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Coconut can be stored for a long time, but only if the fruit is not opened. There are several secrets that can help keep your coconut fresh. It is easiest to store a whole fruit, but if you cut it, its shelf life will automatically be reduced several times.
Coconut is a valuable food product. It is rich in folic acid and vitamin C. 100 grams of pulp contains 354 calories. But to fully enjoy the taste, you must first choose the right fruit, and then learn how to store a coconut. How to do it – the answers in our article.
How long can coconut be stored
- At room temperature, a whole nut will lie for a month, a broken one for a day.
- In the refrigerator, the whole fruit will lie up to 3 months, split – up to 5 days.
- Frozen coconut meat can be kept in the freezer for up to 18 months.
How to choose a coconut
When choosing a coconut, pay attention to such points.
- The color of the ripe fruit should be natural, brown with a rough skin that retains the copra. It protects it from premature drying.
- The three dots at the bottom of the coconut should be the same color as the fruit itself, but slightly darker in hue. They should be free of mold, dry, and the area around the dots firm.
- With prolonged storage, the pulp of the product begins to dry out. Therefore, shake the coconut – it should be moderately heavy and milk splashing inside – this is a sign of maturity.
- Unlike many other tropical fruits, green coconut does not ripen. Therefore, the presence of even the slightest stain indicates that the fruit will be tasteless.
The nuances of storing coconut at home:
- opened coconut should be stored only in the refrigerator;
- coconut water must be stored in a container that can be closed with a lid (container, glass jar, glass with a lid, etc.);
- the coconut pulp is stored in the refrigerator, and if desired, it can be dried and turned into traditional coconut flakes (the pulp must be chopped and dried in the oven for several hours at a temperature of at least 50 degrees);
- dried coconut pulp should be stored in a dark and cool place (not necessarily in the refrigerator);
- whole coconuts are suitable for long-term storage only if they are ripe enough, do not have cracks or other damage and rotting spots on the surface (when shaking the coconut, a splash of liquid inside should be heard);
- whole coconut can be stored in the refrigerator or in any cool place (it is important to exclude exposure to sunlight and exposure to heat sources);
- the higher the storage temperature of the coconut, the shorter its shelf life will be (the optimal temperature level is +5 degrees, if the temperature is lower, then the fruit will lose its taste faster, and when the temperature rises, it will start to rot);
- during storage, you should not place the coconut near fruits that emit ethylene (the most common examples are apples and bananas, which are often used to accelerate the ripening of other fruits);
- if the temperature regime during storage of the coconut changes repeatedly, then the taste of the pulp will change, and the fruit itself can quickly deteriorate;
- the coconut pulp loses moisture rather quickly, therefore, if the fruit has been peeled, it must be poured with water and only then placed in the refrigerator;
- so-called cream is formed on the coconut liquid, the shelf life of which is on average 7 days (the formation of cream is not a sign of spoilage of the coconut liquid, therefore, when they appear, you should not refuse to use the product).
For how long and at what temperature to store coconut
If the coconut is opened, then the period of preservation of its original taste properties will be no more than 2 days. In this case, storage should be carried out only in the refrigerator. You can place the coconut on any shelf, but the colder the area, the better. A whole coconut is stored for 2-3 months at a temperature of +5 degrees. After this period, there will be less liquid in it, and the pulp will begin to lose its taste.
Effect of temperature on coconut shelf life:
- at temperatures from 0 to +5 degrees, coconut is stored for 7-10 days without losing its taste and structure;
- at a temperature of +5 degrees and above, the coconut will retain its juiciness for a week;
- at a stable temperature of +5 degrees, the fruit will be fresh for several months.
By separating the coconut pulp from the water, the shelf life can be increased. In any container, coconut water will remain usable for an average of a week. If you freeze it in the form of ice, then the cubes can be used for several months. Ice will begin to lose its flavor only after 2-3 months.
Coconut pulp stays fresh even for a week without water. In addition, it can be frozen, which will extend its shelf life up to 6-8 months. Freezing is best done in portions to eliminate the need for re-freezing.
Dried coconut pulp can be stored for up to a year. It is recommended to place it in cloth bags or containers. Plastic bags for storing coconut flakes are not suitable due to the likelihood of condensation accumulation during temperature extremes.
How to store coconut in the refrigerator
It is easy to store coconuts in the cold, even in the store it is optimal to buy the fruit that lay in the cold. Under such conditions, it will stay fresh for a long time, up to 3 months.
Very often in the store there is a sticker on the nut itself, which indicates the shelf life of coconuts and the conditions under which it is better to keep them at home. However, it is worth remembering that you need to keep a whole coconut during storage away from fruits that emit ethylene, which helps accelerate maturity. These are bananas, apples, pears and melons.
The shelf life of coconut in the refrigerator is up to 3 months or until the date indicated on the label. Over time, milk becomes scarce, as the fruit gradually dries out, and the pulp becomes sour.
How to store a young coconut
If you decide to stock up on coconuts for future use, then it is worth remembering that this fruit does not ripen during storage. Therefore, no matter how long you store it, it will remain green and tasteless.
How to store an open coconut
Opened coconut should be stored in the refrigerator at 5°C for no longer than 1-2 days. It is important to drain the milk separately, as it quickly turns sour. It is poured into a clean glass container and stored for no longer than 1-2 days at the same temperature.
It will be better to wrap the cut fruit in cling film after opening so that air does not get on the pulp.
The optimal conditions for storing split coconut are:
- temperature 5°C;
- humidity 70%.
How to store coconut pulp
Cut and de-fleshed coconut can be turned into an interesting craft, and the milk and pulp can be used for culinary purposes.
The best place to store coconut after opening is the refrigerator, but the pulp will not lie there for a long time. If you carefully collected it on a plate, cover with cling film and store at a temperature of 5 ° C for no longer than a day.
Another popular way to store coconuts is in the freezer. Pack the pulp and milk into bags, close tightly (it is more convenient to use a zipper) and freeze. In this form, coconut can be stored for up to 1.5 years at a temperature of -18 ° C and below.
