What is coconut protein?

The coconut is the fruit of the coconut, commonly used for its water, milk, oil, and delicious meat. Considered the most naturally distributed fruit tree on earth, the coconut tree is native to Southeast Asia and the islands between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Today, coconuts are grown around the globe and are becoming increasingly popular for their flavor, culinary uses, and many potential health benefits. Often referred to as a by-product of coconut oil production, coconut protein is widely used in the food industry due to its excellent functional and nutritional properties.

Benefits of coconut

1. Nutritious

Coconuts provide mainly fat. They also contain protein, several important minerals, and a small number of B vitamins.

2. Contains powerful antioxidants

3. Easy to add to a diet

Flaked or shaved coconut adds a wonderful flavor to savory dishes. Its meaty texture and flavor work well in curries, fish stews, rice, and even breaded shrimp. Coconut flour is used in baking as a substitute for wheat flour. It is gluten-free and nut-free, making it a popular choice for anyone counting carbohydrates.

Coconut protein is free from gluten, so it’s a suitable option for people with celiac disease, wheat allergy, or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

How to make coconut oil and coconut protein powder from coconut meat?

The basic process includes removing the seed skin from the husked coconut kernels and first concentrating the seed skin to extract the skin oil as a by-product.

The coconut meat is crushed with a tooth plate crusher and a drum crusher, while it is then passed through a double screw oil press to extract coconut juice, filtered to remove the residue, and the net juice is separated twice with a high-speed centrifuge to obtain coconut oil and latex mixture.

The gross oil is filtered and directly vacuum dried to reduce the moisture to 0.1%-0.2%, while the latex is concentrated and spray dried to recover protein and carbohydrates, i.e. the product coconut protein powder. The pulp of the pomace separated by oil press and centrifugation is dried and ground into powder, and the coconut powder product is obtained.

Generally speaking, for every 100 tons of fresh coconut meat, 27.2 tons of natural coconut oil and 15-20 tons of coconut flour, and 5-7 tons of protein powder can be produced.

In addition, fresh coconut pulp can also be combined with new technologies such as the aqueous agent method and three-phase separator and membrane separation to obtain coconut oil, coconut flour, and high-quality concentrated coconut protein powder at the same time.