coconut, edible fruit of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), a tree of the palm family (Arecaceae).

Coconuts
probably originated somewhere in Indo-Malaya and are one of the most important crops of the tropics.
Coconut flesh is high in fat and can be dried or eaten fresh or processed into coconut milk or coconut oil.
The liquid of the nut, known as coconut water, is used in beverages.1

Coconut processing involves various techniques to transform coconuts into a wide range of products such
as coconut oil, coconut milk, desiccated coconut, coconut water, and more. Here are some of the common
coconut processing techniques:

1. Harvesting

2. Dehusking

3. De-shelling

4. Drying

5. Coconut Oil Extraction

6. Processing coconut

• Twelve months old nuts are harvested at the interval of 30-45 days for seed as well as copra
making and culinary purposes.

1 .Britannica
 • For household use keep the nuts in vertical direction.

• However, for tender nut purposes 7 to 8 months old nuts are harvested. The nuts can

be harvested using coconut climbers.

• Nuts which are 11 months old give fiber of good quality. This is suitable for coir fiber.

• In case of tall variety, the nuts harvested for seed purpose can be stored for 2 to 3 months period
before sowing, whereas in case of dwarfs and hybrids, nuts should be sown with in a period of 10
–15 days of harvest.

• On an average, we can have eight harvests, though the coconut palm produces inflorescence
every month.

• For oil extraction, nuts are generally sun dried for copra making.

Harvesting of coconuts is commonly done by climbing the tree with the help of a rope ring round the feet
or ankles of the climber or by using a ladder.On reaching the top, the climber taps the nut in the lowermost
bunch with its harvesting knife to test its maturity.If he is satisfied, he cuts the bunch at the base of the
stalk when it drops down to the ground.

If the ground is very hard or if tender nuts are to be harvested, the bunches are lowered by using a rope.
The climber also cleans the crown and removes the dry leaves, sheaths and spathes.

In some places where the trees are not tall, harvesting is done by cutting the bunches with a knife,
attached to a long bamboo pole.
 • Fully matured nuts should be harvested

• For collection of seed nuts/tender coconuts the bunches should be harvested and brought down
by using ropes to prevent the damage of nuts.

• Copra to be dried to 6% moisture by sun drying or by using copra driers

• The storage period of copra can be increased up to 6 months by storing the copra in polythene tar
coated gunny bags.

• For household storage the nuts may be kept in vertical position.2

2 .Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

1. Using a machete or a sharp knife: This is the traditional method of dehusking a coconut, and it
involves using a sharp tool to chop away at the outer shell until it is completely removed.

2. Using a coconut scraper: A coconut scraper is a handheld tool that is designed specifically for
removing the outer shell of a coconut. It features a serrated blade that can be used to scrape away
the fibrous shell while leaving the meat intact.

3. Using a coconut dehusking machine: There are several types of machines available that are
designed specifically for dehusking coconuts. These machines can be electric or manual and can
be used to quickly and efficiently remove the outer shell.

4.

Coconut deshelling is the process of removing the tough outer layer, or "husk," from a coconut to reveal
the edible flesh inside. There are several methods for deshelling a coconut, including:

1. Using a machete or sharp knife to cut off the top of the coconut and then carefully slicing away
the husk in sections.

2. Placing the coconut in a plastic bag and hitting it with a hammer or mallet to break the husk into
smaller pieces, which can then be peeled away.

3. Using a specialized coconut deshelling tool, which is a handheld device with a serrated blade
designed specifically for removing coconut husks.

4.

There are several methods and practices in drying the coconut kernel or in making copra. The methods
vary from that which is considered primitive and traditional to one that adheres to certain scientific
principles of drying.

The three common methods of drying are: a) sun drying or solar drying; b) kiln drying which is either direct
on semi-direct drying; and c) indirect drying using hot-air dryers. a) Sun Drying
Where weather conditions permit, sun drying can produce good quality copra. This method is used only
during the dry season and when drying only small quantities of nuts.Since sundrying requires no expenses
for fuel, the overall drying cost is considerably cheap compared to other copra drying methods using fuel-
fed dryers. Fuel saved could mean possible additional farm income when sold or transformed into high
value products like coconut shell charcoal, activated carbon, coir, etc., leading to the maximum utilisation
of farm resources. Because the dryer is capable of producing clean, white and edible copra, copra
produced should command a premium price. Moreover, its adoption could promote a high degree of
consciousness in the production of superior quality export products.

