Coconut Cream, A Culinary Wonder
by iTi Tropicals, Inc.
Everyone in the beverage industry is familiar with coconut water. It is one of the hottest natural products to hit the market in years. But what about coconut cream? If you have ever sipped an authentic pina colada or enjoyed a creamy curry, then you’ve enjoyed it’s creamy, tropical flavor. Not limited to use in foods and alcoholic drinks, coconut cream has huge potential for use in non-alcoholic beverages.
What is Coconut Cream?
Coconut cream is a smooth, thick liquid made from fresh coconuts. To make coconut cream, grated coconut meat is pressed to release the white liquid cream. The rich, dense cream that results has the light sweet taste of coconut and contains medium chain fatty acids such as lauric acid, caprylic acid and capric acid. However, the principal fatty acid in coconut cream is lauric acid, which is the same fat found in abundance in mother's milk and known to promote normal brain development and contribute to healthy bones. To make coconut milk simply add water to the cream.
Use of Coconut Cream in Beverages
Coconut cream possesses great potential to serve as a dairy replacement and is currently underutilized as such. Non-dairy alternatives are of great interest to many including vegans, as well as individuals who are lactose-intolerant. Coconut cream has a smooth, creamy texture and a flavor that’s not overly sweet. It's texture is very similar to heavy whipping cream and is a great non-dairy substitute as it enhances and rounds out the flavor of ingredients.
One may use coconut cream instead of milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, buttermilk, yogurt, etc. Coconut cream also lacks the subtle aftertaste that can be a problem with some soy drinks. Because it has such a creamy taste, coconut cream can be added to coffee or hot drinks. It can also be used as a replacement for milk or alternative milks in recipes. Coconut Cream and Coconut Milk are of course well known for their use in pina coladas and tropical drinks. If you ever use this coconut cream for pina coladas you will never go back to those overly sweet, artificial tasting mixes.
Health Benefits
This rich tasting cream is made from fresh coconut extract and possesses approximately 24% fat. It is a myth that "saturated fat is bad for you." The short and medium chain fatty acids are particularly beneficial to health, and coconut oil consists mainly of medium chain fatty acids. The medium-chain fatty acids are absorbed directly through the portal vein to the liver, where they are immediately available to the body. In other words, most of the saturated fat in coconut oil is easily digestible and converted into quick energy. And these types of fatty acids are less likely to cause obesity because they are immediately used by the body and have no opportunity to be stored.
Coconut Cream from iTi Tropicals
Coconut cream is aseptically packed in 44 lb boxes or 441 lb drums. For more R&D ideas and Technical inputs for using coconut cream contact our R&D team at iTi Tropicals.
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