When analyzing coconut products, the following parameters are most frequently requested at our Southeast Asia office:

• Pesticides
• Gluten
• sugar authenticity
• sulfite

Over time, we at GALAB have been able to gather various experiences in this regard. We rather rarely find pesticides in our analyses of coconut products. As a rule, we do not detect any pesticide residues.

Even though coconut blossom sugar is actually gluten-free, it looks different when analyzing for gluten residues. One reason, for example, is that coconut blossom sugar tends to absorb moisture from the ambient air and to agglutinate. However, clumped coconut blossom sugar is difficult to dose. Added starch, in turn, can absorb the moisture so that the sugar remains dry and does not agglutinate. Nevertheless, the addition of wheat starch also adds gluten to the product. In order for your coconut sugar to be declared gluten-free, it must not contain more than 20 mg/kg gluten. We can determine this for you as part of our analysis.

The authenticity of the sugar can also be tested for you by means of the isotope ratio. There are different stages of photosynthesis Coconut blossom sugar has its origin in the flowers of the coconut palm, which is a so-called C3 plant. If the isotope analysis reveals a deviating isotope ratio that is atypical for C3 plants, mixing with other sugars from C4 plants (e. g. cane sugar) cannot be ruled out.

The analyses in the laboratories of GALAB also revealed positive findings of sulfite. However, sulfite is not permitted in organic products according to Regulation (EC) No. 834/2007 or 889/2008. For conventional coconut blossom sugar, a maximum content of 40 mg/kg applies according to Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008. If a product contains more than 10 mg/kg, you are also obliged to make a declaration.