Utilisation of coconut extract in the preparation of flavoured milk

The project was aims to utilize coconut extract into the flavoured milk as well as to develop the method of manufacture and to determining the changes in the physicochemical and sensory characters of the coconut flavoured milk during storage. Coconut extract from mature coconut was made by three ways: i) pressing the coconut kernel ii) extraction of kernel with potable water and iii) extraction of kernel with skim milk. Since these extracts contained high fat levels, these were added to skim milk in such proportions as to get different fat levels in the milk (1.5, 3.0, and 4.0%). Among these samples milk containing 4 % fat levels were selected.Different sugar levels were use during the preliminary trails and among them 8 % sugar level was optimised. The preparation method includes extraction of coconut kernel with skim milk, mixing of the extract with plain skim milk in 1:0.7 ratio, heating to about 60°C, homogenisation, heating at 82°C for one minute and cooling. The final product composition was 4.0% Fat, 8.0% sugar, 3.4% protein, 0.7% ash and total solid 22.0%. The coconut flavoured milk was rich in lauric and meristic fatty acids which was determined by the GC analysis. The TBC counts ranged from: 15 x 103- 25 x 103 per ml; YMC from 0-10 ×101per ml; coli forms were absent per ml in the optimised product. The shelf life of the flavoured milk was 8 days at 4°C. Shelf life was estimated by the sensory parameter, acidity and free fatty acid changes during storage.