Copra processing

Processing of copra basically is drying or lowering moisture content of coconuts to the moisture content expected. General characteristic of copra processing, mainly in traditional way are:
1.The quality is not constant
2.The short life span

Traditional Processing and Its Characteristics
Traditional processing is the way that inherited from one generation to next generation without any changes, even in procedures and steps of processing, or utilities used in the processing.
Characteristics of traditionally processed copra are:
1.Steps of traditional processing has not fully based in the real processing that happened in those steps.
2.Utilities used in the processing are usually not suitable, or can not fully lead the process to the formation of material’s properties desired by the consumer or the user.
3.Condition of processing are usually not quantitatively checked.
4.Planning made in the process is not really considering about the economic analysis.

Raw materials
Raw materials used in the copra processing are coconut meat. In the age of 160 days, meat of coconut (endosperm) is begin to form, in the age of 300 days reach the maximum age, and in the age of 12 months the coconut become ripe (the average weight is 3-4 kg).
The composition of the coconut (optimal ripe) is coconut fiber (35%), coconut shell (12%), meat (28%), and coconut water (25%). The level of the coconut water is about 50%. The best composition of copra (the best quality copra composition) is water (6-7%) , oil (63-64%), protein (7-8%), carbohydrate (15%), mineral (2%), and fiber (3-4%). Processing of young coconut meat and the over ripe one will produce copra with low quality of production.

Related archieves:
Virgin coconut oil: processing, quality and benefits