Amino Acid Content and Quality Analysis of Coconut Milk with Pretreatment Storage on Coconut Flesh (Cocos nucifera L.)
Sandra*, Rizal Nur Alfian, Bambang Susilo, and Nurul Istiqomah Choirunnisa

Departement of Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Agriculturale Technology, Universitas Brawijaya
Veteran Street, Malang 65145, Indonesia
*sandra.msutan[at]ub.ac.id

Abstract

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is a promising agro-industrial plant in Indonesia due to its rich nutritional content. Coconut milk is otained by extracting mature coconut meat that has been grated. This process can be conducted with or without the addition of water, resulting in a white-colored liquid emulsion of oil and water. The emulsion system in coconut milk tends to become unstable after the thawing process. The pretreatment temperature of coconut meat is a crucial factor influencing the quality of coconut milk. The aim of this study is to analyze the changes in coconut milk quality, specifically the amino acid components, using the ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method after pretreating the coconut flesh before processing it into coconut milk. The research findings demonstrate that coconut milk subjected to pretreatment at frozen temperatures (-16 degree celsius) possesses the following values: moisture content (32.76%), power of hydrogen (6.28%), and emulsion stability (87.86%). Moreover, it is revealed that coconut milk with frozen pretreatment contains approximately 15 amino acids, out of which 8 are non-essential amino acids, with glutamate (93.65%) and arginine (74.11%) having the highest content. These findings underscore the potential of coconut milk as an alternative protein source for food and beverages.

Keywords: Amino Acid, Coconut Milk, Pretreatment, Protein

Topic: Agricultural product technology