Coconut milk, water, cream, yogurts, ice lollies and even coconut crisps – the once-exotic coconut has taken a stranglehold on the health foods category, and there are no signs of the trend abating soon. I spoke with Mei Hin Liew, general manager of Tetra Pak’s Soya, Tea and Coconut Centre, about its remarkable rise.
Coconut has been the surprise success in ingredient terms over the past few years. Why is it so popular?
Coconut has become more popular for a number of reasons. Firstly, due to its versatility there are a number of different uses of coconut, making it easy for it to be used in a wide variety of food and products. For example, the unique physical and chemical properties of coconut oil, not only as cooking oil, is increasingly being used as a cosmetic ingredient. It is also growing in popularity as a dairy alternative for milk and cream.
Secondly, the numerous health and hydration benefits of coconut are also becoming well-known amongst consumers. Coconut water has been marketed as a new generation of sports drinks with numerous health and hydration benefits, that is also completely natural. It has been highly promoted by celebrities and has captured the market rapidly in the US and Europe, and is even spreading to the traditional coconut producing countries where it was previously viewed as a waste product.
What sort of volumes are being processed on a global/European basis?
In 2014, 587 million litres of coconut water were sold globally, and consumption is predicted to rise by a further 15% in 2015. Global consumption has risen by 60% in the last ten years, thanks mainly to Latin America and Asia. Growth in the US and Europe has occurred mainly in the last two years.
The largest producers in Asia are in Thailand where they have produced and sold 5% of global consumption – 29 million litres in the last year.
In which geographies are coconut products becoming more popular?
Ready to drink (RTD) coconut milk beverages with 1.5–2% fat content have been very popular in China market for 30 years and continue to grow. Similarly, in the United States, coconut milk beverages have grown three times to 60 million litres in the last four years.
Coconut cream or milk with fat content ranging from 17–24% have been produced in Southeast Asia for many years and used in Asian cuisine.
The United States and Brazil lead global consumption of coconut water and demand is continuing to grow considerably. While still behind the US and Brazil, consumption of coconut water in the European market is starting to take off with the increasing awareness of its nutritional and health benefits.
What are the challenges when processing coconut in beverages and dairy products?
One of the main challenges is to transport fresh raw materials to the processing plant and process them within 3–10 days from the time of harvest. This is especially important for coconut water processing as prolonged storage of the coconuts will also have an impact on the turbidity – or the “cloudiness” – of the coconut water.
Secondly, good manufacturing practice is needed during the extraction process, including the cooling of the raw materials to 4°C to stop the enzymatic reaction and growth of micro-organisms.
Thirdly, coconut products are prone to oxidation. Therefore, the process design and equipment selection is critical to avoid products having contact with the air. Coconut products are also sensitive to high thermal impact that can affect the colour and taste. For this reason, the UHT system with direct steam injection is normally recommended for both coconut water and coconut cream.
Of course, the maturity and freshness of the raw material will also have an impact on the final product quality and taste. Other challenges for production of coconut cream and milk for cooking are ensuring stabilisation of the fat content and also the consistency of the product viscosity.
What are the other formats you are being asked to create?
Recent years have seen a rise in demand for products that people can drink on-the-go, which has led to an increase of convenient, portable packaging. The majority of coconut water is sold in individual, on-the-go portion packs – such as the Tetra Pak Aseptic 330ml.
A package like this, which is easy to grip and carry out of the home, has been very popular in the coconut water industry. This is especially true with the addition of easy to open caps like the Dream Cap, which is a one-step screw cap opening, making it very easy for on-the-go drinking.
In the US, Vita Coco also introduced Tetra Pak Aseptic 500ml in 2010 to continue to capture the growing opportunity of the natural hydration properties with coconut water and extend their product portfolio with different flavours.
What are the optimal shelf-life conditions – is it better to choose hot fill, cold fill or aseptic?
Traditionally, coconut cream and milk have been produced by hot-filled processing into cans, followed by in-can sterilisation, which can have a shelf-life of 12–18 months. However, this method subjects the product to high thermal treatment, due to the retorting process of the canned product, and has an impact on the cooked taste, colour and also the fat separation of the final product.
Today, there is an increase in aseptic processing and packaging of coconut cream, milk, coconut water and also ready-to-drink coconut milk beverages due to the lower thermal impact, plus a more diversified choice of packaging formats that can better suit the consumer preferences and needs. The optimal shelf-life of the coconut product ranges from 8–12 months, depending on the product characteristics.
Pasteurisation has a lower thermal impact and tends to produce a more natural product, but requires refrigeration for transportation and storage. The shelf life is normally 5–10 days depending on the cold chains.
Packaging plays a big role in maintaining the shelf-life of coconut products. Packaging preserves coconut liquid products, keeping them in a good and wholesome condition. This includes protecting them from microbial spoilage and chemical deterioration, which can be caused by exposure to sunlight, moisture and air. More importantly, packaging must be able to fulfil the two basic aims of containing the beverage and preventing leakage. It should also protect coconut liquid products from physical hazards throughout its shelf life.
A number of companies state that their source is the best. Have you found a great deal of disparity in quality and can this cause problems?
Coconut water can be produced from both the matured or young coconuts. They possess slight differences in both the chemical properties and also the taste profile. The physical and chemical properties of coconut water can also vary depending upon the type of coconut, the climate and soil conditions. The young coconut water will give a more refreshing and sweeter taste. For example, the Nam Hong (which means fragrant ones) variety of coconut in Thailand, tend to be more aromatic and have a much higher level of sweetness compared to others.
Where do you see future opportunities with coconut?
There are a couple of key opportunities we see for coconut products. Firstly, there is an emerging global trend of consuming plant-based protein. This trend emerges from lactose intolerance among many consumers, a move towards vegetarian diets and increased demand for low-fat alternatives. With less than 1–2% fat content, coconut milk beverages are also fast becoming low-fat alternatives to other plant-based beverages such as soya and almond milk in the United States and Europe.
Secondly, the strong rehydrating qualities have made it an increasingly popular choice as a substitute for sports drinks as it is high in electrolytes but contains less sugar.
As we expect these trends to continue to grow in the coming years, particularly in Europe, we are working with our customers to help them bring coconut-based products into their product portfolio.
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