There are two types of smoke dryers commonly used by coconut farmers, namely: the direct and
semidirect types. Primarily, both types have the same heating principle but differ only in design and
manner of firing or charging fuel. The direct dryer is designed in such a way that the fire bed is directly
located below the copra bed.

On the other hand, the design of semidirect dryer is superior to the direct type. The hearth where fuel
charging/feeding is done is located on one side of the dryer, connected to the drying bed by a tunnelike
flue.

In drying copra using hot-air dryers, the coconut meat is dried by means of uncontaminated hot air that
passes through the copra bed. Since the smoke does not come in contact with the kernel, the copra
produced is clean and white. If properly done, copra-drying using hot-air dryers produces good quality
copra with 6 percent moisture content.

There are quite a few hot-air dryer designs. The common ones are a) The Modified Kukum HotAir Dryer
and b) The Cocopugon or the Brick Hot Air Dryer.
 Fig:Modified Kukum Hot-Air Copra Dryer

5 Coconut Oil Extraction

a) Traditional boiling method

Coconut oil is traditionally extracted by boiling coconut milk to evaporate the water, leaving the oil
behind. In order to extract approximately 14 L of coconut milk, the processes last for an hour or until all
the oils get separated from the milk.The yield of traditional method of CO is about 33%, which is lower
compared to other extraction.

Fermentation involves the use of pure culture of bacteria such as Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus
delbrueckii and Lactobacillus casei. Among the strains, L. plantarum is preferred due to its fast-growing
rate in the coconut milk at the temperature range of 40–50°C, with considerable production of lactic acid
that indicates a rapid breaking of the emulsion and liberation of the oil.coconut milk with settling time of
10 h and the total oil recovery obtained is up to 95%.

The coconut copra is made up of 10% carbohydrate which contains about 50% cellulose. Approximately
75% of the cellulose is made up of α-cellulose . The oil present inside the plant cells links with the proteins
and a wide range of carbohydrates such as starch, cellulose, hemicellulose and pectins. Therefore, cell
wall degrading enzymes are used to extract the oil by solubilizing the structural cell wall components.
A chilling, freezing and thawing method has been used to break the water–oil emulsion where the coconut
milk will be centrifuged at 3220g for 10 min and the upper layer of the cream, supernatant was removed
prior to a chilling and freezing process to allow better packing of the oil globules . Generally, the
temperature used for chilling and freezing are 10 and −4°C respectively, for 6 h in total. Then, the thawing
process is carried out in a water bath at 40°C until the centrifuged cream reaches the room temperature
of 25°C. The cream is then centrifuged twice at 4000g for 30 min to obtain the VCO. During the thawing
process, the oil droplets coalesced and form large droplets of various sizes, in turn giving a total oil
extraction yield of 69%.3

Coconut oil extracted by this method is extracted from coconut meat that is not dried prior to oil
extraction. The coconut milk is first pressed out from the wet coconut meat and the coconut oil is then
extracted from the coconut milk by separating the water from it. Methods used to separate the water
from the coconut milk includes boiling, fermentation, refrigeration, centrifugation and enzymatic
separations.

The coconut flesh (known as "copra") is removed from the coconut shell and dried in the sun or in a
kiln.Once the copra is dried, it is crushed or grated to produce a fine powder.The powdered copra is then
placed in a press and squeezed to extract the oil.The oil is collected in a container, and any remaining
moisture or impurities are removed through filtering or settling.The filtered oil is then packaged and ready
for use.

Coconut water processing involves a series of steps to extract, pasteurize, and package the clear liquid
inside the young green coconut. Here are the basic steps involved in the process:

1. Washing: The coconuts are washed with clean water to remove any dirt, dust, or debris.

2. Drilling: A small hole is drilled into the top of the coconut using a specialized drill.

3. Collection: The clear liquid inside the coconut is collected in a sterile container.

4. Filtration: The coconut water is passed through a series of filters to remove any impurities and debris.

3 .wiley online library.

6. Packaging: The pasteurized coconut water is then packaged in aseptic containers or cans to ensure a
long shelf life.

7. Labeling: The final step involves labeling the product with information such as the expiry date, batch
number, and nutritional information

1. What are the criteria of coconut harvesting?

2. Describe the process of harvesting coconut.

3. Describe drying process of coconut.

4. What are the coconut oil extraction methods?

5. Describe the processing of coconut water.