Processes in the preparation of coconut meat based compositions and films

A method of preparing dehydrated coconut meat based edible film comprising the steps of:

• (a) preparing a coconut meat puree or batter formulation by mixing and blending fresh and young coconut meat with young coconut water and raw unrefined virgin coconut oil,
• (b) sieving the said mixture in step (a) using 100-200 mesh screen to achieve a homogeneous puree or batter,
• (c) spreading the resulting sieved mixture in a drying sheet with stainless steel template with desired dimensions,
• (d) drying the spread mixture up to a moisture content ranging from about 8 wt. % to about 10 wt. %,
• (e) cooling down the films to a temperature range of about 18° C. to 24° C. for about 5-10 minutes, characterized in that:
• (a′) the young coconut water is filtered in a 3-stage microfiltration system with 0.10-5 microns of microfilter to disinfect and eliminate undesirable particulates;
• (b′) the young coconut meat is chopped and immediately blended with the filtered young coconut water to obtain a coconut meat puree or subjected to a blast-freezer or contact-freezer to prevent the onset of natural fermentation before the chopping and blending steps;
• (c′) the drying process is carried out for about 4.5 to 5 hours, in stages wherein the stages consist of the following:
• i) First stage:
• drying at 80-85° C. for about 30 minutes to one hour,
• ii) Second stage:
• drying at 70-80° C. for about 30 minutes to one hour,
• iii) Third stage:
• drying at 60-70° C. for about 30 minutes and then reshuffle and rotate the drying sheets and continue to dry for another 30 minutes,
• iv) Fourth stage:
• drying at 50-60° C. for about 30 minutes to one hour,
• v) Fifth stage:
• drying at 45-50° C. for about 30 minutes to one hour with a warm chamber wherein a dehumidifier is provided to hasten drying process and keep the finished product raw;
• wherein the edible film comprises:
• at least 88% coconut meat derived from fresh and young coconut;
• or less 12% of filtered fresh and young coconut water;
• and
• a raw unrefined virgin coconut oil in the range of 1.0% to 5.0% is added based on a sum of the coconut meat and the coconut water as 100% by weight basis;
• and
• wherein the edible film has
• a thickness in the range of 1.0 millimeter to about 3.0 millimeter;
• a water activity in a range of about 0.45 to about 0.55;
• and
• a moisture content in a range of 8% to 10%.