Abstract
The aqueous extract of scraped coconut kernel is known as coconut milk. Coconut milk preparations are also commercially available in the form of desiccated powders or liquids. While these various coconut milk preparations are heavily used in cooking in the Asian countries as a major source of dietary fat, limited studies have been conducted on their chemical and nutritional composition. In this study, we have determined the chemical composition and nutritional effects of both domestic preparations of coconut milk and the commercially available counterparts. The results indicate that the phenolic compounds of all coconut milk preparations provide protection against oxidative damage on lipids and inhibit oxidative damage of both proteins and DNA. The lipid profiles are not significantly affected by the consumption of the three coconut milk preparations despite their different fat contents.
Highlights
Coconut milk is the aqueous extract of the solid endosperm of coconut
Domestic coconut milk is prepared by adding water to the scraped coconut kernel and mixing in a blender followed by filtering coconut milk through a strainer
The resultant slurry was squeezed through cheesecloth to separate the milk portion, and the resultant liquid was used as domestic coconut milk (DCM)
Summary
In addition to the use for coconut oil extraction by wet process, coconut milk is directly used as a liquid medium in culinary applications to prepare dishes including meat and vegetable dishes. Coconut milk is an emulsion containing mainly lipid carbohydrates and proteins. It contains several minor compounds including phenolic substances [1]. Antioxidant properties of the methanolic extracts of the coconut kernel have been tested with DPPH and 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium (ABTS) assays, as a function of maturity, and the antioxidant activities increased up to 190 days from the date of pollination and decreased or remain unchanged [3]. Studies indicate that the serum LDL levels decreased while the HDL levels increased in healthy subjects on a diet containing coconut milk [4]
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