A tropical country like the Philippines makes coconut a regular sighting. As the second largest producer of coconut in the world according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United nations in 2016, coconut products are one of the most exported commodities of our country.

One particular product of coconut is the coco water. Harvested from a young coconut, it becomes a popular beverage during the summer as it contains natural nutrients that are beneficial to the body.

When coconuts mature, their meat are used to create several types of products including copra, desiccated coconut, virgin coconut oil (VCO) coconut flour, among others. However, during the processing of these products, huge volumes of coconut water, approximately 2.4 billion liters per year are left unutilized. Coconut water taken from mature coconuts contain more nutritional value compared to coconut water extracted from young coconuts.

In a bid to recover the unutilized coconut water, a team from PHilMech have come up with a solution to process it into something that is profitable without sacrificing its physical and chemical properties.

PHILMECH INTERVENTION

“We aim to process the unutilized coconut water into 100 percent pure, without any additives and preservatives, nutritious, and safe bottled coconut water with the ultimate goal to help and empower the small coconut Filipino farmers and increase their income,” technology generator Dr. Ofero A. Capariño, chief of the Bioprocessing Engineering Division of PHilMech and principal investigator of the technology, said in an interview.

One problem that needed to be addressed with coco water is its shelf life. According to Dr. Capariño, once a newly extracted coco water is exposed to air, it’s quality is easily degraded. Most coco water would not survive 24 hours as it can ferment in a matter of hours. Under chilled conditions, however, it can last up to three days. Dr. Capariño’s goal was to prolong the shelf life of coco water without using any preservatives or additives that will keep the coco water 100% natural.

To address this problem, Dr. Capariño’s team have designed and developed a village level coconut water processing System that aims to provide Filipino coconut farmers with a new income generating opportunity by processing unutilized coconut water. The system aims to process coco water taken from mature coconut pasteurization which eliminates diseases causing microorganisms and inactivates spoiling agents that would usually affect the shelf life of the product. This pasteurized coco water produced by the system is 100% pure without any additives or preservatives.

This study won Gold at the 2016 National Research Symposium, organized by the Bureau of Agricultural Research, for its promised potential of adding value to unutilized coconut water and increasing a coconut farmer’s profitability.

From 2015 to 2016, a village level coconut water processing technology incubation facility was established at the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 5, Pili, Camarines Sur, with support from the World Bank through the Philippine Rural Development Project. This project was intended to showcase to potential investors of processing coco water.

In order to establish a holistic picture of the requirements for successful adoption of the technology, a project called “Pilot Testing of Coconut Water Processing Enterprise in Selected Areas of the Philippines”, led by Dr. Gigi Calica, a senior science research specialist from PHilMech, was conducted from 2017 to 2019. The project aims to determine the specific technical, financial, operational and management requirements needed to utilize a PHilMech village level coconut water processing system as an integrated component of the copra and VCO coconut processing system. The project is funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research through its National Technology Commercialization Program.

“There is an international demand for coconut water as more people are getting health conscious. Drinking coconut water benefits our health by strengthening our body, reducing fatigue and taking care of our normal heart function,” Dr. Calica explained.

Since coco water serves as a popular alternative to soft drinks, even going as far as becoming mother nature’s energy drink due to its electrolyte content, many countries are realizing the benefits of coco water and are making the switch to commercially produced coco water.

According to University of Asia and the Pacific’s industry report, The Coconut Industry: Local and Global Perspectives, coconut water is one of the fastest-growing beverage categories in the global market, increasing by 154% per year on volume and 159% per year on value during the past 10 years.
Studies show, however, that these commercialized versions of coconut water do not contain the same nutritional value as compared to fresh coconut water. Commercialized coconut water only mimics the taste but does not have the same nutritional content as the real coco water.

After thorough research, field testing and now on its pilot testing stage in Pantukan, Compostella Valley, PHilMech’s village level coconut water processing system can now provide farmers not only with additional income but also allow consumers to enjoy coco water for longer.

COCO WATER PROCESSING

Before coco water is bottled and sold, it must go through a series of steps in order to avoid further unutilization of coco water as well as to avoid contaminating the product even before it is processed.
The first stage of the process involves harvesting of mature coconuts, de-husking and transportation to the processing site. The handling of coconuts from the time it is harvested, de-husked and transported are crucial as to avoid cracking the nut and exposing the coco water to air, which could potentially spoil the coco water.

The next stage takes place in the processing center. This stage involves cleaning and sanitizing of the nut before it is opened. This stage involves three stages of cleaning (with regular water, water with chlorine, and washing with distilled water to remove chlorine). This is done to prevent any contamination once the nut is opened.


Followed immediately by this stage is the extraction and pasteurization of the coco water. An extraction filter is used to remove any impurities when extracting coco water from the nut. After which, the coco water is then transferred to a pasteurizer/chiller equipped with a programmable logic control system which monitors the pasteurization of the coco water. 2,000 nuts using approximately 2,000 (350 ml) bottles can be produced per day with this system.

Once the coco water has been pasteurized, it is now ready to be bottled using a semi-automated filling machine which puts a consistent amount of coco water per bottle. Once done, the bottles are now stored as it waits to be sold.

Filipino farmers can now enjoy the fruits of their labor by adding value to their harvest. It is through the help of the Village Level Coconut Water Processing System that significantly increases a coconut’s profitability, helps generate additional income to coconut farmers and processors while creating job opportunities for the community.