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Carob
Nutritional Profile
Energy value
(calories per serving): Moderate
Protein:
Moderate
Fat: Low
Saturated
fat: Low
Cholesterol:
None
Carbohydrates: High
Fiber: High
Sodium: Low
Major
vitamin contribution: Niacin
Major
mineral contribution: Calcium
About the
Nutrients in This Food
Carob flour,
which is milled from the dried pod of a Mediterranean evergreen tree,
Ceratonia siliqua, looks like cocoa but has a starchy, beanlike flavor. It
can be mixed with sweeteners to make a cocoa like powder or combined with
fats and sweeteners to produce a candy that looks like and has the same
rich mouth feel as milk chocolate but tastes more like honey.
Ounce for
ounce, carob, which is also known as locust bean gum, has more fiber and
calcium but fewer calories than cocoa. Its carbohydrates include the
sugars sucrose, D-mannose, and D-galactose. (D-galactose is a simple sugar
that links up with other sugars to form the complex indigestible sugars
raffinose and stachyose.) Carob also contains gums and pectins, the
indigestible food fibers commonly found in seeds.
The Most
Nutritious Way to Serve Carob
As a
substitute for cocoa or chocolate for people who are sensitive to
chocolate.
Diets
That May Restrict or Exclude Carob
Low-carbohydrate diet
Buying
Carob Flour
Look for:
Tightly sealed containers that will protect the flour from moisture and
insects.
Storing
Carob Flour
Store carob
flour in a cool, dark place in a container that protects it from air,
moisture, and insects. Keep carob candy cool and dry.
Preparing
Food using Carob Flour
Measure out
carob flour by filling a cup or tablespoon and leveling it off with a
knife. To substitute carob for regular flour, use 1/4 cup carob flour plus
3/4 cup regular flour for each cup ordinary flour. To substitute for
chocolate, use 3 tablespoons of carob flour plus 2 tablespoons of water
for each ounce of unsweetened chocolate. Carob flour is sweeter than
unsweetened chocolate.
What
Happens When You Cook with Carob Flour
Unlike cocoa
powder, carob flour contains virtually no fat. It will burn, not melt, if
you heat it in a saucepan. When the flour is heated with water, its starch
granules absorb moisture and rupture, releasing a gum that can be used as
a stabilizer, thickener, or binder in processed foods and cosmetics. In
cake batters, it performs just like other flours.
Medical
Uses and/or Benefits of Carob Flour
Adsorbent
and demulcent. Medically, carob flour has been used as a soothing skin
powder.
As a
chocolate substitute. People who are sensitive to chocolate can usually
use carob instead. Like cocoa beans, carob is free of cholesterol. Unlike
cocoa, which contains the central nervous-system stimulant caffeine and
the muscle stimulant Theo bromine, carob does not contain any stimulating
methylxanthines.
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