Is it okay to drink coconut water at 9.9 yuan per liter? The truth is revealed...

As the weather gets hotter, is your desire for coconut water rekindled? It is refreshing and slightly sweet, and is the best choice when you are dizzy from the sun. The natural taste also makes people feel "very healthy". However, the increasingly cheap coconut water has also made many people a little worried: a fresh coconut costs more than ten yuan, and it takes about three coconuts to make a liter of coconut water. Now there are a lot of coconut waters on the market for 9.9 yuan per liter. Can we drink it safely? Let's start with natural coconut water.

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Coconut water

Natural electrolyte water

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is a tree of the genus Cocos in the palm family. It is a very important oil crop and mainly grows in tropical areas. For example, the main area for coconut cultivation in my country is Hainan. my country has a history of more than 2,000 years of coconut tree cultivation.

The basic structure of a coconut. Image source: WordPress/Wikipedia

What's in a coconut?

Coconut is the fruit of the coconut tree. The outermost smooth green thin skin of coconut is its exocarp, the thick and hard wood-like layer inside is its mesocarp, and the innermost bony shell is its endocarp. The seed coat of coconut is very thin and close to the endocarp. Therefore, when we cut open a coconut, we cut open the peel and the seeds inside at the same time, directly exposing the endosperm in the seeds. The endosperm is the nutrient bank of the seed, which can provide the energy and nutrients required for the growth of the plant embryo. The rice and corn we eat are mainly endosperm. The endosperm of coconut has two forms. The outer layer is white solid endosperm, which is usually called coconut meat. There is also a layer of liquid endosperm, which is the transparent coconut water we usually drink. Coconut water is a natural plant water formed by coconuts storing nutrients in the form of liquid endosperm in the fruit. The coconut water in a mature coconut accounts for about 15% to 30% of its weight, and the average coconut milk volume is about 300 ml. The color of coconut water is basically close to transparent, and the water content is about 94%, and the rest is soluble sugar, minerals, and a small amount of fat and protein. Coconut water has very low calories, only 19 kcal/100 g, and the sugar content is lower than most fruits, only 3% to 5%. It is composed of fructose, glucose and sucrose, and is rich in mineral elements such as potassium, sodium, and magnesium. Since coconut water has a light sweetness and natural coconut fragrance without additional sugar, and also contains nutrients such as potassium and sodium, it is very suitable as a supplement for fluid after a lot of sweating. Many people regard coconut water as a fruit drink and compare it with fruit juice. However, the vitamin C content in coconut water is not very high, even worse than the most common apple. You should know that every 100g of apple contains 4mg of vitamin C, which is not as good as cabbage. Therefore, the nutrition of coconut water is still not as good as fruit juice, it is closer to a natural electrolyte water.

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9.9 per liter of coconut water

Why is it so cheap?

In fact, coconut water produced by regular manufacturers can be purchased and drunk with confidence. So why is coconut water so cheap? The main reasons are:

1

Raw material cost control

Enterprises can use coconuts from different origins for production and sales, such as mixing coconuts from Indonesia, Vietnam and other places with a small amount of Thai perfumed coconuts. This can not only reduce costs, but also improve the taste by adding a small amount of high-quality coconuts. It should be noted that the cost of Thai perfumed coconut raw materials is about 20 yuan/liter, while the cost of Indonesian old coconuts is only 4 yuan/liter; it can also be reconstituted with imported concentrated juice.

2

Deep processing and utilization of coconut

Large enterprises can also use the deep processing of coconuts to utilize all the resources of the coconut body to reduce costs. Ordinary people like us buy coconuts to suck coconut water, and then throw away the coconut meat and coconut shells, but enterprises can continue to use them, such as squeezing coconut meat to make coconut milk products and selling them, making handicrafts from coconut shells and so on, which is equivalent to some other benefits, and also sharing the costs of enterprises.

3

Product Features

Coconut water has a relatively long shelf life and can be stored at room temperature, which makes it less expensive to transport and store. In addition, some brands have further reduced costs by optimizing packaging design.

Therefore, for large companies, it is possible to sell bottled coconut water at 9.9 yuan per liter, and everyone can buy and drink it with confidence.

Coconut flakes, coconut milk, coconut milk, coconut juice...

What are they?

1. Coconut

People who like to drink coconut milk tea and beverages often drink coconut, and many people think it is the flesh of coconut. In fact, coconut is a product made from fermented coconut water, also known as coconut fiber fruit, coconut nata or high-fiber coconut.

The method of making coconut flakes is to let acetic acid bacteria ferment in coconut water. Using the sugars and other substances in it, acetic acid bacteria can produce a polysaccharide - bacterial cellulose. They accumulate on the surface of coconut water to form a thick layer of white substance. After being scooped out and further processed, it becomes the coconut flakes that many people love to eat.

Coconuts are mainly composed of polysaccharides and cellulose. They do not contain the rich potassium, calcium, magnesium and other minerals contained in fruits, nor do they contain a variety of vitamins contained in fruits, such as vitamin C, carotenoids, etc., so don't treat coconuts as fruits.

2. Coconut milk/coconut milk/coconut juice…

Coconut milk refers to a beverage product made from coconut pulp (juice) and (or) coconut pulp juice as the main raw materials, with other raw materials added and then prepared through blending, sterilization, filling and other processes. There are also coconut milk, coconut juice, thick coconut milk and so on on the market. In fact, they are all made from coconut meat. Although the names are different, the essence is the same.

The name of "coconut milk/coconut milk" easily makes people think that drinking it is equivalent to drinking milk. In fact, coconut milk is not a dairy product, but a plant protein beverage, just like the soy milk, almond milk, and walnut milk that everyone drinks. It belongs to the concept of "plant milk" that has become popular in recent years. But they are essentially plant protein beverages, which are completely different from milk.

References

[1]. Lu Lilan, Liu Rui, Xiao Yong, Li Jing, Shen Xiaojun, Li Heshuai, Fan Haikuo. Research progress on coconut germplasm resources, cultivation and utilization[J]. Journal of Tropical Crops, 2021, 42(6): 1795-1803

[2].T/HNSKXH 004-2024 Coconut milk (milk)

[3].T/HNSKXH 005-2024 Coconut water and its beverages

[4].T/HNCA 001-2023 Coconut milk

[5].QB/T 2300-2006 Plant protein beverage coconut juice and reconstituted coconut juice

[6]. Li Tong, Zhang Caihong, Guo Honghua. Analysis of the mechanism of action and clinical application of coconut water in medical health care[J]. Trace Elements and Health Research, 2021, 38(03): 45-48.

[7]. Liu Xiaoqin, Guo Zhiyong, Cui Xinyue, Bai Xinpeng. Research on the preparation and stability of artificial coconut milk[J]. Modern Food Science and Technology, 2011, 27(02): 181-184. DOI: 10.13982/j.mfst.1673-9078.2011.02.026.

[8]. Ding Baomiao, Qin Rui, Xiong Hairong, et al. Research progress of plant protein beverages and their stability[J]. Journal of Food Safety and Quality, 2019, 10(1): 152-157. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.2095-0381.2019.01.027.

Planning and production

Author: Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Review丨Zhang Yu, researcher/PhD, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, national health science expert

Planning丨Yang Yaping

Editor: Yang Yaping

Proofread by Xu Lai and Lin Lin