Introduction

• Coconut is an important source of vegetable oil used for both edible and industrial applications.
• It is estimated that nearly 5% of coconuts in India are consumed as tender nuts, 56% for edible, social and religious purposes while the remaining quantity is converted to copra to obtain coconut oil. Copra, coconut oil, desiccated coconut, coconut cream, coconut milk powder, shell powder, activated carbon etc. are the main product derived from coconut.
• Under normal management conditions a tall variety will start yielding from 7th year and dwarf variety from 5th year.
• Under good management conditions the average yields of the different varieties will vary from 100 - 150 nuts under irrigated conditions.
• Hybrids will yield upto 200 nuts in a year. In India nearly 7000 nuts are required to get one ton of copra.
• Stages of maturity at harvest For tender nut purpose-6-7 months For household purpose-11 months For copra making-12 months For making white fibre-11 months For making brown fibre-12 months Under planting
• Yield of the tall and hybrids tends to decrease after 60 years. Planting of coconut seedlings in between the existing palms after 60 years.
• Old palms have to be removed as soon as the new palm starts yielding probably after 6 years.
• Proper irrigation and manuring should be given for the underplanted palms.

• Generally tree climbers harvest coconut in Tamil Nadu.
• A palm climbing device developed by an amateur is the best mechanical device available now for harvesting.
• This is being marketed by CDB and Raidco. But this machine is very slow and is to be modified further to improve its efficiency.

• Manual dehusking with knife is a common practice.
• Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) has developed a manually operated coconut dehusker which can husk 110 nuts per hour.
• A power operated dehusker which can dehusk about 600 nuts per hour is also available.
• The dehusker developed by Agricultural Engineering College, Thavanur (KAU) is a very handy one and is being used widely.

• Fresh coconut must be dried out within 4 hours of splitting since coconut meat deteriorates very rapidly due to growth of mould and bacteria. The methods generally used for drying of copra are direct sun drying, solar dryers, smoke drying or kiln drying and indirect hot air drying.
• The drying time can be reduced to 3-4 days if proper solar dryers are used. The batch type solar cabinet dryer of CPCRI takes only 3 days for drying. The capacity of this solar dryer is 100 nuts and the cost of the dryer is Rs.3000/ only.
• Copra dryers of various capacities have been developed at CPCRI. A solar copra dryer with a drying time of three days, a small holders dryer having 400 nuts per batch capacity with a drying period of 36 hours, Medium holders dryer with a capacity of 3500 to 4000 nuts capacity, an electrically operated dryer with forced hot air circulation to dry 1000 nuts per batch in 28 hours and a smoke free copra dryer of 1000-1500 coconuts per batch with a drying period of 24 hours have been developed.

• For safe storage of copra, the optimum level of moisture content recommended is 6%.

• Preservation of fresh kernel becomes essential when drying is delayed due to uncertainty of weather conditions.
• Application of a thin coat of glacial acetic acid prevents microbial growth during open sundrying.
• A chemical treatment of dipping fresh kernels in 1000 ppm (1 g/lit)propionic acid for 60 min. preserves the copra upto 49 day without drying.

• Two types of copra are manufactured in the country, milling copra and edible copra. Edible copra is made in the form of 'ball' and cups while milling copra comprises cups and chips. Of the total production of coconut six per cent is converted into edible copra while 34 per cent is made into milling copra for oil extraction.

• Edible copra is manufactured in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Tiptur in Karnataka and Badagara in Kerala are the most important markets for edible 'ball' copra. Alappuzha is an important market for edible cup copra.

• About 75 per cent of milling copra produced in the country originates from Kerala. The production of milling copra is a traditional rural industry in Kerala, which is in the hands of innumerable small processors in the unorganised sector.
• Milling copra is also produced in Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

• Studies conducted at CPCRI have shown that copra can be safely stored if kept in saturated atmosphere of either neem leaf gas, bio gas or SO₂ Sulphur dioxide.
• If the commodity is bagged, it should never be stored directly against the wall, and should be provided with proper dunnage. Copra can be safely stored in plastic lined gunny bags even during rainy season.

