Village Level Coconut Water Processing System

Speaker Bio: Dr. Ofero A. Capariño is the son of a tenant coconut farmer, born in Talisay, San Fernando, Masbate.  After elementary school he became an out-of-school youth for 5 years due to financial constraints.  During those years he spent most of his time as manangete or magtutuba (coconut sap gatherer) to earn a living and help support his parents.
He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering at Central Luzon State University, Munoz, Nueva Ecija, under the COCOFED Scholarship Program in 1985. He completed his diploma in Agricultural Training and Education at Wolverhampton University, United Kingdom, under the sponsorship of the British Council Scholarship Program in 1991.  He then finished his Master of Science in Agricultural Engineering at Central Luzon State University under the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) Grant in 1999. He completed his Ph.D. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering  in Food Engineering at Washington State University, USA, under the auspices of the Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program- New York, USA, in 2012. He has published scientific papers in both local and international refereed journals (ISI and non-ISI). With his expertise in food engineering related topics, he has rendered services as a reviewer of scientific journals, manuals, and books.

As a researcher, he has received numerous recognitions and awards, including the 2016 Gold Award for Best R&D Paper, titled “Development and Performance Evaluation of a Village Level Coconut Water Processing System” given by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) during the 28th National Research Symposium held in Diliman, Quezon City on October 26, 2016. Currently, he is the Chief of the BioProcess Engineering Division of the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) - an Attached Agency of the Department of Agriculture, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.

Abstract:  Coconut (Cocos nucifera Linn.) is one of the world’s most versatile natural products, popularly grown in more than 90 countries. In 2012, the Food and Agriculture (FAO) reported that the Philippines ranked second among coconut producing countries in the world with a total production of 15.7 billion nuts per year. Approximately 80% of the nuts are processed into copra, which remains the main source of income of coconut farmers in the country. Copra is sold to commercial coconut oil mills, which process it into coconut crude oil & animal feeds. However, a huge volume of coconut water, estimated at 2.4 billion liters per year is left un-utilized during copra processing. Traditionally, coconut water extracted from young coconuts is considered the most popular beverage in the market. But, there are published reports confirming that matured coconut water contains more inorganic ions e.g. calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous and magnesium compared to young coconuts, which suggests it has beneficial attributes as a rehydrating fluid beverage. Due to the increasing demand for coconut water, there is a need to explore alternative solutions to maximize the utilization and added value to the coconut water extracted from mature coconut.  This presentation highlights a village level coconut water processing system designed and developed to produce 100% pure bottled coconut water, without any additives and preservatives, with a shelf life of 21 days under chilled conditions. Overall acceptability during sensory evaluation by 100 respondents showed that the PHilMech cocowater was significantly (p < 0.05) the most liked sample with higher purchase intention over other three popular commercial brands. The system is capable of processing 2,000 nuts (approximately 2,000 bottles-350 mL coconut water) per day.