Top Components of Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is the word used to describe the liquid obtained from the mechanical or manually press of the coconut meat usually with or without added water. In Malay word, the coconut milk is known as ‘Pati Santan’ which usually sold as a fresh liquid form in the local market. The composition of coconut milk depends on the amount of water used for the extraction, affecting significant moisture and fat content.

Components of Coconut Milk

Coconut milk contains fat, water, carbohydrate, protein, and ash with the major components being water and fat. Coconut milk contains about 54% moisture, 35% fat and 11% solid non-fat and they also showed that fat content played an important role in the flow property of coconut milk. Regular coconut milk is higher in fat and calories than cow’s milk. It is rich in proteins such as albumin, globulin, prolamin, and glutein. Emulsifying agents help in increasing the stability of food emulsions; examples of such are phospholipids, cephalin, and lecithin which have been found in coconut milk. However, it is recognized that the product which is highly susceptible to chemical and biochemical spoilage such as lipid oxidation.

Benefits of Coconut Milk

Coconut milk contains significant amounts of fat, but unlike other nuts, it provides fat that is mostly in the form of medium-chain saturated fatty acids (MCFAs) that is abundant in mother’s milk, in particular, lauric acid. This, converted in the body into a highly beneficial compound called monolaurin, an antiviral and antibacterial that destroys a wide variety of disease-causing organisms. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, lauric acid has many germ-fighting, antifungal and antiviral properties that are very effective at ridding the body of viruses, bacteria, and countless illnesses. Lauric acid may also reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which lowers heart disease and stroke risks. Hence, thought that consumption of coconut milk may help protect the body from infections and viruses. Furthermore, the fats that are present in coconuts are less likely to clog arteries, because the body does not store coconut fats which makes coconut milk a healthy alternative to cow’s milk when it comes to preserving heart’s health. For instance, stated that coconut yogurt accords advantages in terms of nutrition and health since it contains no cholesterol or lactose and only small quantities of saturated fatty acids; in addition to its advantage of low cost.