• Copra is crushed in rotaries or expellers to extract oil. About 75 per cent of these units are located in Kerala state.
• Coconut oil contributes to over six per cent of the total vegetable oil out put in the country. Of the total coconut oil production 20 per cent is used for edible purpose, 60 per cent for toiletry purpose and 20 per cent for industrial purpose.
• Coconut oil is a traditional cooking medium in Kerala and in the districts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka adjoining Kerala. As a hair oil and a massage oil it is used throughout the country and it is a base oil in many medicated hair tonics and massage oils.
• Because of its unique characteristics and composition, coconut oil is used as a confectionery fat and in the manufacture of paints, soaps, shampoos, detergents and other cosmetics.
• Unrefined coconut oil is susceptible to rancidity due to the presence of certain proportion of free fatty acids.
• This is accelerated by the presence of moisture, air, light and fat splitting enzymes leading to the formation of peroxidation products.
• The shelf life of coconut of can be improved by the addition of either antioxidents or preservatives.
• Thus addition of either common salt (1%), tamarind (2%) or citric acid (500 ppm) to coconut oil enhances the shelf life to more than one year.

• This can be classified as food and non-food products depending upon their end use.
• The products which are utilised as food in the natural form or after processing into various products include the wet meat or kernel, coconut water, coconut milk and milk products, desiccated coconut and coconut flour.
• Among non food products, also known as by products coir, coconut pith and shell assume commercial importance.
• Technology for cultivation of oyster mushroom utilizing palm wastes has been developed at CPCRI.

• In West Bengal 90 per cent of the production is used as tender coconuts. Maddur in Karnataka and College Street in Calcutta are important markets for tender coconuts.

• The products that can be prepared from matured coconut water are nata-de-coco, a gelatinous delicacy formed by the action of micro organisms and coconut vinegar. Bottling of coconut water for use as a soft drink is also gaining popularity.
• Preservation of tender coconut water in pouches / cans offers enormous scope as a natural beverage without any artificial colour and flavour. Fresh coconut toddy without fermentation can be promoted as a sweet natural drink.
• Coconut milk and milk products are prepared from fresh mature coconuts. In this process the white coconut meat is ground into a slurry from which coconut milk is separated by pressing. This is centrifuged and further processed to obtain coconut cream, milk powder etc.

• Desiccated coconut is the white Kernel of the coconut, comminuted and desiccated to moisture content of less than 3 percent.
• This is a very important commercial product used in confectionery and other food industries, as well as an ingredient in the filling of chocolate and candies.
• In India, only small production units are available and the annual production is only around 10,000 tonnes.
• On an average, 7000-8000 nuts give one tonne of desiccated coconut
• The oil content ranges from 68 to 72 per cent, but should not contain more than 0.1 per cent free fatty acids.

• Major coconut by products like husk and shell can be converted to value added products like activated carbon, shell charcoal, shell flour and shell based handicrafts.
• Lack of efficient technologies and unorganized setup are the main reasons for the slow development in this area.

• Coir pith, a waste product in the coir industry is now being converted into soil conditioner and organic manure.
• A small quantity of coir pith is also treated and briquetted for exports for use in horticulture farms and nurseries as soil conditioner and rooting medium.
• Apart from the usual coir and coir products, coir pith finds varied uses as manure, as a mulch material and for making briquettes, with a good export potential.
• Coir pith has also been put into trial for the production of biogas, light weight building bricks and also as a soil conditioner for moisture retention.
• It was found that coconut pith in combination with cowdung gives higher methane content biogas, while alone it does not produce any gas.
• The best combination was found to be 80% cowdung and 20% coconut pith.
• The ratio of solid to liquid was 1:1.

• Coconut shell powder is preferred because of its uniformity in size and chemical composition. Shell charcoal is also another product having extensive demand in the manufacture of activated carbon.
• Coconut shell carbon having a cellulose base produces activated carbon of finer pore structure than other coals and is in good demand in international market.

• IFreshly cut coconut trunks from senile coconut trees can be used as timber if treated with preservatives, to increase its shelf life.
• CCA, 70-30 mixture of creosote and bunker oil are good preservatives for coconut.
• The trunks can be either dipped in these chemicals or these chemicals can be brushed on the trunks.
• Treated coconut timber can be used as electric poles, telecom poles and for interior uses such as furniture, window and door frames.

• Toddy tapping is another important rural industry in states like Kerala and Goa.
• The industry survives on fermented toddy, a popular intoxicating drink, Jaggery, vinegar and fenni are also made from coconut toddy in some parts of the country.

• Plaited coconut leaves are used as a thatching material in rural areas. The leaflets of the spindle leaf is used for decoration and to make head dress in many folk arts.
• The midribs of the leaflets are used to make brooms and handicrafts.