Consumers have found it confusing. They now know there's Coco Palm Sugar but all they often see are "Palm Sugars" in the market. So, what's the difference and how can you tell them apart.

The good news is that I'm happy that people have discovered about coco palm sugars. Now, the bad news is how to tell them apart from the generic "palm sugar" moniker.

You may have heard of sugar palm trees. They're actually a reference for a group of palm trees from which sugars or syrups are derived, and not a particular kind of palm tree.

The palm sugar trees are:

Coco palm sugars are natural, unrefined sweeteners made from the
fresh flower sap of the coconut. Production is artisanal and limited
because harvesting is done by hand, without using any preservatives to
extend the freshness of the sap (typically, about 3 hours). The sap is
then boiled for water to evaporate until only the sugar crystals remain.

The sucrose concentration in fresh coconut sap is about 12% (ave.) by weight, although
this varies from tree to tree, tree variety, and may range from 10% to over 14%.

Namnam Coco Palm Sugar is made by boiling the sap until it becomes
increasingly more concentrated and sweeter right up to the point where

Experimentation has been under way with GM sugar
beets and sugar cane for more than a decade. While sugar cane has a
complex genetic make-up that makes genetic modification difficult, work
with GM sugar beet is simpler and has advanced much further. In 2008,
the first commercial GM sugar beets, a variety genetically modified by
Monsanto and the German seed breeder KWS for resistance to glyphosate
(i.e. Roundup Ready), were introduced in the US, and later in Canada.
Already, all the major sugar beet seed companies in North America are

What is the Glycemic Index?

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a way of measuring the relative impact of foods on blood sugar levels. Foods with a high glycemic index have carbohydrates that the body can quickly convert to sugar, which makes them more likely to cause a quick rise in blood sugar. Many popular diets (Atkins and South Beach, for example) include food choices based on the glycemic index.

Available very soon!
Now, more eco-friendly with fume-free deliveries to your home or office!

Namnam coco palm sugar is the modern incarnation of the traditional Philippine Pakaskas
palm sap sweetener. Our ancestors made these sweeteners from the fresh,
sweet palm sap prior to the introduction and widespread cultivation of
the sugar cane by the Spaniards.

Monday, 29 December 2008 20:17

THE Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) warned consumers on Monday against buying coco-sugar from non-PCA registered producers, saying some unscrupulous businessmen are selling as “pure coco-sugar” products made solely from sugar cane.

(with sincere apologies to Douglas Adams.)

This question is asked often enough and definitely deserves a page of its own.

A practical, hands-on experience is never the same as theoretical information, but this, I hope, would be helpful for those who want to know how it's done.

About Pili

English Names: Pili nut (also spelled as Pilinut), Philippine nut

(Canarium ovatum and C. luzonicum -- Family Burseraceae)