Making Use of Wasted Coconut Water through Freeze Concentration

In its natural form, coconut water spoils easily and causes pollution in rivers and streams where it is being thrown away. Through freeze concentration, the volume is decreased and the coconut water is stabilized making it viable for uses not only as a health drink but also as a short-term intravenous hydration fluid, as a cure for renal disorders, as a laxative and other uses. In this study, coconut water was partially frozen and the ice crystals were separated to produce concentrated coconut water. The objectives of this study are to determine the feasibility of freeze concentration of coconut water and to improve the design of the freeze concentrator. Results showed that large ice crystals produced through slow freezing adsorbed less solute and gave a higher concentration of the coconut water concentrate. Coconut water at lower concentration generally freezes faster and therefore requires a shorter freezing time than those at higher concentrations. Only a difference of 10 Brix or larger gave an appreciable change in the freezing time. The increase in concentration of coconut water through freezing was about 1 Brix for every 200 g of ice crystals removed in a 1 liter sample of partly-frozen coconut water. The desired increase in concentration is largely dependent on the amount of ice crystals removed. Empirical equations were obtained to show the effect of weight of ice crystals on concentration of the coconut water concentrate and of the ice crystals. Freeze concentration is an effective method of concentrating coconut water and produces a useful material. Based on the results of the study, a design of the freeze concentration process and the corresponding equipment was proposed. An improved design has been made after the previous study on the scale up of the initially designed freeze concentrator.