Processing coconuts for market use involves several processes to increase their shelf life and make them feasible for trading. The value added products of coconut such as coconut milk, coconut oil, copra, and coconut charcoal are manufactured using a number of advanced techniques that employ innovative machinery to make the process efficient. Several processes include coconut dehusking, deshelling, defibring and baling. Let’s have a look at the various processes and the machines used for this purpose.

  1. Coconut Dehusking:

It is the process of separating the coconut husk which is accomplished by the coconut dehusking machine.

  1. Coconut Deshelling:

It is the process of cracking the outer coconut shell of the fruit after dehusking the coconut. This is done using the coconut deshelling machine.

  1. Coconut paring:

This is the process of removing or scrapping off the brown skin from the coconut after cutting the kernel into pieces. This process is done using the coconut paring machine.

  1. Coconut Grinding:

The coconut pieces are ground to a smooth paste called the desiccated coconut. This process is done using a coconut grinding machine.

  1. Coconut Milk Extraction:

The shredded or ground desiccated coconut is squeezed completely until all the milk is extracted. A coconut milk extracting machine is employed in this process of extracting coconut milk.

  1. Copra grinding:

This is the process of grinding the dried copra to form thin copra flakes. A copra grinding machine is used for this process.

  1. Copra oil extraction:

The dried copra flakes are squeezed in a copra oil extracting machine to obtain the copra oil.

  1. Virgin Coconut Oil Extracting:

Virgin coconut oil is obtained by employing two methods, by centrifuge and fermentation. A high speed centrifuge is used to segregate the virgin coconut oil from coconut milk. In the second method of fermentation, the coconut milk is kept for 24 hours to ferment naturally. This process causes the virgin coconut oil to float on the top. This layer of virgin coconut oil is then scooped out and filtered.

  1. Coconut Defibring:

The coconut husk is treated further to separate the coconut fiber and cocopeat. A coconut defibring machine is used for this purpose.

  1. Coconut fiber screening:

The separated coconut fiber is screened to check for impurities. A coconut fiber screener is usd in this process.

  1. Coconut Fiber Baling:

The screened loose coconut fiber is compressed to form coconut fiber bales of a fixed size and weight. This process is done using a coconut fiber baling press.

  1. Cocopeat Block Making:

The loose cocopeat is compressed into cocopeat block. This is done using a cocopeat block machine.

  1. Coconut Shell Charcoal:

The coconut shell is treated to be burnt under a controlled air volume to form coconut charcoal.

  1. Coconut Shell Briquetting:

The coconut shell is crushed into a fine coconut shell powder and then briquetted.

These are the various processes involved and the different machines used.