Coconut water

Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm), not to be confused with coconut milk. As the fruit matures, the coconut water gradually is replaced by the coconut meat and air. A very young coconut has very little meat, and the meat is very tender, almost a gel. Coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands like Hawaii and the Caribbean, where it is available fresh, canned or bottled. It is naturally fat-free and low in food energy (16.7 calories or 70 kilojoules per 100 grams).

Coconuts for drinking are carefully packaged and sold in many places. These are typically Asian coconuts whose outer green husk has been removed, and the remainder wrapped in plastic. In Central America, particularly in Costa Rica and Panama, it is found and sold in strategic highway stops or on the beaches; there, the coconut water is called "agua de pipa", and the coconut is cut in front of the customer to ensure its freshness. In Brazil, coconut water is called "água de coco," and is the second best-selling juice after orange juice. Coconut water can also be found in ordinary cans or tetra paks (and often has coconut pulp or coconut jelly added) and is also marketed as a sports drink because of its high potassium and mineral content. In fact, one cup-full of coconut water contains more electrolytes than most sports drinks and more potassium than a banana.

Morton Satin, known for his development of hi-fiber breads, folic acid supplementation, and wheatless breads for celiacs, developed the cold sterilization technology for coconut water that allows manufacturers to bottle coconut water without losing its flavor and nutritional characteristics while serving as Director of FAO's Agricultural Industries and Post-harvest Management Service. He was granted a British patent for this development.

While people prefer different flavors of coconut water, generally a green coconut with some age spots is the most popular. Coconuts from various parts of the world also differ in taste. For example, Indian coconuts tend to be sweet while Brazilian coconuts have a mild taste and Bangladeshi coconuts (due to the soil composition) have extremely sweet water and flesh with a very slight salty aftertaste similar to the Indian.

Coconut water is also used as an intravenous hydration fluid in some developing countries where medical saline is unavailable.

Composition of coconut water %

Water 95.5
Nitrogen 0.05
Phosphoric acid 0.56
Potassium 0.25
Calcium oxide 0.69
Magnesium oxide 0.59 g/100g
Iron 0.5
Total solids 4.71

Reducing sugars 0.80
Total sugars 2.08
Ash 0.62

Source: Pandalai, K. M. (1958). Coconut water and its uses. Coconut Bull. 12, No. 5, 167-173.