Abstract
Coconut water is a highly nutritious liquid food which is a by-product of the desiccated coconut industry. Freeze concentration is the most suitable concentration method for coconut water since the low-temperature operation for concentration does not deteriorate the original quality of coconut water. Suspension freeze concentration (SFC) and progressive freeze concentration (PFC) are the available FC methods, and SFC is a complex and expensive method compared with PFC. PFC is a novel freeze concentration technique to concentrate liquid food by using a simple system. The limitation of PFC is the lower product yield than SFC, and to overcome the problem, the partial ice-melting technique can be used. A simple cylindrical apparatus was used for PFC which consists of a sample vessel, agitator system, and a cooling bath (at −23°C ± 2°C temperature). The final concentration of the liquid product was directly affected by the apparatus agitator speed and sample vessel dipping speed. PFC agitator speed of 290 rpm and dipping speed of 1.3 cm h−1 were reported as the optimum operating conditions to achieve the highest concentration for the PFC apparatus used in this study. Using optimized agitation speed and dipping speed, coconut water was concentrated up to Brix 8.5° from the initial concentration of Brix 3.5°. PFC coconut water achieved 73.56% of total yield, 2.42 of concentration ratio, 0.7° of ice phase concentration, and 0.08 of effective partition coefficient. The partial melting technique was successfully explored by recovering initial ice fractions with high solute concentrations, and the total yield was improved up to 80%.
Highlights
Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) water is an energizing, refreshing, and nourishing drink which is widely consumed in tropical countries [1]
About 83.33% V/V ethylene glycol was mixed with distilled water 16.67% V/V to achieve the minimum temperature of the cooling bath at −23°concentration of ice phase (Cs) ± 2°C, and the temperature of the coolant was maintained by the control panel and the compressor unit (NTZ 048; Danfoss Maneurop, China)
After 5-hour operation, the sample vessel was removed from the system, and unfrozen fraction (Figure 4(a); liquid phase) and the frozen fraction (Figure 4(b); ice phase) were collected separately
Summary
Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) water is an energizing, refreshing, and nourishing drink which is widely consumed in tropical countries [1]. According to Prades et al [2], coconut water signifies between 15% and 30% of the weight of the nut. The amount of coconut water that can be harvested from each nut is about 300 mL. The composition of coconut water accounts for 95% of water and 4% carbohydrates and 0.1% fat; in addition to that, coconut water is enriched with amino acids, vitamin C and B complex vitamins, and minerals. Coconut water is a by-product of desiccated coconut (DC) industry. About 10 years ago, coconut water from DC was a waste. The growing demand for coconut water is high as people are concerning the health benefits it offers [3, 4]
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