Coconut nectar: The newest craze
By: Gemma C. Delmo
Following the popularity of virgin coconut oil in the market, another coconut by-product is out to captivate Filipino health buffs- the coconut nectar. Discovered by Dr. Gerino Macias, a scientist based in Ormoc City, Leyte, the coconut nectar or coco-nectar is an all-natural food supplement made from coconut extracts with all the guaranteed nutrients a body needs. Containing 24 amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and growth hormones, these nutrients are said to strengthen our immune system and a therapeutic at the same time. With no preservatives, chemicals and sugar, the coco nectar, which looks and tastes like coco jam, can be safely consumed (1 spoon daily) by both children and adults.
The coco nectar itself is not new. What makes it novel is the natural and innovative way of extracting the sap from the coconut tree. “The apparatus that naturally secreted by the sap from the coconut trees was the real discovery,” says William Gallofin, a coco-nectar distributor in Metro, Manila. “Dr. Macias invented an apparatus similar that of a honeybee. The bee, when processing honey, lets the nectar pass through its stomach and when it comes out, the nectar is already made into honey. The same apparatus does the same. The machine extracts thenectar or the sap from the tree and as it passes through the machine, the water is separated from the nectar. When it comes out, it is already concentrated no further processes needed.”