What is coconut flakes, the difference from other products from the pulp of coconut, the method of manufacture. Nutritional value, composition, benefits and harms to the body. Cooking and non-food uses.
Coconut flakes are the dehydrated and crushed pulp of the tropical palm fruit. The smell is sweetish, the taste can be sugary or neutral, the color is white; texture - granular, free-flowing, particle sizes depend on the mesh of the sieve through which the raw material was passed during production.
How are coconut flakes made?
The stores supply products of 3 varieties, differing in size and fat content. In the countries of Southeast Asia, engaged in the production of coconut, they are trying to automate the production. An industrial plant is a complex with built-in devices for separating, washing and crushing pulp. Drying is carried out at a high temperature, then the particles are sieved. Expensive varieties are additionally dehydrated.
In the markets of countries in which the tropical palm tree grows, you can buy coconut flakes of the lowest grade - kors. Locals make this coarse grind on their own, sometimes even without leaving the counter. This variety contains the most fat. Market visitors can see the less thoroughly cleaned pulp being passed through a device that resembles a juicer. The juice is drained and the chopped fibers are sold. You have to dry them yourself. In stores, they buy Kors already packaged and dehydrated. To dry, the granules are laid out under the hot tropical sun.
A more expensive variety is a medium. It is made in factories. First, the crushed pulp is washed to remove not only impurities, but also get rid of the sugary sweetness. Then they are dried, sieved, achieving complete homogeneity of the granules.
To make coconut flakes of an elite fine grade, the pulp is thoroughly cleaned, separating copra particles. Washed, soaked and crushed. The milk is squeezed out and the intermediate raw materials are heat treated. Sift several times, additionally grinding, until complete homogeneity is achieved. The size of the granules is 2-3 mm. The texture is free flowing.
There is another way to make shavings. Granules of the desired size are formed from partially dehydrated flour made from tropical palm nut cake. Heat treatment with a directed air flow is carried out at the last stage of production.
How to make coconut flakes at home
- They punch a hole in the nut shell and drain the juice (it is more convenient in one of the eyes - this is the name for the dark spots on the surface of the coconut, because of which it resembles a monkey's face).
- Split the fruit and separate the pulp, removing the connecting skin.
- Pour boiling water for 20-40 minutes, then drain the liquid and squeeze the pulp.
- Dry at 40-45 ° C in a conventional oven with a slightly open door and at 50-60 ° C with convection.
- The dried intermediate is ground several times in a blender or food processor to size.
- Calcined in a dry hot frying pan (preferably Teflon), reducing the fire to a minimum and stirring constantly, otherwise it will burn.
If the color of the final product is creamy, it should be used immediately. When long-term storage is planned, the drying of the coconut flakes should be continued until the granules turn white. To avoid burning, it is better to put it on a baking sheet and put it back in the oven, setting the regulator to a temperature of 30-35 ° C.
Store homemade coconut flakes in a glass jar in the refrigerator, or store purchased coconut in a well-ventilated area. If the package is not opened, the taste and smell persist for a year.
Composition and calorie content of coconut flakes
In the photo, coconut flakes
Domestic products do not end up on our tables - well-dried granules, manufactured in industrial conditions or bought from peasants, and then processed to the desired condition, are supplied for export. The nutritional value of the product is maintained by reducing the fat content and increasing the carbohydrate content.
The calorie content of coconut flakes is 360-390 kcal per 100 g, of which
- Protein - 13 g;
- Fat - 65 g;
- Carbohydrates - 14 g;
- Dietary fiber - 4.5 g;
- Water - up to 13 g.
Vitamins per 100 g
- Vitamin E - 0.4 mg;
- Vitamin K - 0.3 mcg;
- Vitamin C - 1.5 mg;
- Vitamin B1 - 0.1 mg;
- Vitamin B2 - 0.1 mg;
- Vitamin B3 - 0.6 mg;
- Vitamin B4 - 22.1 mg;
- Vitamin B5 - 0.8 mg;
- Vitamin B6 - 0.3 mg;
- Vitamin B9 - 9.0 mcg.
Minerals 100 g
- Calcium - 26.0 mg;
- Iron - 3.3 mg;
- Magnesium - 90, 0 mg;
- Phosphorus - 206, 0 mg;
- Potassium - 543, 0 mg;
- Sodium - 37.0 mg;
- Zinc - 2.0 mg;
- Copper - 0.8 mg;
- Manganese - 2.7 mg;
- Selenium - 18.5 mcg
Due to the mineral composition of coconut flakes, you can replenish the organic reserve: manganese - by 119%, iron - by 33%, phosphorus - by 29%; selenium - by 88%, and also by 33% potassium.
To burn the energy that the body has received from 100 g of the product, you will have to run for 1 hour, ride a bike for 1 hour and 10 minutes, play football for 1.5 hours or … sleep without waking up for 11.5 hours. But you do not need to give up tropical sweets if you do not have enough time or energy for active sports activities. Eating 100 g at a time is quite difficult. Even children who feast on granules are able to chew 2-3 handfuls. Adults, on the other hand, use them as an additional ingredient to dishes, and there is no significant increase in the calorie content of the daily menu.
Benefits of coconut flakes
Physicians in tropical countries believe that homemade coconut flakes have a healing effect and are used to treat many diseases. In the Indian state of Rajasthan in 1984-1985, studies were carried out during which chips from the pulp of coconut were introduced into a therapeutic antiparasitic course. The subjects ate the water-soaked pellets and took magnesium sulfate. The complex effect suppressed the vital activity of tapeworms (cestodoses), and they left the body.
The benefits of coconut flakes are not limited to anthelmintic action, let us consider its properties in more detail:
- Absorbent and cleansing action due to the high amount of fiber, prevention of constipation.
- Increasing the level of hemoglobin, stimulating the production of red blood cells.
- Improving the work of the cardiovascular system. Lauric acid in the composition dissolves cholesterol plaques that clog the lumen of blood vessels.
- Increases the perception of information, reduces the rate of degenerative changes in the optic nerve.
- Suppresses the activity of pathogenic flora - bacteria and fungi.
- Increases immunity and speeds up metabolic processes.
- Prolongs the life cycle of hepatocytes - liver cells, accelerates the cleansing of the body from metabolites formed after the breakdown of alcohol.
What else is coconut flakes good for? For young children, such an addition to desserts will help avoid the development of rickets, strengthen teeth and muscle tissue, and accelerate growth. Pregnant women - get rid of mood swings. For men - to maintain potency and increase testosterone production. In women of climacteric age, the severity of hot flashes decreases.
