Coconut water is a natural, fat-free, and low-calorie drink. It is rich in essential electrolytes and vitamins, making it called the “fluid of life.” Drink coco water fresh from the nut!. Any beverage bottle will lose its taste once you open it. This is because POD and PPO– natural enzymes found in coconut water. React with oxygen and quickly break down any taste or nutrition in food. The liquid that comes from a coconut consists of meat, juice, and water at the time of extraction. This liquid is exposed to microbial contamination and starts to spoil if not treated correctly.
Composition of Coconut Water
Studies have shown that coconut water contains many healthy nutrients like glucose, amino acids, and electrolytes such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium. It is helpful to remember how it differs depending on the age of the coconut. Young coconuts produce lower levels of potassium, magnesium, and chloride but higher levels of sodium. Mature coconuts have high potassium and low sodium. The composition, physicochemical, PPO and POD enzyme activities are influenced by geographical location and variety. The compositional differences relate to the effects deterioration reactions have on various qualities of coffee. In comparison, their enzymatic activities can differ based on geographical location.
Young coconuts have significantly higher sugar and phenols levels than fully grown coconuts. In contrast, a mature coconut’s protein levels and pH values are often higher than those of young coconuts. The number of minerals, such as potassium, can also differ. For example, the amount of potassium increases as a coconut matures.
Coconut Water Flavour
Coconut water is one of the most popular beverages due to its refreshing qualities and flavor. The taste depends on the complex reactions like pH levels, sugar levels, phenolic compounds, or mineral content. Coconut water becomes less and less sweet as time goes on. From 7-9 months, the sugar concentration will be at its highest before decreasing from 10-13 months. Fresh coconut water becomes sour if we ignore it at room temperature. This happens because of oxidation and fermentation reactions.
This creates acids as a byproduct. For the freshness of the coconut water, we need to keep it cool under chilled conditions. Coconut water is sweeter when it is more mature, usually in larger packets of coconut water. The acidity decreases with maturity, and this contributes to the sweet flavor. Phenolic compounds also contribute to the overall flavor profile of coconut water. Coconut water tastes more precious as it gets older. When coco liquid is oxygenating, the antioxidants can cause an undesired color change during storage.
Rancidity
“Rancidity” is the process of food going bad due to reactions between lipids (such as oils), causing the release of “free fatty acids,” which then form “ketones,” which have a strong, sour taste. The use of AI writing assistants in the workplace is becoming more widespread and for a good reason. Not only do they save time and effort. Coconut water contains several lipids but not as many as other oils. These lipids may cause rancidity, depending on the number of carbons the ketonic compounds include. Their number of carbons determines the different flavors imparted by these ketonic compounds. For example, heptane-2-one gives a rancid almond flavor, while nonan-2-one tastes like turpentine. For more information on lipid oxidation and lipolysis, please refer to Chapter 8 in the related publication.
Coconut water is a clear, colorless liquid. Its appearance depends on how old the coconut is and how salty or acidic the environment is. Coconut water is a clear, colorless liquid. Its appearance depends on how old the coconut is and how salty or sour the environment is.
Turbidity
Turbidity refers to how the water in your coconut appears. Naturally, this will increase as it grows and matures. In addition, it will influence by the total of sugars/proteins dissolving, etc. The coconut water production process depends on how many microorganisms are present in the water extraction. When they multiply, they contribute to the turbidity of the drink. Hence, exposing the young coconut water with no cooling will lose its clarity in only a few hours. A young coconut is not suitable for drinking straight from the husk. Please don’t allow the extraction process to interrupt when it comes into contact with oxygen because microorganisms can easily contaminate it. We need to keep it chill and consume it immediately.
Colour
High oxidation and heat will make coconut water go from clear or slightly white to brown. This is because of the interactions between its components. Browning is a process that happens with certain foods and drinks caused by chemical reactions like phenolics, Maillard, and caramelization. These brownings can also occur in other liquids like green tea, apple, and sugarcane juice. Preserve the quality of coconut water because they have antioxidant properties.
Coco liquid can react to oxygen in the air in the extraction process. Their enzymatic browning can affect the color and flavor in the production process. This reaction increases thanks to enzymes like polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD), which are naturally present in the liquid. Enzymes (such as PPO and POD) take part in the oxidation process, which creates brown pigments & eventually leads to darker shades of color. The data within Table 7.2 shows that the enzyme activity of PPO is higher than that of POD, but it is less heat resistant. PPO is used to measure the effectiveness of treatment in coconut water.
