Monk

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Monk is a relatively new natural sweetener, which has recently become a real hit in the culinary world. However, before we look at monk, let's get acquainted with the plant involved in its production.

Siraitia grosvenorii is a climbing plant of the Cucurbitaceae family, distributed in southern China and northern Thailand. The plant gained popularity because of its fruits, called Monk fruit, luo han guo, arhat fruit and Buddha fruit, from which the harmless substitute for monk sugar is produced.

The leaves of Siraitia grosvenorii are green, narrow and heart-shaped. They reach a length of 10-20 cm. The fruit of the plant is oval, resembling a melon. It reaches 5-7 cm in diameter and has a green-brown or yellow-green color. The rind of the fruit is slightly furrowed, relatively thick, covered with hairs. Monk fruit has elongated and almost spherical seeds.

History of Monk

The word monk (monk) from English means monk. It is believed that in the thirteenth century, Chinese monks first used the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii, which is why it was named Monk fruit. In 1938 the fruit was rediscovered by Prof. G. V. Count. He wrote a report about it, stating that its sweet juice is used as a main ingredient in soft drinks. In the early twentieth century, the fruit was taken to the United States, where it began to be studied, and then included in the composition of some sugar substitutes.

Although unknown to much of the world, sweeteners produced from the fruits of Siraitia grosvenorii are already widely used in a number of countries. In the 1990s, Procter & Gamble patented a process for the extraction of Mogrozid V and signed a contract with Amax NutraSource to distribute monk. In the USA, the Fruit-Sweetnes product of the New Zealand company BioVittoria has been approved for several years, which is about 150 times sweeter than sugar and is successfully used mostly in beverages.

In 2011, the British company Tate & Lyle signed a contract with the New Zealanders for exclusive global marketing and distribution and thus was born Purefruit, also produced by Monk fruit. According to the company, the most successful applications of Purefruit are in dairy products and soft drinks, then in frozen desserts, baby juices, food supplements, candies and more.

Composition of monk

As already mentioned, the sweetener monk is obtained from the juice of Monk fruit. The fruits themselves contain fructose, glucose, vitamin C, saponins and more. The sweetener has an exceptional sweetness that can reach up to 250 times that of sugar. It is due to the chemical compounds mogrosides and especially to mogroside V (Esgoside).

Production of monk

Monk production is a long process that goes through several stages. However, in order to obtain the fruit from which the sweetener is produced, the plants must first be sown. Seed germination is low and sometimes takes even months for a plant to emerge.

Siraitia grosvenorii is grown mainly in the remote Chinese province of Gunasi, mostly in the mountains near the city of Guilin. These places are shady and the plants can grow there undisturbed by the sun.

When the fruits begin to ripen (they should not be fully ripe) they are collected and stored in special dry rooms. Then the already ripe fruits begin to be processed. They are cleaned of the skin and seeds, after which the flesh of the fruit is crushed.

The obtained fruit concentrates and purees are used in the further production of monk, removing the excess specific odor in a special way. Usually sugar, molasses, sugar alcohol, etc. are added to the sweetener.

Benefits of monk

The benefits of monk are not insignificant. The fruits themselves, from which the natural sweetener is made, have been used for centuries in Chinese folk medicine. They help with cough, sore throat, colds, fever and more. In China, it is believed that people who eat these fruits live very long.

In the areas where Siraitia grosvenorii is grown, the number of centenarians is extremely high. Scientists explain this phenomenon by the fact that locals have the opportunity to eat Monk fruit fresh.

Exotic fruits are traditionally consumed in dried form, placed in soups and herbal teas. Medicinal hot drinks are also prepared from the dried bitter rind of Monk fruit.

Otherwise monk dissolves and combines well with its biggest natural competitor - stevia. Sweetening foods and beverages with monk is considered safe. Monk can easily be used as a substitute for sugar by people suffering from diabetes, and is certainly preferable to saccharin, aspartame and cyclamate, which have recently been cited as causes of cancer.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved monk as a safe sweetener and is expected to become more common on the market.

There are opinions that the use of monk has a slightly bitter and specific aftertaste, but they are not confirmed by absolutely all consumers, which means that there is no guarantee whether a person will like the sweetener or not.

Monk in cooking

This sugar substitute is suitable for anyone who is trying to get rid of extra pounds, but can not imagine life without something sweet, because it is low in calories. Monk successfully used in the manufacture of all kinds of cookies, biscuits, cakes, pastries and all sorts of other pastries. Great sweetens juices, teas, cocktails and more.

Pumpkin with monk

Necessary products: peel - 500 g ready, pumpkin - 500 g, monk - 2/3 tsp, walnuts - 100-150 g nuts, oil - 100 ml, breadcrumbs - 30 g, cinnamon - 2 tbsp. packet, powdered sugar - 3 tbsp.

Method of preparation: Wash the pumpkin and plan it. Then stew it for a while in 2-3 tbsp. oil. Grind the walnuts and add them to the pumpkin. Put it on monk, cinnamon and breadcrumbs and mix everything well. Then take a sheet of crust and spread a small part of the filling on it. Carefully roll the sheet and place it in a greased pan.

Do the same with the other crusts, arranging them in the tray in the shape of a snail. Sprinkle with grease on top and place the pumpkin in a preheated oven at 220 degrees. When the cake is baked, you can spread a little water on top to soften the crusts. Finally, sprinkle with powdered sugar.