The Development And Testing Of A Coconut Cheese Production Technology
Coconut m ilk was produced from grated coconut meat by extracting with 0.5M NaCI solution (2:1 w/w) using a blender followed by squeezing. Defatted coconut milk was also prepared by removing the fat from the whole coconut milk using a cream separator. Utilizing the whole or defatted coconut milk, two types of products were developed; curd-type and cheese-like products. Coconut milk, either whole or defatted, was heated at 98°C to produce soft curds. After heat-coagulation, the curds were pressed in cheese cloth overnight to drain the whey. Cheese-like products were developed utilizing coconut milk and coconut protein concentrate (CPC), which was prepared from defatted coconut milk through ultra filtration and spray-drying, based on the American cheese formulas. The sources of proteins were from the mixtures of CPC and coconut milk or the mixtures of CPC and caseinate at ratios of 10:0, 9:1, 8:2 and 7:3. The yield, chemical composition and textural properties of each type of products were determined. The optimum extractability of coconut protein was obtained with 0.5-1M NaCI solution, at pH 7-8 and at 35-55°C. The curd type products had the highest yield (49.7%) and possessed unique textural properties with no adhe siveness. The cheese-like product (7:3), the firmest product, had textural properties very similar to commercial processed cheeses. As the CPC content increased, the texture of the cheese-like products became softer. A limited -scale consumer response study is currently being carried out in Bangkok, Thailand for these two new types of products to determ ine the consumer acceptance and market potential of these new generation products from coconuts.