Abstract
Frozen coconut pulp must be heated to obtain an efficient coconut milk extraction. Heating of the pulp before comminution improves the hammer mill efficiency. A temperature ranging from 35° to 50° C yields about 65% milk with 25 to 30% fat, and 37 to 38% total solids. Two methods were used to heat the frozen pulp: immersion in hot water and treating with steam. With both methods loss in pulp weight resulted. When extra water was added during milling to compensate for weight loss, the extraction yield increased to near the expected value of about 65%. The hot water method, i. e., the addition of warm water at about 40° C, gave as good results as the steam treatment with the addition of water at about boiling temperature (98° C). The steam treatment method is recommended since it is cleaner.