What is coconut flour, how is it made? Calorie content and composition, impact on the human body, restrictions on entering the diet. Recommendations for making baked goods based on coconut flour and recipes.
Coconut flour is a food product obtained from the residual raw materials in the manufacture of milk and tropical fruit oil. White color; texture - crumbly, in appearance it resembles fine sugar or ground semolina; smell and taste - sweetish, characteristic of this type of nut. Produced only in countries where the coconut tree grows.
How is coconut flour made?
The first stages of processing a tropical nut, regardless of what product is obtained in the output, are similar. The coconut is cut with a machete, on a special device resembling a volumetric juicer with a metal core, the pulp is separated. Then it is delivered to a press to squeeze out butter, or it is filled into containers and filled with water to make milk.
In the next step, coconut flour is made, like manna or shavings:
- The cake or insoluble residue after the production of the beverage is heated and partially dehydrated.
- Grind in a centrifuge on a pulsation mode so that the particles do not stick together.
- Dry in the hot sun. For this, they are laid out on metal sheets in one layer.
At the next stage, using a mill, the dried particles are ground to the consistency of powdered sugar. Secondary drying is possible - short-term treatment with a directed jet of hot air.
At present, automatic lines have appeared, equipped with a centrifuge, a grinding machine with built-in sieves. But until recently, the product was made only by hand.
How to make coconut flour at home if you have a fresh fresh tropical nut:
- The shell is washed and a hole is punched in it. Any sharp object is suitable for this: a screwdriver, a corkscrew, and the like.
- The juice is drained - it is then used for baking, making cocktails or culinary delicacies.
- Split the shell with a hammer and peel off the pulp, separating the brown areas.
- Grind the separated pieces in water, you can pre-grind for convenience (1 liter of boiling water is enough for 1 fruit), stir.
- Strain the milk through a colander covered with gauze folded in several layers. In the future, you can add it to dishes with coconut flour or just drink it.
- The sediment is spread in a thin layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment and placed in an oven heated to 30-40 ° C, leaving the door open.
- Dry until the intermediate raw material is so brittle that it can be crushed with your fingers.
- Cool completely at room temperature. Be sure to watch out for moisture.
- When everything is dry, pour into a food processor or blender and grind to a powder consistency. The inclusion of individual larger particles resembling semolina is allowed.
At home, coconut flour can be made from shavings. You should only buy savory. Pour in water - 1: 4, allow to soak in liquid, leaving for 4-5 hours. The homogeneous mass is ground in a combine, and then the milk is decanted, as already described in the previous recipe. The rest of the processes are also similar.
Homemade coconut flour is stored at room temperature, in a dark place, in a hermetically sealed container for 2-3 months. The industrial product retains all properties and qualities for six months.
Composition and calorie content of coconut flour
Pictured coconut flour
The nutritional value of the product depends on the type of raw material. If the pulp was used to extract oil, it is lower, for milk production - higher, due to the high lipid content.
The calorie content of coconut flour is 320-385 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Protein - 19 g;
- Fat - 18 g;
- Carbohydrates - 18 g;
- Dietary fiber - 38 g.
During production, special attention is paid to the dehydration process, so there is no moisture in the composition of coconut flour. For comparison: in wheat, a content of up to 14 g / 100 g is allowed. But if a product from the tropics absorbs liquid, it will immediately turn into a viscous sweet mass and will have to be disposed of.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.06 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.1 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 22.1 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.8 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.3 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folate - 9 mcg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid -1.5 mg;
- Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 0.44 mg;
- Vitamin K, phylloquinone - 0.3 μg;
- Vitamin PP - 0.603 mg.
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Potassium, K - 543 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 26 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 90 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 37 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 206 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Iron, Fe - 3.32 mg;
- Manganese, Mn - 2.745 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 796 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 18.5 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 2.01 mg.
Also in the composition of coconut flour there are 10 types of essential amino acids and 8 types of non-essential.
The product from tropical countries is high in fat. Saturated fats (17 g per 100 g) are represented by such acids as lauric, myristic, palmitic, caprylic, capric, stearic, nylon, monounsaturated (2.8 g) - omega 9, oleic acid, and among polyunsaturated (0.7 g) omega-6.
Some sources indicate an increased nutritional value of coconut flour - up to 460 kcal. You should not purchase a pack if this value is indicated on the package. It increases only if the final product contains stabilizers, preservatives and other products of the GMO group. After all, the calorie content of the pulp of a tropical nut is 354 kcal, and even when dried, it increases by 20-30 units, no more.
Benefits of coconut flour
The main value of coconut flour for the human body is a high amount of dietary fiber, 4 times more than in oat bran. Peristalsis accelerates, the intestines are cleansed of the accumulation of toxins and fecal stones, toxins are removed naturally.
The benefits of coconut flour are as follows
- Promotes weight loss, prevents the absorption of fats from foods that are consumed with coconut flour dishes.
- Stimulates bile secretion.
- It has an antioxidant effect, isolates free radicals not only in the intestines, but also circulating in the bloodstream that feeds it.
- Normalizes blood cholesterol levels and helps dissolve deposits that have already formed in the lumen of blood vessels.
- Stimulates energy production, has a general tonic effect.
- Normalizes the work of the cardiovascular system, prevents the development of arrhythmias and angina pectoris. Reduces the permeability of the walls and increases the elasticity of blood vessels.
- Reduces blood pressure levels.
- It has an antimicrobial effect, suppresses the activity of pathogenic microorganisms, increases general immunity. Most effective against candidiasis.
- Increases libido and stimulates testosterone production in men.
- Facilitates bone regeneration, strengthens teeth, improves the quality of hair and nails.
- Improves thyroid function.
Despite the high amount of fat, the glycemic index of coconut flour is low - 45 units. There are no contraindications for adding to the diet for persons with diabetes. In addition, insulin sensitivity increases.
Since there is no gluten in the product, you can make everything from coconut flour that is not available from a different kind of grinding for people with a history of gluten intolerance.
You can safely introduce baked goods made from coconut flour into the menu of athletes involved in strength sports. Muscle mass increases, while the body fat is not formed against the background of active training.
Thanks to lauric acid, the use of coconut flour has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, increases tone, reduces sensitivity to aggressive ultraviolet radiation, and reduces the risk of developing inflammatory processes. Due to this effect on the upper layers of the epithelium, ground dried walnut pulp is used not only for food purposes, but also as an ingredient for home cosmetics.
