Coconut Flower Blossom Nectar

[Maria45]

Hi.  I saw this ingredient (coconut flower blossom nectar) on a Whole30 Approved marinade.  I think that it's just part of coconut aminos, but I just want to be sure that it's compliant for the Whole30.  Is it?  Thank you!

[slc_melissa]

Yes, if it's part of the aminos

 

https://whole30.com/chips-and-aminos/

 

Coconut Aminos

Coconut aminos (a soy sauce substitute made from coconut) came on the Whole30 scene around 2013. The first company to release the product was Coconut Secret, and the ingredients read, “Organic coconut ‘sap’ aged and blended with sun-dried, mineral-rich sea salt.” Based on this ingredient list*, it appeared totally Whole30 compliant. We began using aminos in our recipes and cookbooks, creating Asian-inspired dishes with exciting flavors.

Today, we have a variety of aminos; Big Tree Farms is a major market player, and Thrive Market has their own brand of aminos. Trouble is, their ingredients read slightly different: “Organic fair trade coconut blossom nectar, sea salt.” And it’s that one word, “nectar,” that’s causing trouble, because in Whole30 lingo, “nectar” = “sugar.”

I got on the phone with Elizabeth from Big Tree Farms, so she could explain the way aminos are made. The nectar itself is harvested from the coconut flower blossoms (not the tree itself, as the word “sap” might indicate). From there, you can do a few things with the nectar: brew it down with sea salt and water (natural fermentation may be part of this process) and turn it into aminos; dry it and allow it to granulate, turning it into coconut sugar; or sell it as coconut syrup, a liquid sweetener substitute.

So technically, all aminos are derived from a sugar source—but not all labels are clear about that. Which means that according to the current rules, some brands of aminos are out, while some are allowed, based solely on the way the companies chose to write the ingredients on the label.

Furthermore, unlike the other two forms of coconut nectar, aminos are not a sugar substitute.  Would you add it to your coffee or tea, or pour it over berries? (EW.)

To avoid further confusion, we’re just going to write a new exclusion into the rules: “coconut aminos” are compliant for the program, even if the words “coconut nectar” or “coconut syrup” are on the label.

*When you read the rest of the Coconut Secret label, the word “sap” is in quotation marks, and the bottle description does say it comes from “sap that exudes from the coconut blossom.” Consumers (myself included) assumed the product came from the tree (or the coconut itself), but it is sourced from the coconut blossom, just like the other brands. 

[Maria45]

Thanks so much, Melissa.  That is what I thought and remembered reading, but it helps considerably to have someone validate any concerns that you have.  I appreciate your help!