KASARGOD: Give in to the dark temptations without the fear of calories. The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Co-operative Limited (Campco) is launching dark chocolate bars and chocolate health drink using sugar derived from neera or sap extracted from the inflorescence of coconut.
Neera sugar has low glycemic index, that is it will keep the blood sugar level low, says P Chowdappa, director of Kasargod-based Central Plantation Crop Research Institute (CPCRI), which has developed the product. "We have developed and transferred the technology of making neera sugar to Campco," he said.
Campco said the chocolates and chocolate drink will be produced at its plant in Puttur in Karnataka, and sold under the brand name 'Kalpa'.
The three products -- Kalpa neera sugar, Kalpa dark chocolate and Kalpa chocolate drink -- were formally launched by Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh on the 88th foundation day of ICAR, the mother institute of CPCRI, in Delhi on Saturday, Chowdappa said.
The CPCRI director said neera sugar is packed in 6g sachet and is sufficient for a cup of beverage. "It will be a good substitute for sugar because of its low glycemic index and nutritive value," he said. Kalpa bar chocolate will come in a pack of 30g and will not contain any artificial ingredients. Kalpa chocolate drink power will come in 200g pet jars.
Officials said the products would be priced much higher and would be for the health conscious consumers. "We tested the products in market and feedback was encouraging," Chowdappa said.
He said CPCRI would soon be organising a meeting of coconut producing companies to encourage them to make sugar and other value-added products from neera that are in high demand and easy to market than the sap.