesian gula aren.1
General information:
The name palm sugar refers to sugar that is extracted from the sap of palm trees. Its composition differs, depending on the type of palm from which the sugar is collected. Besides the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), which contributes the largest amount of sap processed into palm sugar, other plants such as the sugar palm (Arenga pinnata), the nipa palm (Nypa fruticans), the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera and Phoenix sylvestris) as well as plants of the genus Borassus are used to make palm sugar.
Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar is sometimes qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed similarly and can be used interchangeably.1
Literature / Sources:
- Wikipedia. Palm sugar, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Palm_sugar
- Erhöhte Aufnahme von Fruktose ist für Diabetiker nicht empfehlenswert. Stellungnahme Nr. 041/2009 des BfR (Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung) vom 6. März 2009.
Nutrient tables
The complete nutritional information, coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in the following nutrient tables.
Nutritional Information
|
per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Energy | 388 kcal 1'622 kJ | 19.4% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2000kcal |
Fat/Lipids | 0.50 g | 0.7% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 70g |
Saturated Fats | 0.40 g | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 20g |
Carbohydrates (inc.dietary fiber) | 95 g | 35.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 270g |
Sugars | 90 g | 100.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 90g |
Fiber | 0.80 g | 3.2% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 25g |
Protein/Albumin | 1.4 g | 2.8% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 50g |
Cooking Salt (Na:112.0 mg) | 284 mg | 11.9% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2.4g |
Essential micronutrients with the highest proportions | per 100g | 2000 kcal | |
---|---|---|---|
Elem | Potassium, K | 815 mg | 41.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Min | Iron, Fe | 3.6 mg | 26.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Elem | Calcium, Ca | 189 mg | 24.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Prot | Tryptophan (Trp, W) | 0.04 g | 15.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.25 g |
Sodium, Na | 112 mg | 14.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg | |
Prot | Methionine (Met, M) | 0.07 g | 8.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Prot | Isoleucine (Ile, I) | 0.07 g | 6.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.2 g |
Prot | Phenylalanine (Phe, F) | 0.07 g | 5.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Prot | Threonine (Thr, T) | 0.04 g | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Vit | Niacin (née vitamin B3) | 0.60 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 16 mg |
Detailed micronutrients and daily requirement coverage per 100g
Explanations of nutrient tables in general
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Essential amino acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Tryptophan (Trp, W) | 0.04 g | 15.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.25 g |
Methionine (Met, M) | 0.07 g | 8.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Isoleucine (Ile, I) | 0.07 g | 6.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.2 g |
Phenylalanine (Phe, F) | 0.07 g | 5.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Threonine (Thr, T) | 0.04 g | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Lysine (Lys, K) | 0.07 g | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.9 g |
Leucine (Leu, L) | 0.07 g | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 2.4 g |
Valine (Val, V) | 0.04 g | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Vitamins | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Niacin (née vitamin B3) | 0.60 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 16 mg |
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 2.3 mg | 3.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg |
Thiamine (vitamin B1) | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.1 mg |
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 6.0 mg |
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Vitamin A, as RAE | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg |
Vitamin D | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 5.0 µg |
Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg |
Biotin (ex vitamin B7, H) | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 50 µg |
Essential macroelements (macronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Potassium, K | 815 mg | 41.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Calcium, Ca | 189 mg | 24.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Sodium, Na | 112 mg | 14.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Magnesium, Mg | 2.9 mg | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Phosphorus, P | 7.9 mg | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg |
Essential trace elements (micronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Iron, Fe | 3.6 mg | 26.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Zinc, Zn | 0.20 mg | 2.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 10 mg |
Copper, Cu | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Fluorine, F | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 3'500 µg |
Manganese, Mn | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg |
Iod, I (Jod, J) | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 150 µg |
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