- The process of creating desiccated coconut involves selecting fresh coconuts, extracting and shredding the meat, drying, processing, and packing.
- Desiccated coconut products have an extended shelf life and can be used for a wide variety of dishes, from baked goods to soups and stews.
- Axelum is a world-class producer of high-quality desiccated coconuts, supplying products to the UK and Europe.
The coconut is a surprisingly versatile fruit. It can be eaten fresh, or processed in many different ways for use in countless sweet and savory recipes.
One popular coconut-based product in South and Southeast Asian cuisine is desiccated coconuts. While not as widely known as coconut cream, they are a delicious, long-lasting pantry staple that more people should be using.
This article will explain what desiccated coconuts are, how to make desiccated coconuts, and how you can cook with them at home.
What Are Desiccated Coconuts?
Desiccated coconut is the dried out “white meat” of the coconut fruit. This is done to significantly extend the shelf life of the coconut meat, while also preserving the coconut’s distinct nutty flavor and many of its health benefits.
Naturally, organic coconuts make for better desiccated coconuts. That’s because organic coconuts do not contain harmful chemicals that are often retained in the fruit. Organic produce is more nutritious and better-tasting according to most chefs.
Related Reading: The Role of Organic Coconut in Plant-Based Diets
While it’s possible to make desiccated coconuts at home, it’s a meticulous, time-consuming process. This sample recipe shows the basic steps involved in doing so.
On an industrial scale, food manufacturing companies follow a stricter process that ensures food safety and quality control. Each one may do it a little differently, but below is how Axelum does it:
The 18-Step Process to Making Desiccated Coconuts on an International Scale
Step 1: Receiving and Storage
It all starts with receiving whole, dehusked coconuts. During this stage, the coconuts will undergo full inspection to ensure only ideal coconuts are selected. Those of good quality are stored in the nut bodega, while those that do meet the required quality and specifications are returned to suppliers.
Step 2: Deshelling
From the nut bodega, the coconuts are hauled by payloaders into a nut counting elevator. This transports them into the deshelling machines, which removes the coconut shells and leaves only the testa, which is the de-shelled coconut meat.
Steps 3 and 4: Paring, then Washing and Inspection
The next step is paring, which is the process of removing the thin layer of brown outer “skin” around the white meat. After removal, the brown part will be sent to the Oil Mill for refining. Meanwhile, the white meat will be washed and inspected for any vegetative or foreign matter present.
Step 5: Temporary Storage
The washed and inspected white meat is then transported through screw conveyors to the Dessicated Coconut Plant, which will store them at a temporary tank. This serves as buffer that ensures a continuous supply of white meat for the production lines.
Step 6: Sulfiting
After being moved out of the temporary tank, the white meat is placed into the sulfiting tank. This tank is filled with sodium metabisulfite solution, with a concentration determined by the customer’s preferred SO2 level.
The sulfiting process is the first Critical Control Point or C.C.P. for desiccated coconuts with sulfite variants. This process helps remove chemical hazards associated with sulfite, which is an allergen.
For Sulfite-free products, this is only a conveyance with water.
Step 7: Grinding
After sulfiting, (or water conveyance) the white meat is grinded to the desired granulation or cut. Granulation turns the coconut meat into fine grains that can be almost powder-like in texture, while special cuts are for making bigger, more specifically-shaped pieces.
Step 8: Pasteurization
The ground coconut meat is then fed to the pasteurizer for the second Critical Control Point, Pasteurizing. This process controls microbiological hazards by using culinary steam to kill pathogenic organisms like salmonella, which may be present.
During this whole process, the temperature is monitored in real time, and verified periodically by the Shift Quality Control Technician. There is also a failsafe system in place that triggers an alarm if the temperature drops below the Alert Limit. This also shuts down the pasteurizer, so that necessary adjustments may be done if needed.
Step 9: Drying
After pasteurization, the ground white meat is fed to a dryer, which removes the moisture from inside them. The moisture reduction can start at 55%, and go all the way down to the widely-sought moisture level of around 2.5-3%.
This is then passed to the rare earth magnet station, which detects tiny particles like micrometals and filters them from the white meat, ensuring higher quality control in the product.
Step 10: Product Inspection (Color Sorter)
The optical sorter machine is another step in foreign contamination control. This machine automatically separates the non-white materials from the stream of desiccated coconuts, ensuring a consistent aesthetic in the final product.
Step 11: Sifting
The sifting process is done to separate the different particle sizes of the dried ground coconuts. They are separated into four main classes: oversized, medium, fine, and extra fine. Each one goes into a separate chute with their own specific grate magnet.
Steps 12, 13 and 14: Final Production Inspection, Metal Entrapment and Detection, and Packing
After sifting, the desiccated coconuts undergo the second visual sorting process, which removes any undesired pieces from them. Then, they pass through a second magnet station, before going through a metal detector, which is the third C.C.P. under physical hazards. This metal detector can detect up to 0.8mm of ferrous, 1mm of non-ferrous, and 1.2mm of stainless steel spherical test materials.
Just before packing, the products will pass through a third and final magnet station. Finally, the desiccated coconuts are packed in a blue LLDPE Liner for their primary packaging. This is followed by their secondary packaging, which is a Kraft paper bag.
The pack sizes for the products are: 25 lbs, 50 lbs, 25 kgs, and 100 lbs. The packing crew will also gather samples from every batch for Quality Control analysis in a laboratory.
Steps 15 and 16: Storage and Product X-Ray Scanning (Bulk)
After packing, the products are automatically put on quarantine status and stored at the Finished Goods Warehouse. For about seven days, they’ll await clearance from the Quality Assurance team.
