The Hindu Business Line : Cracking the tender nut

A new and simple cold preservation technology just announced by the FAO could revolutionize the commercialization of coconut water by Kerala's small farmers and companies.

Though there are several variations on the etymology of the word `Kerala', one of the more popular ones alludes to the State as the "land of coconuts", from the Malayalam word for the ubiquitous palm that envelops this green strip of south India. Given the abundance of this natural resource, it is only natural to expect it to be the staple of a range of income-generating activities for the Kerala farmer and entrepreneur.

Nonetheless, one delicious part of the coconut has eluded attempts to be commercially exploited - the refreshingly sweet water, which is renowned as a refreshing, highly nourishing drink with a delicate aroma and flavour.

FAILED ATTEMPTS

There have been several attempts in the past to bottle and market tender coconut water by even multinational companies. Around four years ago, Coca-Cola officials mooted the idea of putting up a tender coconut water manufacturing unit in Kerala.

Southern Railway authorised the Kerala-based Miracle Food Processors International Ltd to supply tender coconut water of different flavours to its on-train catering units.

More recently, in August 2006, Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan urged his department to come up with a project to push tender coconut water into the vacuum left by Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which the State Government had banned.

The Central Food Technological Research Institute and the Defence Food Research Laboratory, both based in Mysore, have developed the technology for packing tender coconut water in pouches and aluminium cans. Yet it has not proved easy to push the product on to shop shelves or even restaurant tables. Not surprisingly, it has failed to make a dent in the highly aggressive bottled beverage market. The reason is simple: Once exposed to air and warm temperatures, coconut water rapidly deteriorates. That is why in all tropical countries, it is still consumed fresh.

A SOLUTION

But now a solution that could revolutionise the commercialisation of coconut water by small farmers and companies has come from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. After more than five years of research and testing, it has just announced a simple cold preservation technology appropriate for small and medium-sized agro-industries that allows them to produce bottled coconut water which, under refrigeration, stays fresh for up to three weeks.

There are serious limitations with the present commercial production of canned coconut water. Sterilising it using high temperature and short-time pasteurisation destroys some of the nutrients in coconut water and almost all of the delicate flavour.

The FAO method provides a way out. Its cold preservation process protects, rather than destroys, the natural flavour of coconut water. The process involves filtration, bottling and rigorous temperature control.

It allows farmers to produce bottled coconut water that stays fresh from 10 days to three weeks. That is long enough to satisfy domestic retail markets and to allow export to developed countries, where good quality coconut water is in growing demand, says FAO.

"The cold preservation process requires little investment and skills, and it offers small entrepreneurs a chance to enter the market of bottling coconut water of good quality," said Rosa Rolle of FAO's Rural Infrastructure and Agro-industries Division, in a news release. "The simple cold preservation process will provide the consumer the convenience of purchasing a bottle of refreshing coconut water and opens new opportunities for small farmers and entrepreneurs in coconut producing countries," he added.

The process, which is described in a new FAO training guide, `Good Practices for the Production of Bottled Coconut Water', was developed and evaluated in Jamaica, in close collaboration with the University of the West Indies, the Coconut Industries Board and the Jamaican Scientific Research Council. FAO is also working on the more sophisticated microfiltration technique and a low-tech system that can be used by street vendors.

The cold preservation technology is not protected by a patent and can be used by anybody, says FAO. However, as the guide points out, the coconut water processing chain - as in the case of any other food product - is only as strong as its weakest link. Good practices need to be applied at every step, from harvesting, loading and transporting to cutting, bottling and sale. And the starting point is selection of coconuts suitable for processing. Quality also depends on how carefully the coconuts are harvested. Clearly, the new FAO technology is something that Kerala should explore, particularly for the sake of its small-scale farmers.

The writer can be contacted at kgkumar@gmail.com

More Stories on : Coconut & Copra | Beverages | Technology | Random Walk | Kerala

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