Coconut The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae (palm family).

It is the only accepted species in [2] the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a [3] botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word. The term is derived from 16th century Portuguese and Spanish cocos, meaning "grinning face", from the three small holes on the coconut shell that resemble human facial features. Found across much of the tropic and subtropic area, the coconut is known for its great versatility as seen in the many domestic, commercial, and industrial uses of its different parts. Coconuts are part of the daily diet of many people. Its endosperm is initially in its nuclear phase suspended within the coconut water. As development continues, cellular layers of endosperm deposit along the walls of the coconut, becoming the edible coconut "flesh". [4] When dried, the coconut flesh is called copra. The oil and milk derived from it are commonly used in cooking and frying; coconut oil is also widely used in soaps and cosmetics. 1

Description PlantCocos nucifera is a large palm, growing up to 30 meters (98 ft) tall, with pinnate leaves 46 meters (1320 ft) long, and pinnae 6090 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly, leaving the trunk smooth. Coconuts are generally classified into two general types: tall and dwarf.[5] On very fertile land a tall coconut palm tree can yield up to 75 fruits per year, but more often yields less than 30 mainly due to poor cultural practices.[6] In recent years, improvements in cultivation practices and breeding has produced coconut trees that can yield more. [7][8] Fruit Botanically the coconut fruit is a drupe, not a true nut.[9] Like other fruits it has three layers: exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp. The exocarp and mesocarp make up the husk of the coconut. Coconuts sold in the shops of non-tropical countries often have had the exocarp (outermost layer) removed. The mesocarp is composed of fibers called coir which have many traditional and commercial uses. The shell has three germination pores (stoma) or eyes that are clearly visible on its outside surface once the husk is removed. 2

A full-sized coconut weighs about 1.44 kilograms (3.2 lb). It takes around 6000 full-grown coconuts to produce a tonne of copra.[10] Seed
Coconut seed interior Within the shell is a single seed. When the seed germinates, the root (radicle) of its embryo pushes out through one of the eyes of the shell. The outermost layer of the seed, the testa, adheres to the inside of the shell. In a mature coconut, a thick albuminous endosperm adheres to the inside of the testa. This endosperm or meat is the white and fleshy edible part of the coconut. Although coconut meat contains less fat than many oilseeds and seeds such as almonds, it is noted for its high amount of medium-chain saturated fat.[11] About 90% of the fat found in coconut meat is saturated, a proportion exceeding that of foods such as lard, butter, and tallow. There has been some debate as to whether or not the saturated fat in coconuts is healthier than other forms of saturated fat (see coconut oil). Like most nut meats, coconut meat contains less sugar and more protein than popular fruits such as bananas, apples and oranges. It is relatively high in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and zinc. 3

The endosperm are initially in their nuclear phase of development within a hollow interior space as coconut water and air (distinct from coconut milk). As development continues, they mature into their cellular stage and form a rind of tissue known as coconut meat.[4] Immature coconuts are more likely to contain coconut water and less meat. They are often sold with a small portion of the husk cut away to allow access to the coconut water. Young coconuts used for coconut water are called tender coconuts. The water of a tender coconut is liquid endosperm. It is sweet (mild) with an aerated feel when cut fresh. Depending on its size a tender contains 300 to 1,000 ml of coconut water. The meat in a green young coconut is softer and more gelatinous than that in a mature coconutso much so that it is sometimes known as coconut jelly. When the coconut has ripened and the outer husk has turned brown, a few months later, it will fall from the palm of its own accord. At that time the endosperm has thickened and hardened, while the coconut water has become somewhat bitter.

Etymology A dehusked coconut shell from Ivory Coast showing the face-like markings at the base. One of the earliest mentions of the coconut also dates back to the One Thousand and One Nights story of Sinbad the Sailor, he is known to have bought and sold coconuts during his Fifth Voyage. [18] Tenga was the term used in the detailed description of coconut found in Itinerario by Ludovico di Varthema published in 1510 and also in the later Hortus Indicus Malabaricus.[19] Even earlier it was called nux indica, a name used by Marco Polo in 1280 while in Sumatra, taken from the Arabs who called it jawz hind. Both names translate to "Indian nut."[20] In the earliest description of the coconut palm known, given by Cosmos of Alexandria in his Topographia Christiana written about 545 A.D., there is a reference to the Argell Tree and its fruit, the great nut of India. [19][21]

Historical evidence favors the European origin of the name "coconut", for there is nothing similar in any of the languages of India, where the Portuguese first found the fruit; and indeed Barbosa, Barros, and Garcia, in mentioning the Malayalam name tenga, and Canarese narle, expressly say 'we call these fruits quoquos', 'our people have given it the name of coco', 'that which we call coco, and the Malabars temga'." The OED states: "Portuguese and Spanish authors of the 16th c. agree in identifying the word with Portuguese and Spanish coco "grinning face, grin, grimace", also "bugbear, scarecrow", cognate with cocar "to grin, make a grimace"; the name being said to refer to the face-like appearance of the base of the shell, with its three holes. According to Losada, the name came from Portuguese explorers, the sailors of Vasco da Gama in India, who first brought them to Europe. The coconut shell reminded them of a ghost or witch in Portuguese folklore called coco (also cca).[22][23] The first known recorded usage of the term is 1555.[24][25]

