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Coconut Ingredients: Quick Reference Guide

According to Mintel, sales of coconut water beverages quintupled between 2008 and 2012 and it doesn’t stop there. The coconut craze extends across product categories from bars to desserts to dairy alternatives. In effort to meet growing consumer demand, some governments have rolled out chemical fertilizer subsidies for coconut plantations. But these chemical inputs can seep into groundwater, pollute the ecosystem and harm its inhabitants. On the other hand, organic plantations use natural methods like composting or mulching to increase soil nutrients and boost yields without added synthetic inputs.

Luckily, organic coconut is available in many forms to fit nearly every product application. Here’s a little “coconut 101” describing each of the organic coconut ingredients we supply; one might be the next best thing for your product formulation.

Organic CoconutCoconut water is collected from the center of fresh coconuts. Its naturally high electrolyte content makes coconut water ideal for beverages marketed towards athletes or health conscious consumers. Global Organics organic coconut water is not from concentrate.

Grated Coconut is prepared by grating fresh, raw coconut meat. It can be used to add texture and fresh coconut flavor to smoothies, ice cream, yogurt, dips, sauces, soups etc. Coconut Puree is freshly grated coconut with added coconut milk and can be used as a base for desserts, ice cream etc.

Coconut milk is extracted from shredded fresh coconut meat and has 12%-25% coconut solids and a minimum of 10% fat. Coconut cream is also extracted from shredded fresh coconut meat but is richer with a higher fat content (minimum of 20%) and thicker with 25%-37% coconut solids.

Desiccated coconut is shredded unsweetened coconut meat that has been dehydrated and sifted to a range of different sizes. Toasted coconut is simply desiccated coconut that has been toasted. These are ideal for bars, baking and confectionary applications. Our organic desiccated and toasted coconut comes in various sizes ranging from fine to long chip.

Coconut cream concentrate is a creamy white paste made from very finely ground, desiccated coconut. It has a fat content of 65% and moisture content of 3% or less. Also known as creamed coconut, this is not to be confused with coconut cream, which has a moisture content of 74% as it comes from fresh coconut rather than dried. Other names include coconut paste and coconut butter, because it resembles nut butters, which get their creaminess from the fat content. Our organic coconut cream concentrate is available in single grind (120 microns) or double grind (30-50 microns) depending on your needs. It’s an ideal inclusion for soups/sauces, frozen desserts, and dairy/dairy alternatives and can also be reconstituted with water to form coconut milk or coconut cream.

If you are looking for another type of coconut ingredient, we are constantly adding new products, so please contact us.

All Global Organic coconut items are organic certified, non-GMO, kosher pareve, contain no stabilizers, preservatives or other additives, and are third-party audited to Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards.