{{Short description|Clear liquid inside coconuts}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{distinguish|text = coconut milk or water coconut (dừa nước)}} {{redirect|Coconut juice|the song|Coconut Juice (song)}}
[[File:Young Coconut Drink.jpg|thumb|A young coconut, ready to drink with a straw]] thumb|Coconut water from a mature coconut|alt= [[File:Coconut-water vendor on donkey cart, c. 1950. Port of Spain.jpg|thumb|Coconut-water vendor on donkey cart, c. 1950. Port of Spain.]] '''Coconut water''' (also '''coconut juice''') is the clear liquid inside young coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As development continues, the endosperm matures into its cellular phase and deposits into the rind of the coconut pulp.<ref name=endosperm>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cjHCoMQNkcgC&q=coconut+endosperm+encyclopedia&pg=PA112|title=Cocos in The Encyclopedia of Fruit and Nuts|access-date=11 May 2015|year=2008|vauthors=Janick J, Paull RE|pages=109–113|isbn=978-0851996387|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518095656/https://books.google.ca/books?id=cjHCoMQNkcgC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=coconut+endosperm+encyclopedia&source=bl&ots=u-Zl6w0OV_&sig=8qLAfVWd9mbeyVKrF5Qm0K7vJVE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ObpQVd7BMoeuogS1z4HgBw&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=coconut%20endosperm%20encyclopedia&f=false|archive-date=18 May 2015}}</ref> The liquid inside young coconuts is sometimes preferred to the liquid of a ripened coconut. Coconut water from young green coconuts is also known specifically as '''buko juice''' in Philippine English.<ref name="Chanco">{{cite news |last1=Chanco |first1=Boo |title=Buko juice: The next big thing! |url=https://www.philstar.com/business/2009/09/16/505194/buko-juice-next-big-thing |access-date=19 April 2020 |work=PhilStar Global |date=16 September 2009}}</ref>
== Harvesting == Fresh coconuts are typically harvested from the tree while they are green. A hole may be bored into the coconut to provide access to the "meat" (liquid and pulp). In young coconuts, the liquid and air may be under some pressure and may spray slightly when the inner husk is first penetrated. Coconuts that have fallen to the ground are susceptible to rot and damage from insects or other animals.
==Products== Plain coconut water has long been a popular drink in tropical countries, where it is available fresh, canned, or bottled.
Coconuts for drinking are served chilled, fresh, or packaged. They are often sold by street vendors who cut them open with machetes or similar implements in front of customers. Coconut water for retail can be found in ordinary aluminum cans, Tetra Paks, glass bottles or plastic bottles, sometimes with coconut pulp or coconut jelly included.
Coconut water can be fermented to produce coconut vinegar (though coconut sap is used more often). It is also used to make ''nata de coco'', a jelly-like food.
==Nutritional value== {{Infobox nutritional value |name= Coconut water |water= 95 g |kJ= 79 |protein= 0.72 g |fat= 0.20 g |satfat= 0.176 g |monofat = 0.008 g |polyfat = 0.002 g |carbs= 3.71 g |fiber= 1.1 g |sugars= 2.61 g |calcium_mg= 24 |iron_mg= 0.29 |magnesium_mg= 25 |phosphorus_mg= 20 |potassium_mg= 250 |sodium_mg= 105 |zinc_mg= 0.10 |copper_mg= 0.04 |manganese_mg= 0.142 |selenium_ug= 1 |vitC_mg= 2.4 |thiamin_mg= 0.030 |riboflavin_mg= 0.057 |niacin_mg= 0.080 |pantothenic_mg= 0.043 |vitB6_mg= 0.032 |folate_ug= 3 |choline_mg= 1.1 <!-- amino acids --> | tryptophan= 0.008 g | threonine= 0.026 g | isoleucine= 0.028 g | leucine= 0.053 g | lysine= 0.032 g | methionine= 0.013 g | cystine= 0.014 g | phenylalanine= 0.037 g | tyrosine= 0.022 g | valine= 0.044 g | arginine= 0.118 g | histidine= 0.017 g | alanine= 0.037 g | aspartic acid= 0.070 g | glutamic acid= 0.165 g | glycine= 0.034 g | proline= 0.030 g | serine= 0.037 g | note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170174/nutrients Full link to USDA Database entry] }} Providing {{convert|19|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=off}} of food energy in a {{convert|100|ml|USfloz|frac=2|adj=on|abbr=off}} amount, coconut water is 95% water and 4% carbohydrates, with negligible protein and fat content (table). Coconut water contains small amounts of vitamins and dietary minerals, all under 10% of the Daily Value (DV).