Natural habitat Coconut germinating on Black Sand Beach, Island of HawaiiThe coconut palm thrives on sandy soils and is highly tolerant of salinity. It prefers areas with abundant sunlight and regular rainfall (150 cm to 250 cm annually), which makes colonizing shorelines of the tropics relatively straightforward.[33] Coconuts also need high humidity (7080%+) for optimum growth, which is why they are rarely seen in areas with low humidity, like the south eastern Mediterranean or Andalusia, even where temperatures are high enough (regularly above 24C or 75.2F). Coconut palms require warm conditions for successful growth, and are intolerant of cold weather. Optimum growth is with a mean annual temperature of 27 C (81 F), and growth is reduced below 21 C (70 F). Some seasonal variation is tolerated, with good growth where mean summer temperatures are between 2837 C (8299 F), and survival as long as winter temperatures are above 412 C (3954 F); they will survive brief drops to 0 C (32 F). Severe frost is usually fatal, although they have been known to recover from temperatures of 4 C (25 F).[33] They may grow but not fruit properly in areas where there is not sufficient warmth, like Bermuda. 7

The conditions required for coconut trees to grow without any care are:

mean daily temperature above 1213 C (53.655.4 F) every day of the year 50 year low temperature above freezing mean yearly rainfall above 1000 mm (39.37") no or very little overhead canopy, since even small trees require a lot of sun

The main limiting factor is that most locations which satisfy the first three requirements do not satisfy the fourth, except near the coast where the sandy soil and salt spray limit the growth of most other trees. 8

Culinary use Coconut water is a refreshing drink The various parts of the coconut have a number of culinary uses. The nut provides oil for frying, cooking, and making margarine. The white, fleshy part of the seedthe coconut meatis edible and used fresh or dried in cooking especially in confections and desserts like macaroons. Desiccated coconut can be used as an ingredient or to produce coconut milk which is frequently added to curry dishes and other savory viands. Coconut flour has also been developed for use in baking and to combat malnutrition.[44] Coconut chips have been sold in tourist regions like Hawaii and the Caribbean. Coconut butter is often used to describe solidified coconut oil, but has also been adopted as a name by certain specialty products made out of coconut milk solids or pured coconut meat and oil. 9

Coconut oil Main article: Coconut oil Another byproduct of the coconut that is rapidly growing in popularity is coconut oil. Aside from its many non-culinary uses such as a hair conditioner or health supplement, it is frequently used as a cooking ingredient. It can be used in the same applications that most other oils are used - pan frying and deep frying - but it can also be added directly to food, similar to the way one would add olive oil to bread or a salad.

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Toddy and nectar The sap derived from incising the flower clusters of the coconut is drunk as neera also known as toddy or tuba (Philippines), tuak (Indonesia and Malaysia) or karewe (fresh and not fermented, collected twice a day, for breakfast and dinner) in Kiribati. When left to ferment on its own it becomes palm wine. Palm wine is distilled to produce arrack. In the Philippines this alcoholic drink is called lambanog or "coconut vodka".[45] The sap can be reduced by boiling to create a sweet syrup or candy such as te kamamai in Kiribati or dhiyaa hakuru and Addu bondi in Maldives. It can be reduced further to yield coconut sugar also referred to as palm sugar or jaggery. A young well-maintained tree can produce around 300 liters (66 imp gal; 79 U.S. gal) of toddy per year while a forty year old tree may yield around 400 liters (88 imp gal; 110 U.S. gal).[46]

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Commercial, industrial, and household use Coconut fronds

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The stiff mid-ribs of coconut leaves are used for making brooms in India, Indonesia (sapu lidi), Malaysia and the Philippines (walis tingting). The green of the leaves (lamina) are stripped away leaving the vein (a wooden-like, thin, long strip) which are tied together to form a broom or brush. A long handle made from some other wood may be inserted into the base of the bundle and used as a two-handed broom. The leaves also provide material for baskets that can draw well water and for roofing thatch; they can be woven into mats, cooking skewers, and kindling arrows as well. Two leaves (especially the younger, yellowish shoots) weaved into a tight shell the size of the palm are filled with rice and cooked to make ketupat.[48] Dried coconut leaves can be burned to ash, which can be harvested for lime. In India, particularly in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the woven coconut leaves are used as 'pandals' (temporary sheds) for the marriage functions. 12

Coconut roots The roots are used as a dye, a mouthwash, and a medicine for diarrhea[6] and dysentery. A frayed piece of root can also be used as a toothbrush. [edit] Use in beauty products Coconuts are used in the beauty industry in moisturisers and body butters because coconut oil, due to its chemical structure, is readily absorbed by the skin. The coconut shell may also be ground down and added to products for exfoliation to help remove dead skin. Coconut is also a source of lauric acid, which can be processed in a particular way to produce sodium lauryl suflate, a detergent that is used in shower gels and shampoos.[51]. The nature of lauric acid as a fatty acid makes it particularly effective for creating detergents and surfactants. 13

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SEKOLAH TINGGI PARIWISATA BANDUNG

Jl. Dr. Setiabudi 186 Bandung 40141 Telp (022)2011456 Fax 2012097
E-mail : stp@melsa.net.id dan E-Mail : stp_mbp@yahoo.com

Guiding compatible

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