a query about coconut sugar

My thoughts exactly, Drew. They need a process to remove the oil, before they can produce a dry or granulated sugar.

Make sure the sap is fresh and that it hasn't started to ferment. If so it would give a "sour" syrup...otherwise you have done it the way I have seen it being produced locally.

The sap was collected from the flower (cut off to permit the sap to flow into the container) and then boiled over open fire while being stirred continuously.

Hard work for a little sugar...but the one I saw prepared was in the form of a paste, not any "granulated" type.

Best of luck in your work

Are you referring to manufacture of granulated sugar from palm sugary sap, called Toddy, obtained from the young inflorescence? This process is very common cottage industry for manufacture of very healthy sugar rich in minerals with only 33% of glycemic load of cane sugar.

An interesting thread...I never knew the sap could be used like this. I merely assumed that it was the coconut itself being refined.

Where could I find some of this sugar on the market?

Also, if the sap ferments so quickly what kind of alcoholic beverage can be produced. Could this be used for an ethanol crop, do the trees grow and produce sap readily enough for harvest?

Drew

Coconut sugar is common in markets in many Asian countries. Elsewhere you can order it from Amazon.com.

In the Philippines the undistilled alcoholic beverage is called tuba and the distilled version is called lambanog.

There is current experimentation around the use of coconut sap as ethanol feedstock.

This is commonly available in South India. http://palmjaggery.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_wine will satisfactorily answer your questions

"BS accounting and financial Management student" - I have highlighted the reasons why you can't get this to work .

"They" no longer need to worry about getting it to work. They have convinced people here to do their work for them!

I would have thought "they" were pre-law students. Lawyers are very adept at letting someone else do their work and then taking credit for it.

Here in South India,

Natural sweet sugar from [in fact they are sugar balls or mouldings of required shapes] palm trees are very common. In local language it is called KARUPPATI. Let me share the rough procedure as I heard about.

The buddings [inflorescence]prior to palm fruit formation in it's primitive state is made a cut and the leaking fluid is collected in a earthen pot coated with lime inner side. This lime mixed fluid is having a sweet taste, usually consumed as a health drink. If this pot collected fluid with lime is dehydrated by boiling and the final slurry is moulded to cakes of suitable shape and size. This can be powdered or cracked and used directly as a sweetener in all possible end uses.

Instead of lime coated fluid collection. direct raw fluid collection leads to TODDY as a kick drink.

This is fundamental information, based on this you may proceed further.

Crystals won't form unless they have something to form around. The lime is just added to adjust the PH.

The syrup has to be seeded to be able to form crystals. You seed it with very fine crushed crystals of sugar. The result is then filtered and washed, then dried in rotating drums.

The whole procedure is detailed here on "How its Made". I believe your question is answered at 3.30 of this video...though the whole of the video is very fascinating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4THSJisaNQ

I missed the key word "sap". Maybe Duckinthepond has something to add - he's a producer of maple syrup and knows about these processes.

Thanks Artsmith....but maple syrup is just that....syrup. Crystalization does occur when the amount of water that is boiled off increases the density of the syrup. A slow process at best and not one I would recommend on an industrial scale. Refining it to the point where it loses the aetheric mechanics() and aldehydes would merely produce a sweet tasting crystal with a hint of maple flavour (great in coffee btw).