Coco sugar production cost expected to drop

A drop in the cost of production of coconut sugar is foreseen with the expected rise in the supply of coconuts due to the coconut replanting program, the Philippine Coconut Authority said recently.

PCA regional manager Deodiro Ravelo said that the present condition makes it more expensive to produce coconut sugar than to make tuba and lambanog wines, and oil.

He however said that with the supply of coconuts seen to increase in the future, the cost of production will be lowered and more entrepreneurs will go into its production.

Recent findings from the Department of Science and Technology showed that coconut sugar is good for proper control and management of diabetes, and prevents obesity, making it a promising product for business.

In a published online article, written by Nina Logan Kindipan and Dina B. Masa, of the Philippine Coconut Authority’s Product Development Department, coconut sugar is “a substance obtained by evaporating sweet toddy through careful boiling in open vessel ... then allowed to cool and solidify.”

Coconut sugar is explained further: “The production of coconut sugar starts on the sap collection. The components of coconut sugar are sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Minor variations in sugars between samples were observed, probably due to differences in processing, raw material quality and variety of coconut.

“There are two types of sugar formed: (1) the coconut sugar and (2) the molasses / treacle orcoconut syrup. Coconut sugar is light to dark brown, possibly in powdered or moulded forms.”

 Ravelo said that inflorescence, the source of the sap, is a versatile part of the coconut that provides a variety of products depending on the preparation. If distilled, it becomes lambanog, if fermented it becomes vinegar and if cooked it becomes sugar. — Ferliza C. Contratista/RAE