COCO FLOUR FROM SAPAL: Health food with great potential

MANILA, Philippines - Pancit canton noodles, polvo-ron, oatmeal cookies, chocolate chips – these are some of the food products that you can make using coconut flour. 

Coco flour, as it is more popu-larly known, is a good additive in various food formulations and as ingredient in medicinal food.   

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Develop-ment (PCARRD) said the atten-tion given to coco flour is mainly due to its health benefits and abundant supply, which can help reduce the incidence of protein malnutrition in the country. 

Coconut flour is made from residues of coconut meat or kernel (desiccated or food-grade copra), locally known as sapal.  After the kernel has dried and has under-gone oil extraction, it is grounded into fine powder to become coco flour.   

Coco flour is rich in nutrients, minerals, and vitamins such as calcium, carbohydrates, iron, niacin, phosphorus, protein, riboflavin, and thiamine.

Studies show that the amino acids in coconut protein are well-balanced making it suitable for utilization by the human body.  Coco protein is comparable to ca-sein, the protein found in animal milk. Coco flour is gluten-free; gluten is the protein found in wheat flour and it can cause allergy in some people. Since coco flour is rich in fiber, it prevents constipation; helps maintain blood sugar levels; prevents the risk of certain cancers; and contributes to weight management. 

The Food and Nutrition Re-search Institute (FNRI) of the De-partment of Science and Techno-logy (DOST) promotes the use of coco flour as ingredient in func-tional or medicinal foods to help prevent hypercholesterolemia or high blood cholesterol among Filipinos.  In a study, FNRI found that mixing 15 to 20 percent of coco flour with corn cereals reduces the levels of low-density lipoprotein or “bad cholesterol.”

The researchers at the Philip-pine Coconut Authority (PCA) came up with different food formulation for pastries that are already familiar to all Filipinos and fortified them with high-protein coco flour. 

These include chiffon cake, chocolate chips, chocolate crin-kles, cinnamon bread, ensaymada, loaf bread, macaroons, monay, oatmeal cookies, pancake mix, pinagong, and raisin bread. Other products are snack foods like polvoron and kropek, and exuded products such as pancit canton noodles.

Coco flour can also be used as wheat flour extender in pan de sal production.  According to PCA, substituting five percent of wheat flour with coco flour would increase the potential market demand of high-protein coco flour to 156,230 metric tons annually. 

Substitution with coco flour will also reduce the amount spent on the importation of wheat flour.

PCARRD recognizes the im-portance of coco flour through its P150 million science and techno-logy interventions program for the coconut industry.      – Bengie P. Gibe, S&T Media Service