How is coconut milk made?

What is coconut milk?

The FAO’s proposed draft Codex standard for aqueous coconut products defines coconut milk as the dilute emulsion of comminuted coconut endosperm (kernel) in water, with the soluble and suspended solids homogeneously distributed. Comminuted means broken down into small pieces.

How is coconut milk made?

Based on that draft, the kernel is broken down and mixed with water, with or without coconut water or additional water, so that the result is an emulsion. The document says most filterable fibers and residues are excluded. It does not describe how the extraction or filtering is done, so we do not describe grating or pressing steps.

Is coconut milk heat treated?

Yes. The draft says coconut milks and coconut creams shall be treated with heat pasteurization, sterilization or ultrahigh temperature (UHT) process.

What is the difference between coconut milk and coconut cream?

The draft defines coconut cream as the emulsion extracted from matured kernel of the coconut fruit, with or without added coconut water or water. The standard covers coconut milk and coconut cream only, and not sweetened or flavored coconut beverages.

A note on this source

This is a proposed draft advanced to Step 5 of the Codex procedure, not the final adopted text. For nutrition, health claims or home recipes we found no official source in this check, so we make no claims.