Panela

This article is about the unrefined sugar product. For the cheese, see Queso Panela.

Panela
Botanical	Panela
Source plant(s)	Sugarcane (Caña de Azucar)
Part(s) of plant	Cane
Geographic origin	Latin America
Uses	Panela Water
Main producers	Colombia
Main consumers	Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico

Panela (Spanish pronunciation: [paˈnela]) is unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Latin America, which is basically a solid piece of sucrose and fructose obtained from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice.

Common Spanish names: rapadura, raspadura, chancaca, papelón, piloncillo, panocha, atado dulce or empanizao. In India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka a similar product is made which is called gur or jaggery. In Brazil, it is known as rapadura. In Laos, it is called nam oy (ນ້ຳອ້ອຍ).

Sugar cane History

Sugar cane is a crop that was introduced in the culinary miscegenation during the Spanish conquest of America. With the cane mills and also reached the milling process and its products.

According to Victor Manuel Patiño in his book "Historical Sketch of Sugar Cane": "The cane came to Colombia in 1538 through the Port of Cartagena and two years later in 1540 entered the valley Buenaventura Cauca river, planting initially on the left bank of the Cauca River in Arroyo Hondo and Cañas BBW, places very close to Cali, where sugarcane mills operated.

Colonization of America required labor to work the land. The first choice was to use indigean people, but given to several deseases, they had to use african slaves.

The cultivation of sugar cane was developed especially in the warmer climate that was favorable and harvesting, this labor takes almost a year to become the sugar cane into Panela.

Panela as is known in Colombia is also known in Venezuela, Central America (newsprint), Mexico (jaggery), Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru (molasses).

Colombian Panela.

Creation Process Of Sugar Cane (Panela)

Trapiche (Sugar cane Mill)

The pressing of the cane is done by mills and the concentration of juice is put in a burner, this process leads to thicken the juices so that once beaten and cooled in a mold, the product becomes compact and solid.

The head of the mill is the steward or "squire" which is what gives the order to cut the cane, that is, two days earlier by hand thinning and during the following days in order to have enough material for mill and do not stop the process. Usually twelve months are needed to cut the cane, but this varies depending on the weather, the altitude above sea level and rain is fundamental to the quality of sugar cane.

The Lifter or the person who picks up the cane, the burden on donkeys, mules, cars or the backs of farmers, according to the distance from the mill, and the mill takes about placing in the shade or covered to avoid damage, the "descogollador" who in addition removes the bud at the helm, manages and organizes the stems for the "prenseros" which are those that will feed the mill.

The work place is known as the arbor where the mill, pans, oven, tool for the management of panela cane and packages are ready to shred. The cane residue or bagasse is stored in the bagasse fuels.

The mills have changed over time, the old wood was manual, was two beams, one of which was buried in the ground and inserting a stick that he acted as a lever. It took three men to operate it, two pulling and other leveraged. One could only squeeze a cane juice at a time and was collected in a container that was placed on the bottom.

The current mill is a machine with three reels striated (clubs) through which the rod is passed to the extraction of juice or juice and separates the bagasse. There are horizontal mills with clubs hydraulic powered or vertical mills with clubs operated by animal power.

The mill consists of a high level machinery where the motor is the first one, the second is the grill pans and the lower is the oven. It also has a tank where the juice is deposited, and three pots where you cook the molasses.

The "Prensero" starts the process who gets the cane to the mill while the "bojotero" includes bagasse and ties him to pass to the corresponding site. The rod is placed in the center of the clubs, and turns out from behind the bagasse, which is removed to dry it ... the juice falls to a pipe buried in the ground and goes directly to the heater or tank of juice ... from there it passes the cauldron boil while the filter cleans the impurities. This procedure is done with lime, which forms lumps of foam that are removed with a metal spoon-shaped, before starting the heating. This residue is released into another tank where returns, and strained, the juice tank is kept hot.

The oven takes the sugar concentration and heats the pots to evaporate juices. At this point the "pailero" added the lime needed to whiten the liquid. Once the honey is clear is passed to the second pan that will hold diminishing by boiling, continues by gravity, which holds third pan to finish cooking set.

The honey should be beat with wooden tools until it gives an exact point, then go to the molds. That is where the "corinche" or helping to prepare the table, clean the molds or Gaver, to distribute the hot mass or quenching juice concentrate to the shelf and there by Gaver. These molds are left until cool, polished edges and removed for packaging. There are different types of mold can be round, square or brown sugar.

All parts of the cane are utilized in this process; the stem to the juice, the juice for dirty molasses is fed to animals, bagasse as fuel for the furnace and leaves to pack the brown sugar.

Quality Process

The final product quality is measured by its color; clarity is a symbol of a good product and its hard texture means better durability. It is affected by several factors, classified according to the raw material, instruments of work and the human factor.

