Organic Coconut Sugar Processing

This article is written due to many questions about how we process coconut sap into sugar in our plant (located in Jombang, East Java, Indonesia).

Coconut sugar, which has low glycemic index, is one of the best natural sweetener.

This flow process includes organic certification process and its requirements, raw material collecting and handling as well as production process in the plant.

Hopefully, this flow process can give general depiction about how our company process coconut sugar to make coconut nectar (coconut syrup), coconut blocked sugar or coconut crystal sugar.

1. CERTIFICATION PROCESS

Certificate by                          : Control Union Certification – Holland.

·         Raw material (sap/neera) certification

·         Process certification

Raw Material Certification

More than 1000 coconut trees are proposed to be certified by Control Union Certification. This certification body will then checked the compliance with the requirements of organic standard.

(detailed requirements for organic certification can be seen in the last part of this articles)

2. RAW MATERIAL DELIVERY

 

Sap collecting process (in coconut plantation). The amount of sap from each farmer (who has been listed by Control Union Certification) is recorded as well as total dissolved solid, pH, etc.

 Sap transporting from coconut plantation to processing plant.

 Sap transferring to receiving tank in processing unit

 Washing the transporting tank at the end of every delivery process

3. PRODUCTION PROCESS.

Sap Receiving and Purifying

 From receiving tank, coconut sap is pumped to the sap heater. Sap is heated until 105 Celsius to inactivate microbe, yeast and others.

Hot sap is then settled in the settling tank for 3 – 5 hours. The impurities (which are approximately 5%) will be present in the bottom and treated as waste. Only the clear liquid on the top will be further processed.

The above photos depict the appearance of sap before and after purification process. The clear sap is then passed through 5 micron filter.       

Coconut Sap Characteristic

                        Density on 20 Celsius                          1.058-1.077.

                        Total Solids                                          15.2  - 19.7 gr/100 ml.

                        Sucrose                                                12.3  - 17.4 gr/100 ml.

                        Ash                                                      0.11  - 0.41 gr/100 ml.

                        Protein                                                 0.23  - 0.32 gr/100 ml.

                        pH                                                        6.2  -  7.2 (fresh).

B. Clear Sap Evaporation 

The evaporation process is performed in a triple effect vacuum evaporator. Temperature of the third evaporator is maintained to be around 65 Celsius on vacuum condition of 64 cmHg.  The result of this process is increasing the brix of sap from 14 to light syrup (50-55)

C. Syrup Thickening

Light syrup resulted from the evaporator is then thickened to make end product; coconut nectar (coconut syrup) or coconut sugar.

Coconut Organic Nectar (Coconut Organic Syrup)

 

The purpose of syrup thickening is to make syrup which has 75 brix level. This process is carried out by single effect vacuum pan. Temperature is maintained to be around 55-60 Celsius with vacuum condition of 65-70 cmHg. The controlled increasing of color intensity produces light yellow end product (instead of dark brown syrup)

Coconut Organic Sugar (or Block Sugar as customer request)

Coconut Organic Crystal Sugar 

 

Centrifugal organic Crystal sugar and centrifugal washing organic Crystal sugar. 

Differ with traditional coconut sugar (commonly known as ant sugar), our centrifugal crystal sugar has SWEET ONLY taste without any caramel taste or coconut specific smell.

D. Product Packaging

As requested, syrup packaging can be water gallon or pails with HOT FILLING process to avoid fermentation.

Water Galon 25 kg

Pail 25 kg.

Hot filling process with final treatment using 200 mesh filter 

Additional Notes:

·  All packaging material (water gallons or pails) are sterilized using alcohol before filling. 

- No hand touches during production process. 

Requirements for Organic Coconut Plantation Certification

Below are some general requirements which have to be fulfilled by coconut plantation to get Organic Certifications (from planting to harvesting):

·         Coconut plantation is said to be ORGANIC when growing naturally without chemical fertilizer or chemical pesticides. Farmers will use natural fertilizer from barnyard manure or green manure obtained from composting leaves.

·         Any plants between coconut plantations must also be organic, that grow naturally without any chemicals. For example: coffee, which is planted with natural seeds and not fertilized with inorganic fertilizer.

·         Coconut trees and all plants in between have used organic natural plantation method for at least 4 years. During the last 4 years, farmers no longer used either chemical fertilizers such as phosphor, kalium, etc or chemical pesticides such as Furadan, Curraterr, Indofur, Dharmafur, etc.

·         Other plantation area within radius of 25 meters from outer border of organic plantation must also use organic growing methods.

·         Tapping  (harvesting) the sap :

·         Sap tapping equipments, such as sickle, sap container must be routine and frequently cleaned using water and napkin that are free from inorganic materials (detergent or soap).

·         Sickles used to harvest the sap may not used for other purposes, such as harvesting grains or canes.

·         Sap containers must be made from organic materials (bamboo is the best) and may not made from ex lubricating oil bottles or ex chemicals containers.

·         When sap is transferred to a bigger container, such as 30 liters plastic containers, then the containers must also be routine and frequently cleaned by using water without any inorganic materials (soap or detergent)

·         No chemicals addition in harvested sap, such as meta bisulphide.

Adding lime solution with appropriate dosage. This lime solution is made by diluting 600 cc lime into 50 liters water. Only the top part of the solution is used for this purpose. This lime solution is supplied by PT. Agri Utama for the same farmers group.