Why is the coconut juice we have been drinking since childhood completely different from coconut water?

When you mention coconut, you may think of all kinds of coconut delicacies, such as coconut chicken, coconut rice, coconut jelly, coconut milk sago, etc. But do you know coconut? What are the various coconut products on the market? What are the differences between coconut water, coconut juice, coconut milk, and coconut milk?

01

coconut

/ What types are there? /

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is a tree of the palm family genus Cocos. It is a very important oil crop and mainly grows in tropical areas. China has a history of planting coconut trees for more than 2,000 years. Sima Xiangru, a writer of the Western Han Dynasty, wrote in "Shanglin Fu": "Shatang Quercus, Huafeng and Quercus, Liuluo Xuxie, Renpin Binglu." Xuxie refers to the coconut tree. The most famous written record abroad is that Sinbad once sold coconuts in "One Thousand and One Nights".

Coconuts, coconuts! Summer, summer! | Pixabay

Sometimes when buying coconuts, you may wonder: Why are some peeled, some hairy, and some shiny brown? In fact, all three are coconuts, namely green coconut, hairy coconut, and royal coconut. All three are coconuts, but at different levels of maturity.

Young coconut is also called tender coconut. It is usually cut into "coconut shells" by merchants . It is most suitable for direct drinking. The liquid in the young coconut is coconut water . At this time, the coconut is less mature, so the coconut meat in the young coconut is of poor quality and has a general aroma.

Young coconuts are often cut into "coconut houses" | Pixabay

When the coconut is mature, peel off the outer shell and the hairy coconut is called old coconut. At this time, you can drink coconut water and eat coconut meat , or use it to extract coconut oil .

Hairy Coconut Tree | Pixabay

When the young coconut is fully mature, the skin is removed and polished to become the royal coconut . Depending on the variety of coconut, the royal coconut can be brown or milky white. The coconut water content in the coconut is reduced at this time, but the coconut meat has the best flavor and can be used to make coconut shreds, coconut flakes, coconut powder, coconut oil and other coconut products.

Smooth coconut, the coconut meat is at its best flavor at this time | Tuchong Creative

02

coconut

/ All over the body is a treasure/

There are so many coconut drinks on the market, and they are called by many names. So what is the difference between coconut water, coconut juice, coconut milk, and coconut cream?

Coconut water is a suspension of fluid that exists in the endosperm of a coconut during its development. It is the liquid inside a coconut when it is opened. Mature coconuts contain less coconut water than immature coconuts.

Coconut water that smells like saliva (?) is the liquid inside the coconut when it is opened｜TuChong Creative

Coconut milk and coconut juice are the same thing. They are both made from fresh coconut pulp and squeezed into a beverage. They are milky white and have a strong coconut aroma. Most coconut juice products in China can actually be called coconut milk.

As for coconut milk , it is very similar to coconut milk, except that it has a lower water content, so it is thicker and more like light cream with a strong coconut aroma. Some brands of coconut milk add extra colloids such as xanthan gum and guar gum to increase viscosity and stability.

A wrong picture! The water in the coconut is transparent, this is because milk is added | Tuchong Creative

In addition to making delicious liquids such as coconut milk and coconut milk, coconut meat can also be used to make coconut flakes , coconut shreds , and coconut milk powder .

Coconut shreds are very simple, they are made from dried coconut flesh. Coconut milk powder is a powdered product made from coconut flesh through grinding, juice pressing, homogenization, drying, sieving and other steps. Coconut powder plus coconut shreds powder make the coconut we often eat.

However, the coconut fruit that is often drunk in milk tea has little direct relationship with coconut meat . It is a polysaccharide produced by the fermentation of wood acetic acid bacteria in coconut water. It is a microbial fermentation product, also called coconut gel, but it tastes very similar to coconut meat.

Coconut fruit has nothing to do with coconut | Tuchong Creative

Talking about so many coconut products made from coconut milk and coconut meat, coconut shells are not wasted. Previously, the owner of an ice cream shop in Los Angeles added coconut shell carbon black to ice cream to make a pure black ice cream.

Coconut Shell Carbon Black Ice Cream

03

Coconut Oil

/ Is it really as magical as the legend says? /

In addition to the coconut products mentioned above, coconut oil has also been very popular in recent years. It has been sought after by major Internet celebrities and supermodels and has become the darling of the fashion industry overnight.

Edible coconut oil is mainly divided into cold pressed coconut oil (VCO) and refined coconut oil (RBD). The main difference between the two lies in the raw materials and processes. Cold pressed coconut oil is extracted from fresh coconut pulp, while the raw materials of refined coconut oil are extracted from dried coconut meat. Cold pressed coconut oil is extracted at low temperature, retaining the light coconut fragrance in the coconut meat, while refined coconut oil is extracted at high temperature, and has additional processes such as purification, bleaching and deodorization. In addition to the above two types of coconut oil, there is also an inedible coconut crude oil (CNO), which is the raw material for making refined coconut oil.

Coconut Oil | Pixabay

In recent years, cold-pressed coconut oil has been popular. In addition to hair and skin care, some businesses claim that coconut oil contains a lot of lauric acid and medium-chain triglycerides, which can fight cancer, lower blood lipids, treat Alzheimer's disease, lose weight and detoxify, relieve diabetes and even help pregnancy. But I have to pour a basin of cold water on it - cold-pressed coconut oil is not so magical.

First of all, coconut oil is not suitable for skin care , mainly because cold-pressed coconut oil contains free lauric acid, which can irritate the skin. Coconut oil has a good hair care effect . For all types of hair, coconut oil can prevent combing damage. But in fact, it is similar to the principle of other hair care products , that is, it can form a lubricating film on the surface of the hair to reduce friction between the hair. Therefore, if you want to care for your hair, you don’t have to use coconut oil.

It was once popular to add coconut oil to skin care and hair care products, but you don’t have to have too high expectations for its effectiveness | Tuchong Creative

Some businesses also mention in their promotions that coconut oil is a fat composed of medium-chain triglycerides. But in fact, coconut oil contains 50% lauric acid, which is a 12-carbon fatty acid and does not belong to medium-chain triglycerides. Moreover, coconut oil only contains about 11% medium-chain triglycerides, which is not very high. Therefore, if you want to use coconut oil for hair care or a balanced diet, it is a good choice. Moderate consumption is not harmful to the human body, but if you want to get magical effects from it, then it is not necessary.

Author: Tangji Ice Shop

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Title image from Pixabay