As for the working tools we have the case of faulty adjustment of the hammers of the mill which results fairly ground out a reed, no cleaning the work tools and the same rod could bring foreign substances to the liquid and therefore a dirty brown sugar.

The proportion of sucrose in the juice and control of acidity are two causes of good quality at the result of grinding. Human failures as the tempering not verify either the point of honey and take sooner or later, or not properly gown is reflected in the grain, consistency, and color and poor texture.

Nutritional Values Of Panela

Panelas.

In the nutritional value of sugar cane have numerous factors ranging from cane variety used, the type of soil and climate characteristics, to the old court system, and conditions of the production process.

The panela is among the products of higher domestic consumption, is soluble in any liquid and retains much of the components of cane juice, but in higher concentrations.

Nutrients in the panela

• Sugars are basically energy nutrients, which the organism obtains energy for its operation and development of metabolic processes, the carbohydrates present in sugar cane, are sucrose, which occurs at a higher rate and other minor components called reducing sugars or inverted as glucose and fructose, which have a higher biological value to the body than sucrose, the main component of brown and refined sugar.
• There are quantities of mineral salts, which are 5 times greater than those of brown sugar and 50 times more than the refined sugar.
• The calcium content in the panels contributes to the formation of a better teeth and bones stronger, and in the prevention of cavities, especially in children. In pediatric populations where the diet includes brown sugar, the incidence of caries is significantly low, this is explained by the presence of phosphorus and calcium that they become part of the tooth structure and also contain alkali captions (potassium, magnesium, calcium) capable of neutralizing the excessive acidity, a major cause of tooth decay. It is also essential for regulating muscle contraction, heart rate, nervous excitability and also helps correct bone deficiencies like osteoporosis that occurs in adulthood.
• The iron content in the sugarcane prevents anemia. The percentage of this mineral in the newborn is consumed within a few months, why require a diet rich in iron, so that the hemoglobin level remains stable. This nutrient also strengthens the immune system and prevents the infant's respiratory system diseases and urinary tracts.
• Another element that provides the panela is phosphorus, an important pillar of bones and teeth, a participant in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and exchanges of energy through oxidative phosphorylation reactions. Its deficit in inorganic form carries a demineralization of the bones, poor growth in childhood, rickets and osteomalacia.
• Magnesium is fortifying the nervous system, acts on muscle excitability and serves as an activator of several enzymes such as phosphatase in the blood. Children who have normal levels of this element are most active.
• Potassium is essential in maintaining the balance of intracellular fluids, affects the heart rhythm and is involved in regulating nerve and muscle excitability.
• Vitamin A is essential for the growth of the skeleton and connective tissue and is part of the visual purple.
• The B complex vitamins such as B1 involved in the metabolism of acids and lipids. The B6 is involved in the metabolism of essential fatty acids and is essential in the synthesis of hemoglobin and cytochromes. Vitamin D increases absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestine and Vitamin C, meets with maintaining the intercellular material of cartilage, dentin and bone.

Comparative analysis of the Panela with other daily foods

1. Regarding to refined sugar, brown sugar substitute principal, there are almost no points of comparison, since this sugar is made entirely of sucrose with absolute lack of minerals and vitamins. These nutrients are present in appreciable amounts with panela.
2. Comparing the brown sugar with honey, it is observed that the qualitative composition of the two foods is quite similar, varying only the level of minerals, specifically iron, calcium and phosphorus, elements that the panel contains significantly higher amounts.
3. With regard to vitamin content, sugar cane, honey bees and honey cane, have small amounts of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic acid, sugar cane honey sticking by its high content of the latter two minerals mentioned. The chocolate and coffee, although they are whole foods, have the disadvantage of being too high in fat.
4. Chocolate causes problems in certain organisms due to poor metabolism of fats, which does not happen by eating molasses. Coffee consumption, despite being a hugely popular drink should be controlled to be part of the nervous stimulants.
5. Analyzing the composition of sugar water, black coffee, chocolate, Coca Cola, soft drinks and beers, from the viewpoint of mineral and vitamin content, highlights the amount of calcium in the brown sugar and the lack of this nutrient in the soda and beer.
6. The chocolate and coffee contribute fewer vitamins than sugar water. With respect to soft drinks, soft drinks, high consumption, its contribution is zero vitamin, whereas the contribution of sugar water vitamins may seem small is essential to the organism and its functioning.

Economics of panela

Panela is commonly sold in this form.

Brazilian rapadura in tablets.

The main producer of panela is Colombia (about 1.4 million tons/year), where panela production is one of the most important economic activities, with the highest index of panela consumption per capita worldwide. Panela is also produced in Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Venezuela and Bolivia (where it is called chankaka or empanizao). In Colombia, the panela industry is an important source of employment with about 350,000 people working in nearly 20,000 trapichess (panela farms).