Coconut Maturity Affects Enzymatic Activity
When coconuts are immature, more significant amounts of amylase, amyloglucosidase, and phosphatase activities were found. The phenolic browning process can happen without the presence of PPO and POD enzymes. This phenomenon is more gradual in coconut water, for example. The Maillard reaction occurs when food is processed and stored. Due to this reaction, the nutritional quality of the food can diminish, for example, by destroying essential amino acids. It also reduces the availability of protein and amino acids and, in some cases, will create harmful by-products. The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction where amine groups of all proteins react with reducing sugars to produce brown, yellow, or amber products. The chemical reaction starts with a mixture of glucose and amino acid, which leads to the formation of melanoidins. These brown polymers are heterogeneous and have higher molecular weight than other products created by the reaction.
Caramelization is a chemical reaction that occurs as foods are heated. This can happen when baking and roasting food or when peeling an orange. With caramelization, you can see the formation of caramels. This breakdown results from several complicated components that are classified into three different groups- aldehydes, ketones, and acrolein. Animal fats are a significant contributor to saturated fat intake. These are primarily found in butter, lard, and tallow. When butter is in your digestive tract, it liquefies. This happens because the temperature of the butter gets close to body temperature and because it is saturated fat. Another reason why fats are so delicious!. Coconut water contains deficient levels of sugar. As such, only a tiny amount of caramelization occurs when it undergoes heat treatment.
Pinking of Coconut Water
When a newly opened coconut, its sweet water often turns pink or purple. This is due to a type of enzyme-generated chemical reaction called phenolic oxidation. Compared to matured coconut water, young coconut water has a lower phenolic content, PPO, and POD enzyme activity. The primary method of polyphenol oxidation is the peroxidase-catalyzed reaction with hydrogen peroxide. Oxidation intermediates such as o-quinone cause pinking. In the secondary process, this pink or red compound may react with amino acids to form other types of compounds, such as p-amino-o-quinone.
Coconut Water Nutrients
This coco-liquid vitamin is higher in water-soluble and oil-soluble than other beverage type. In particular, Vitamin C is sensitive to light and oxygen exposure. When oxygen exposes vitamin c because the packaging breaks up, it will disappear. Degradation through anaerobic & aerobic reactions also leads to its loss. Oxygen availability is closely related to the level of Vitamin C that remains within a container.
Anaerobic and Aerobic Degradations
Both anaerobic and aerobic degradation processes coincide. The latter dominates the former, depending on temperature storage and oxygen availability. Drive-by storage temperature, the anaerobic pathway doesn’t need oxygen. Packaging cannot prevent loss because of aerobic degradation. The only possible solution is to reduce the storage temperature. We can avoid aerobic degradation if we have a presence of oxygen and adequate levels in the headspace. If a container does not have enough of these two things, it reduces how long a product will last.
Environmental Factors and Additives to the Quality
Raw, natural, unprocessed coconut water affects the final quality of the packaged product. There are methods to preserve and maintain its quality, but improving it is impossible.
Coconut Water Post-Harvest Storage
To increase the shelf life of your coconuts, be sure to harvest them carefully and leave the perianth intact. Please don’t crack the nuts if you don’t want to eat or drink them directly. Coconut water is a great natural drink that has many health benefits. A recent study finds that the quality of coconut water can be longer if it comes from non-dehusked nuts. Coconut husk harvesting minimizes the changes in coconut water over the storage period. This husk also acts as stress and cracks that would lead to contamination. We don’t recommend keeping the husks on. After you remove the coconut water husks, these nuts’ flavor can significantly degrade. The husk’s natural protection helps preserve nut quality and increase its storage life.
Extraction Methods
Have you ever wondered which extraction method is better for coconut water? Different techniques, like drilling or cutting the nut in half, will yield different results. This is because coconuts harvested at other times vary in husk thickness and shell density. Do the drilling method. It is better than the harvesting method to avoid contamination. However, for mature coconuts, it is better with the harvesting method. As fibers are dry and shells are hard, they’re more likely to fall into the coconut water in the extraction process. This is why filtration is essential right after extraction so that you can remove any contaminants.
Coconut Water Heat
Heat can positively or negatively affect the coconut water depending on the temperature range and what parameter is being observed. In general, as the temperature increases, so does reaction rates. The extraction and filtration of coconut water at high temperatures, such as those associated with summer heat, may lead to negative repercussions like the brown color and the maturing of harmful microbes. Hence it is crucial to keep coconut water below four °C after extraction. It’s essential to consider the raw material itself, how it was handled & packaged, and regulatory factors when making coconut water.
On the other hand, applying heat to coconut water can have some positive effects. This might be killing off enzymes, pasteurizing it, or even sterilizing it. Direct heat treatment like steam injection involves rapid temperature changes and less thermal impact. Studies show that coconut water that undergoes indirect heat treatment turns brown earlier in its shelf life. This is because it has a browning index lower than other types of heat treatments, meaning it has a shorter shelf life. You can find out more about direct & indirect heat treatments here.
