The Products
At about two months old, the fruit’s liquid can be sold as fresh juice. In the vernacular, it is known as “buko juice.” The young endosperm or coconut meat, on the other hand, is the prime ingredient for “buko salad.” The meat is softer and more like gelatin. It is grated to thin strips and mixed with condensed milk and different fruits like grapes, strawberry, and mango. It is usually chilled before it is served.

Coconut meat is a great addition to recipes and baking. Buko pie, macaroons, coconut cream pie, and cookies are just some of the products the can be produced from a young coconut meat.

The liquid sold as buko juice can also produce coconut wine or “lambanog” and coconut vinegar.

When the fruit is still attached to a tree, a picker drills a tiny hole on the fruit. Then he puts a container to catch the juice.

To produce coconut wine, the juice is heated for a couple of hours. To produce coconut vinegar, the juice must be stored in a container for about one week. The juice naturally turns sour after some time. Coconut vinegar can be used as an ingredient for cooking, dip for numerous Filipino dishes, and bleaching agent for clothes.

When the fruit has reached its full maturity (niyog in Tagalog), the exocarp becomes brown. By that time, the juice has been harvested for various purposes. The white endosperm when grated can be used as an ingredient for various concoctions of coconut milk or “ginataan,” a famous Filipino dish.

Another product of a mature endosperm is the coconut oil. It is produced when the endosperm is shredded and squeezed till some liquid is excreted. It is heated for hours until the once milk-like liquid turns transparent.

Coconut oil can be used for cooking and various therapeutic purposes. Cocozen, a brand of coconut oil for massaging, is endorsed by no less than health and wellness guru Cory Quirino. She attests to its therapeutic effects.

Virgin Coconut Oil, on the other hand, is claimed to provide various wonderful benefits to the human body. A good dosage of 3 to 4 tablespoons a day is said to provide enough uric acid to promote weight loss, and offer other health benefits like supporting the immune system and easing digestion. Other studies have shown that by substituting coconut oil for other plant-based oils, some people have lost up to 36 pounds per year without dieting. 

The mesoscarp or coconut husk of mature coconut fruits can be used as a medium for growing earth and arid plants like ferns and orchids, respectively.

Scientist and entrepreneur Justino Arboleda have discovered how to maximize the uses of the coconut husk. In 2005, his “Coconets” entry for the BBC world challenge won the contest.

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