Gofio is a superfood of the 21st century, and it aspires to become one of thereferences of the planetary diet; as part of the History and Gastronomy of the CanaryIslands. In fact, the United Nations, through the FAO, is promoting the consumptionof Gofio.

We must take advantage of the increase in nutritional culture and the current trendfor healthy food, healthy products, dietetics and specialized supplementation, raisingawareness about the nutritional properties of gofio, and contributing to both therecovery of native cereals such as chin wheat and not continue to disappear Millsand Windmills.

An article was recently published in The Lancet, a prestigious medical journal. Astudy carried out by a total of 37 experts from 16 countries after a 3-year project. Itshows what the "Ideal Diet" would be like for both people and our planet, which theyhave called the "Planetary Diet". If we all adopted this diet, it would reducegreenhouse gas emissions incredibly. It would also protect biodiversity and freshwater supplies. It would also reduce mortality from hunger and food-related heartdisease such as cancer, obesity, etc.

What do we need to promote in this new form of food? Fish, vegetables, driedvegetables, whole grains and nuts as an alternative to red meat, fats and refinedsugars.

After this report, gofio turns out to be a great ally to carry out this change of diet. Since it is a completely integral product, ready to eat and with all the nutrients andbenefits of cereals.

Remember, increasing the amount of whole grains, fruits and vegetables in our diet,will prove to be a great change in the health of our body and will be a great changefor the health of our beloved planet Earth. This indicates that it has no additives, nocoloring or preservatives and no added sugars.

NUTRITIONAL ADVANTAGES OF GOFIO

  • It is a very rich food in vitamins (mainly vitamins of the group B, like B1, B2) besidesthe C, A and D and also in minerals like: iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium,sodium and zinc.
  • It provides a high content of dietary fibre, as well as protein, and is especially rich incomplex carbohydrates, whose function is to provide sufficient energy to practice anyphysical activity without symptoms of fatigue
  • It is also suitable for diabetics, because it delays the absorption of simplecarbohydrates and thus helps regulate the different levels of glucose in the bloodafter ingestion.
  • It is ideal for maintaining optimal cholesterol levels, given its richness in omega-6fatty acids, which help reduce and eliminate the presence of accumulated fat in thearteries.
  • Furthermore, according to a study carried out for the University Hospital of theCanary Islands, it was found that those people who consumed gofio on a regularbasis for at least 40 years had a better functional capacity, greater resistance inovercoming stress tests and a lower risk of suffering from coronary artery disease.
  • As it is a very nutritious and low-fat food, it fits perfectly into varied and balanceddiets and is ideal for losing weight, as it is a natural product that provides a greatdiversity of nutrients.
  • As it is whole and handmade, it allows the conservation of its properties, vitaminsand minerals.

ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Visual appearance: the colour varies from ivory yellow to dark reddish, includinghoney, depending on the degree of roasting and the raw material used in production.
  • Smell: medium-high roasting, vegetable and nutty aromas, depending on the rawmaterial used in production.
  • In the taste phase: the fineness, the stickiness in the mouth and those flavours thatthe degree of roasting imprints, such as the taste of mocha, coffee or freshly madesponge cake, stand out.
  • In the tactile phase: there is a clear sensation of smoothness and stickiness, typicalof the product's granulometry.

CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Protein: minimum 7, 0 %
  • Crude fibre: minimum 1,5 %
  • Carbohydrates: minimum 45 %
  • Fat: maximum 5%

Raw materials:

  • Cereals: Wheat, corn, barley, rye, oats, rice.
  • Legumes: Beans, chickpeas, soybeans.
  • Sea salt.

SPECIFIC STAGES OF PRODUCTION:

  • First Phase: Cleaning
    • It consists of cleaning the cereals and or pulses used as raw materials, in order toremove small vegetable remains, broken grains or other residues unrelated to theharvest. This cleaning is carried out mechanically, either with sieves that may befavoured with forced air, or with sifters (manual sieves).
  • Second phase: roasting and cooling
      • By means of the use of toasters, the raw material is given the degree of heat withoutthe roasting temperature exceeding 200º C so that the roasted product acquires theroom temperature. It is left to rest inside sacks or deposits called "cooling boxes".The cooling process can be forced with the use of open screw conveyors or forcedaeration.
  • Third Phase: Milling
    • By means of the use of toasters, the raw material is given the degree of heat withoutthe roasting temperature exceeding 200º C so that the roasted product acquires theroom temperature. It is left to rest inside sacks or deposits called "cooling boxes".The cooling process can be forced with the use of open screw conveyors or forcedaeration.
    • The grinding is the fundamental part in the process of elaboration of the gofio.
    • The roasted grain is transported to the milling area where it is ground using mills.
    • The end of this phase is determined by the miller himself who proceeds to a tactileanalysis of the product.
    • When the characteristics of smoothness and adhesiveness typical of gofio aregathered, the milling is finished.
    • The organoleptic control will be carried out by the master miller before thepackaging, leaving a record of it..
  • Fourth phase: packaging.
    • The gofio thus obtained will be stored in tanks until it is packaged, which will be doneby automatic, semi-automatic or manual packaging machines.
    • The grinding is the fundamental part in the process of making the gofio..
    • The organoleptic parameters related to the toasting and the stickiness is where thedifference between the gofio canario and the gofio from other sources.
    • Precisely, these parameters depend directly on the performance of the master miller.Therefore, the expertise of the master miller in the Canary Islands is a determiningfactor in the organoleptic differentiation of canary gofio, thus demonstrating thecausal relationship between the specific processing practice in the Canary Islandsand the specific characteristics of the product.

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