Maturity and Storage Temperature
Mature coconut water spoils faster than young coconut water. The quality parameters like pH & turbidity is also usually lower. Older coconuts are also more likely to have debris in their extraction water. In addition, they will have a thicker, cloudier liquid than younger coconuts. Meanwhile, it will change if you abandon coconut water for a long time. This usually happens when the temperature is 4-35°C. Changes in total soluble solids content, pH, and titratable acidity can happen during this time. As the age of the coconut, you are likely to see some noticeable changes in its physical appearance. For example, turbidity could increase, Browning might happen, and the pH will decrease.
Oxygen Exposure
Exposing it to oxygen often causes it to turn brown and pink prematurely. This is because oxygen can oxidize polyphenols, which can also be catalyzed by other enzymes or by careful handling. Therefore, manufacturers often add antioxidants like ascorbic acid and sodium metabisulphite to scavenge oxygen, preventing oxygen from participating in different reactions. In addition, nitrogen blanketing may be used for storage tanks and, say, pesticide tanks, meaning the air in the headspace would contain 99.9% of nitrogen, which means a spike from 21% to 100%.
Antioxidants
L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
Ascorbic acid, vitamin C, can be found in many processed foods. In addition to its health benefits for humans, it is also an antioxidant that prevents enzymatic Browning from happening.
This has been used in many foods. But, with high ascorbic acid levels and the presence of oxygen, Browning may also occur. The thermal decomposition of ascorbic acid causes this phenomenon. Coconut water is relatively low in ascorbic acid by design. When it’s mixed with ascorbic acid, you need to ensure not to add too much of it so that the mixture doesn’t turn brown and cause oxidization. In general, levels of ascorbic acid between 20-50 ppm can help to minimize enzymatic Browning.
Antioxidants remove free radicals, preventing the discoloration of coconut water. They also allow coconut water to last longer on shelves. This is because antioxidants bind with oxygen molecules and scavenge them out of the liquid. Ascorbic acid is commonly used as an antioxidant for coconut water, and sodium metabisulphite is also a popular additive.
Sodium metabisulphite (SMB)
When oxygen reacts with SMB, it becomes unavailable for other browning reactions. Sulfite also reduces o-quinone, produced by PPO catalysis to a less reactive diphenol. This prevents the later condensation of complex brown melanins. SMB is often found in coconut water, where the maximum permissible levels are around 30 ppm. You should check with your country’s local authorities for the most recent updates on what types of SMBs are allowed and what the acceptable levels are.
Microbiology of Coconut Water
Certain microorganisms can cause food poisoning, human diseases, and spoilage in food. They usually use it in the production of foods like cheese and yogurt. It plays many different roles in coconut water production and its related products. They can break the product down into smaller chemical parts or create enzymes to help it along the way. These systems are further broken down depending on what they make and do. Microorganisms depend on their enzymes to tell them what they can break down and what they will produce.
Breakdown of Oil
Enzymes break down fat into free fatty acids in a process called lipolysis. Fat can be exposed to lipase in many ways, such as pumping, stirring, and splashing. These methods increase the chance of it being broken down. Some fatty acids produced by these bacteria and molds have solid smells or a sour taste. This also contributes to an oily taste that is not always pleasant. Even so, some fatty acids benefit us, breaking down different proteins through oxidation. When extracting coconut water from a mature coconut, minute traces of oil may come out. If this oil becomes decomposed, it may produce a foul taste.
Breakdown of Carbohydrates
Microorganisms are very versatile in terms of what types and degrees of carbohydrates they can degrade. In most situations, fermentation will break down these carbs, but aerobic metabolism can degrade them entirely into water and carbon dioxide as a last resort. Fermentation usually leads to the production of organic acids (e.g., lactic and butyric acids), alcohols (e.g., ethyl and butyl), and gases (e.g., carbon dioxide and hydrogen). Once the sugars of carbohydrates break down, they form acidity, lower pH or souring, or alcohol with the release. When carbohydrates break down in coconut water, it turns sour and has an unpleasant odor.
Breakdown of Protein
Proteolysis, or the breakdown of a protein into molecules, involves proteases. To form smaller peptides and amino acids can break down the proteins. Execute oxidation or fermentation to break down amino acids. Most proteins and amino acids in the body are rich in carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Split the protein into various acids, alcohols, and gases. In particular, ammonia – which can be alkaline and has a strong smell – is always present. As coconut water contains sulfur-containing amino acids, the breakdown of these amino acids may produce hydrogen sulfide, which gives off a rotten egg smell.