Preservation and Authentication of Coconut Products

Coconut is an important economic crop widely cultivated in island and coastal ecosystems in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Emerging trends in biochemical characterization have highlighted the nutraceutical and nutritional importance of coconut and its products. However, the short shelf life of these products seriously restricts their market potential. Coconut beverages such as coconut water, inflorescence sap and coconut milk have numerous health promoting nutrients, although the highly perishable nature of coconut beverages and products causes significant post-harvest losses. Conventional thermal technologies implemented by the coconut processing industry affect the heat sensitive nutrients and create a negative impact on the color and flavor profiles of the products. Producers have been looking for an efficient alternative to thermal technologies, although most of the emerging non-thermal technologies such as cold plasma, ozone, pulsed light, UV-light, pulsed electric field and high-pressure processing are in lab scale. It is important to understand the practical application of these technologies at industry scale. Also, it is important to analyze the influence and application of these emerging technologies on the quality profile, safety and shelf-life extension of the products. The adulteration rate in coconut products has been increasing along with their prices, making it vital to understand the application of non-destructive tools for authentication. Preservation and Authentication of Coconut Products: Recent Trends and Prospects offers comprehensive coverage on the application of emerging technologies in coconut and coconut-based products. Present industrial technologies for coconut products and their impact on quality are covered in full, including technologies for each specific product and their challenges and prospects. Non-destructive tools and applications for the quantification of bioactive components and authentication are also explored. This book serves as a one-stop reference for researchers, food technologists, food industry specialists and nutritionists looking to understand the implications of emerging food processing technologies on the quality of coconut products.