According to the agro-industrial chain of sugar cane, sugar cane production is a major agricultural activity in Colombia. In 2003 the sugarcane contributed 4.2% of the value of agricultural production without coffee and 1.9% of national agricultural activity. He held that year in the post 9 contributions to production value surpassing products such as corn, upland rice, cocoa, beans, sorghum, banana exports, snuff, cotton, soybeans, wheat and barley, among others. Similarly, participating with 10.7% of the area for permanent crops and 6.2% of the total area cultivated in Colombia, which places him in sixth place among the country's crops, second only to coffee, corn, rice, bananas and cotton. This product is produced predominantly rural economy, which is produced in most of the country throughout the year, moreover, is the basic economics of 236 municipalities in twelve departments.

It is estimated that there are about 70,000 farm units which cultivate sugarcane mills and 15,000 that is produced in brown sugar and molasses. It also generates more than 25 million annually in wages and are linked to this activity around 350,000 people, or 12% of the economically active rural population, making it the second row for employment after coffee. To the extent that it is a low-cost sweetener with important contributions of minerals and trace amounts of vitamins, high intake occurs mainly in strata. Panela consumption represents 2.18% of expenditure on food of the citizens and in some departments amounts to account for up to 9% of food expenditure in low-income sectors. Worldwide, the Colombians are the largest consumers of sugar cane in the world with more than 34.2 kg per capita. In this perspective, the production of panela agro-industry is considered the second country after coffee, thanks to the number of production facilities, the area planted and linking workforce.

The National Panela reign

It takes place in the town of Villeta, Cundinamarca; this town is famous for its production of sugarcane, also for the festivities as the National Panela Reign in January. This town is located 91 kms. From Bogota and has 37,300 inhabitants.

The National Pageant Panela is part of the festivities taking place in almost all departments of Colombia in the month of January each year. The tourism festival is celebrated since 1977 as a tribute to the hard work and craftsmanship with which the peasants of the region made Panela, in fact and in Colombia there are always reigns, this is one of which creates a sense of regional and national integration , sharing a common bond, that of the Panel. The crown is chosen and each year the National Queen of the panelists who is judged as the candidate most beautiful, most loved by the people and with more knowledge about the production and marketing of the Panel.

Uses

Panela Diluted in water.

The main use of the panela is in aguapanela which is one of the most widely drunk beverages in Colombia. Also it is used as a sweetener and in the preparation of desserts. Since it is a very solid block, most Colombian homes have a resistant river stone (la piedra de la panela) to break the panela into smaller, more manageable pieces. Panela can be purchased in markets, local grocers, and online stores. A very popular type of panela is named "Mi Dulzura" which translates into "My Sweetness". It is made in Villeta, Colombia, and is 100% organic.

Known as piloncillo in México, it is most often seen in the shape of small truncated cones. Many Mexican desserts are made with piloncillo, such as atole, capirotada, champurrado and flan. It is also made blending different spices such as anise, cayenne or chocolate.

In Peru, chancaca is used in typical food such as "champús", "picarones", "calabaza al horno", and "mazamorra cochina". In Costa Rica, it is used in preparations such as "tapa de dulce" and "agua de sapo".

In the Philippines, panocha or in Filipinized term panutsá is traditionally used as an ingredient for "latík" and "kalamay" as well as a comfort food eaten straight.

Panela is also consumed in a granulated format, also known as Whole Cane Sugar, which would look much more like table sugar. Whole cane sugar is much more healthy than traditional sweeteners. Unlike traditional brown sugar, vitamins, minerals, and molasses are not displaced during the processing of the product. It is a much more natural alternative for this reason. A popular type of whole cane sugar is "My Sweetness".

Regarding applications, the different styles in which today is marketed panela, ranging from solid blocks of different weights to the liquid or granulated for use in the canning industry, confectionery, soft drinks , bakery, wines and vinegars. In the cosmetics industry the panel has also been used in facials and masks, advantage of the presence of glycolic acid in juice, is being used in treatments to slow the aging of the skin.

This sweet food has been used successfully in the pharmaceutical industry in poultices to treat infections and epidermal wound healing. The sub-products derived from sugar cane production process can be used for high wealth and fattening up nutrients in animal feed and fertilizer in soils.

The panela was very beneficial effects attributed to the treatment of colds, taking the form of hot drink 'aguapanela' lemon, which moisturizes and reduces discomfort. The cold sugar water is commonly used by some athletes as a natural sport drink, refreshing and provides calories and minerals for better performance and greater physical endurance.

Record

The city of Palmira, Colombia on 30 November 2009 broke the world record for the largest and heaviest panela, with one that measured 10 feet and 20 inches and weighing 715 kg. For this purpose 70 tons of sugar cane were needed, and 90 people worked for 28 consecutive hours. This panela is the equivalent at 1210 regular 510 gram panelas. The record has not yet been registered by Guinness World Records.

The Sugar cane is also used as a base or supplemental ingredient in many recipes: Drinks:

• Instant Panela Water
• Guandolo
• Masato

See also

• Palm sugar