Quality, Specs & Handling
Direct answer
What specification is your coconut sugar held to?
Every lot of our granulated (mesh 30) and powder (mesh 50) coconut sugar is held to one specification: moisture < 3.0%, ash max 2.0%, reducing sugars 5.0–10.0%, and limits for lead, arsenic and the other metals and for micro-organisms. A Certificate of Analysis is issued for every lot. The figures here are the limits a lot must meet, not results from any one lot.
This page is where those limits are stated in full. It belongs to bulk coconut sugar, factory-direct.
The spec standard
The same limits apply to both forms; only the particle-size line differs by form. Limits as set by Quality Control, dated .
Original data
| Parameter | Specification limit |
|---|---|
| Moisture | < 3.0% |
| Ash | max 2.0% |
| Sucrose | 85.0–90.0% |
| Reducing sugars | 5.0–10.0% |
| Water-insoluble matter | max 0.2% |
| Colour | light brown to medium golden brown |
| Particle size | > 95% passing mesh 30 (granulated) / mesh 50 (powder) |
| Lead (Pb) | ≤ 0.25 mg/kg |
| Arsenic (As) | ≤ 1.0 mg/kg |
| Mercury (Hg) | ≤ 0.01 mg/kg |
| Cadmium (Cd) | ≤ 0.20 mg/kg |
| Copper (Cu) | ≤ 10.0 mg/kg |
| Zinc (Zn) | ≤ 40.0 mg/kg |
| Tin (Sn) | ≤ 40.0 mg/kg |
| Total plate count | < 1,000 cfu/g |
| Yeast & mould | < 100 cfu/g |
| Coliform | < 3 MPN/g |
| E. coli | negative |
| Salmonella | negative in 25 g |
What each line tells you
| Line | What it measures, and why it matters to a buyer |
|---|---|
| Moisture | The water left in the sugar after drying; the lower it is, the longer the sugar stays free-flowing. |
| Ash | The mineral residue left when a sample is burned; a high figure can mean foreign matter in the sugar. |
| Reducing sugars | The glucose and fructose share, which governs how the sugar browns when you bake or cook with it. |
| Water-insoluble matter | What stays undissolved in water, a direct read of how clean the sugar is. |
| Colour | The shade of the dry sugar, which carries through to the colour of your product. |
| Particle size | How much of the sugar passes its form’s mesh, which decides how it flows, dissolves and blends. |
| Lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium | Toxic elements, in milligrams per kilogram, the lines food-safety rules are written against. |
| Copper, zinc, tin | Further metals, in milligrams per kilogram, that can come from contact with equipment or containers. |
| Total plate count | The micro-organisms that grow on a test plate, a general measure of hygiene in making and packing. |
| Yeast & mould | Yeasts and moulds, which grow where sugar picks up moisture, so they also reflect storage. |
| Coliform | An indicator group of bacteria; a count above the limit points to a hygiene lapse. |
| E. coli | An indicator of faecal contamination, which must not be found. |
| Salmonella | A pathogen, which must not be found in the sample the limit names. |
Handling: packaging, shelf life and storage
The specification also sets how the sugar is packed and kept, and the shelf life those conditions support.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Shelf life | 24 months |
| Storage | dry, cool (below 30 °C), sealed, away from direct sunlight and humidity |
| Packaging | 25 kg PP/kraft bag with inner PE liner |
Checking a certificate against these limits
A Certificate of Analysis is issued for every lot. The tests behind each lot’s Certificate of Analysis are run by third-party laboratories: SGS and Sucofindo, both in Indonesia. How to read a certificate line by line, from any supplier, is on how to read a coconut sugar COA.
Tests on request
A buyer can ask for these tests on top of the specification. They are not part of every lot’s certificate, and no result for any of them is published here.
- pesticide residue screen
- chlorate/perchlorate
- MOSH/MOAH
- PAH
- acrylamide
- δ¹³C carbon isotope
The ICUMSA correction
Specification questions
Are the limits the same for granulated and powder? Yes. Every line is the same for both forms except particle size, which each form meets on its own mesh.
Are these figures test results? No. They are the limits a lot must meet; each lot’s own results are on its Certificate of Analysis.
Can you test for pesticides or chlorate? Yes, on request. A pesticide residue screen and chlorate/perchlorate are among the tests a buyer can ask for on top of the specification. No result for either is published here.
Does ICUMSA apply to coconut sugar? No. ICUMSA is a colour grade for cane sugar. For coconut sugar, specify colour, mesh and moisture instead.