»
»
Food & Beverage
desiccated coconut are increasingly being used as gluten-free alternatives to wheat products in baking and other food applications. A burgeoning demand for coconut products in the cosmetics, personal care and pharmaceutical sectors is being driven by the natural moisturizing properties of ingredients like coconut oil, which is recognized for its skin-friendly attributes. As if this wasn’ t enough, the fibers from the coconut husk are useful as a renewable growing media for gardeners and in professional horticulture; coconut sap can be used to make a range of products from vinegar and sugars to vegan nectar and honey alternatives; while palm fronds are often used locally for construction, making everything from baskets to boats.
Thermal processing considerations for coconut products
Coconut water The wide range of coconut products means that many different processes are employed in their production. However, in many areas heat plays an important role. For example, coconut water( which is taken from fresh coconuts) reacts quickly once the coconut has been opened, meaning that aseptic processing and packaging are required. The HRS AF Series of aseptic fillers is ideally suited to coconut water, with a range of nozzle sizes and the ability to work with pre-formed and pre-sterilized bags of between 5 and 1,000 liters capacity. At the same time, being 92-95 % water, coconut water can be expensive to transport, so evaporation is often used to reduce volumes before shipping and further processing. A special version of the HRS Unicus Series is available for evaporation
The HRS AF Series of aseptic fillers is ideally suited to coconut water.
applications, utilizing a shell and tube heat exchanger with scraping rods in the interior tubes.
Coconut milk Coconut milk and cream are produced from mature coconuts and as such, different products( light milk, milk, cream and cream concentrate) have different properties. They also react in different ways, meaning the correct choice of processing is crucial, particularly in terms of pasteurization. As with other plant-based milk alternatives, the HRS DSI Sterilizer, which uses direct steam injection to sterilize the product, brings a number of benefits. The system works by rapidly injecting steam into the product, instantly heating it to the ultra-high temperature. This is immediately followed by condensation in around 0.1
The HRS Unicus Series has a characteristic reciprocal action ideal for processing coconut milk.
www. heat-exchanger-world. com Heat Exchanger World October 2025
37