After receiving their QA clearance, they’ll be subject to an X-Ray screening just before loading into container vans to ensure they haven’t been tampered with during storage.
Steps 17 and 18: Loading, and Shipment and Distribution
Our container vans are pre-inspected and cleared by a QA representative before being loaded with our products. There is also a seven-point inspection conducted on the container van before and after loading the product. Once fully loaded, the containers are sealed using ISO 17712 certified seals.
The sealed container vans are then shipped out to their destinations. Some of these countries include the USA, Australia, Canada and Australia, plus some regions in Europe.
3 Ways To Cook With Dessicated Coconuts at Home
Now that you’ve learned the painstaking process behind producing desiccated coconuts commercially, here are some ways you can use them to make delicious dishes at home.
To Enhance Baked Goods
Desiccated coconuts work great in many baked goods. They are commonly used in macaroons, but they also work well in cookies, granola, oat bars, chocolate-based recipes, cakes, and even pies.
Thanks to their fine texture, you can add desiccated coconuts to almost any sweet baked goods. As a general guide, their nutty flavor complements recipes that use cinnamon and cardamom.
As a Breading or Topping
Desiccated coconuts are great for coating sweets. Try them in chocolates, candies, caramel and anything with a chocolate base.
You can even use them as a breading for chicken, shrimp and fish. Just coat your desired protein with a binder, then cover them with desiccated coconuts. Then, proceed to bake or fry, and they’ll come out with a crisp, toasted coconut-flavored breading around them.
But if you want a quick and easy way to enjoy desiccated coconuts, just use them as a topping for cereal, ice cream, or yogurt.
To Enhance Curries, Soups, and Stews
Desiccated coconuts can be used to thicken soups and stews. Doing this also imparts a nice, nutty creaminess to them. Many Thai and Indian recipes will even toast the coconuts beforehand to add a rich, smoky flavor to their curries and stews.
And if you’re adventurous, you can try little-known Filipino recipes like Tiyula Itum that call for burning coconut meat until blackened, before adding them into the broth.
Find High-Quality Dessicated Coconut in Your Area
Making desiccated coconuts at home is a painstaking process that very few people will attempt. Thankfully, this versatile product is becoming easier to find outside of Asia.
In fact, desiccated coconuts is a rapidly growing industry, with an estimated worldwide market of USD 5.48 billion in 2022. In many parts of America and Australia, desiccated coconuts are becoming almost as accessible as their more popular sibling, coconut cream.
However, this is not the case in the UK and many parts of Europe. So if you’re looking for a high quality supplier of desiccated coconuts in your area, look no further than Axelum.
Axelum is an industry leading producer of world-class coconut products that is based in the Philippines. The company started in 1968, and has been a key supplier to numerous multinational corporations around the world for the last three decades.
Our desiccated coconut is 100% natural. We use only carefully selected white coconut meat. The result is a high quality product that’s ideal for sweets, baked goods, and even savory recipes.
As global demand for desiccated coconuts continues to rise, Axelum is positioned to take advantage of this growing opportunity with you. Contact us today if you would like to know more about Axelum and our many high-quality coconut products.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Where are the Available Varieties of Axelum’s Desiccated Coconuts?
Axelum’s line of desiccated coconuts come in two general varieties: granulated and special cut. Our granulated varieties come in three cuts, namely: medium (for cereals and oats), fine (for macaroons), and extra-fine (for smoothies and stews).
Meanwhile, our special cut comes in three varieties: flakes, fancy shred, and chips.
Where Does Axelum Source Its Coconuts? Do They Follow Sustainability Practices?
Axelum sources its coconuts from densely populated coconut plantations in Mindanao, Southern Philippines. All of them are situated within a 200 kilometer radius of our manufacturing facility to guarantee freshness and timely processing. We also follow zero waste manufacturing, which makes full use of every coconut harvested.
Additionally, Axelum has a comprehensive sustainability framework that aims to address various societal issues such as poverty and demarginalization. We are also proud to have contributed to numerous education, livelihood, health, and climate initiatives that positively affect the people and communities we work with.
What Makes Axelum’s Manufacturing Process Unique? What Standards Do They Follow?
Axelum operates a world-class, fully-integrated facility in Medina, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. Our state-of-the-art equipment is backed by multiple quality certifications (including ISO, IEC, USDA Organic, Kosher, etc.) to guarantee food safety and topnotch quality.
Additionally, Axelum is subjected to at least 25 to 30 quality audits every year. These are conducted not just by our customers, but also independent auditors. This unwavering commitment to quality is why Axelum has been an accredited supplier to blue-chip domestic and international food companies for several years now.
What Other Coconut Products Does Axelum Make?
Axelum produces a wide variety of high-quality coconut products, including Coconut Cream, Coconut Water, Coconut Cooking Oil, Sweetened Coconut, Toasted Coconut, Coconut Milk Powder, and more.
What Markets Do Axelum Supply To? How Long Have They Been Supplying Products Internationally?
Axelum operates a global distribution network in over 25 high-growth markets across North America, Australia, Europe, South America, Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, including the Philippines.
We also supply 24 out of the 72 major supermarket chains in North America. These include international food and beverage manufacturers, food service companies, and specialized retail stores. Most of these strategic partnerships began in the 90’s, and we have maintained many of them over the last 30 years.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and has not been evaluated by any health authority. This should not be considered as medical advice to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions or changes to your diet or lifestyle, especially if you have health issues or take medication. Axelum is not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences relating from the use of any information provided.
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