===Risks===
The Food and Drug Administration has identified a risk of bacterial contamination in coconut water sold as "raw".<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707115714/https://www.bevnet.com/news/2014/raw-coconut-water-under-scrutiny-of-the-fda/ |archive-date=7 July 2018 |url=http://www.bevnet.com/news/2014/raw-coconut-water-under-scrutiny-of-the-fda/ |title="Raw" Coconut Water Under Scrutiny of the FDA |author=Martinez-Belkin N|date=2 December 2014 |website=BevNet}}</ref>
Anecdotal sources describe coconut water being used in the southern part of India for senicide, the killing of elderly people, a procedure known as ''thalaikoothal''.<ref name="shahina">{{cite journal|last=Shahina|first=KK|date=20 November 2010|title=Mother, shall I put you to sleep?|url=http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main47.asp?filename=Ne201110Maariyamma.asp|url-status=dead|journal=Tehelka Magazine|volume=7|issue=46|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429021848/http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main47.asp?filename=Ne201110Maariyamma.asp|archive-date=29 April 2014|access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref> In this custom, the elderly person is made to drink an excessive amount of coconut water, eventually resulting in fever and death, the exact causes of which have not been determined.<ref name="shahina" />
== False advertising == Marketing claims attributing health benefits to coconut water are disallowed by certain regulatory agencies like the United States Food and Drug Administration. They warn producers that making misleading marketing claims (such as coconut water is antiviral, can lower cholesterol, can regulate blood glucose levels, and other false claims) are inappropriate for the product.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bevnet.com/news/2014/raw-coconut-water-under-scrutiny-of-the-fda/|title="Raw" Coconut Water Under Scrutiny of the FDA|publisher=BevNet.com|author=Martinez-Belkin N|date=2 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Crawford|first1=Elizabeth|title=Coconut products can never claim to be 'healthy' because of the saturated fats, says legal expert|url=http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Regulation/Coconut-products-can-never-claim-to-be-healthy-because-of-the-saturated-fats-says-legal-expert|access-date=31 December 2015|work=foodnavigator-usa.com|date=29 October 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160210005755/http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Regulation/Coconut-products-can-never-claim-to-be-healthy-because-of-the-saturated-fats-says-legal-expert|archive-date=10 February 2016}}</ref>
Some companies have faced class-action lawsuits over false advertising claims that the product is "super-hydrating", "nutrient-packed", and "mega-electrolyte".<ref name="vita">{{cite news|title=Vita Coco coconut water settles class action lawsuit|url=http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=336d4cf0-efa5-457a-9eee-52d8deeb30da|access-date=31 December 2015|work=Lexology|publisher=Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP|date=27 May 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304203233/http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=336d4cf0-efa5-457a-9eee-52d8deeb30da|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> The plaintiffs also alleged that one company, Vita Coco, falsely claimed that its product had "15 times the electrolytes found in sports drinks" and misrepresented the levels of sodium and magnesium as advertised. The company denied any wrongdoing and settled the lawsuit for US$10 million in April 2012.<ref name="vita" />
== Medical use in Cambodia == Although substituting coconut water for saline is not recommended by physicians today, it was a common practice during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.<ref name="Barclay">{{cite news |last=Barclay |first=Eliza |title=Coconut Water To The Rescue? Parsing The Medical Claims |work=NPR |date=15 August 2011 |access-date=1 October 2013 |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/15/139638930/saved-by-the-coconut-water-parsing-coconut-waters-medical-claims |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927092400/http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/15/139638930/saved-by-the-coconut-water-parsing-coconut-waters-medical-claims |archive-date=27 September 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Short |first=Philip |title=Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare |publisher=Henry Holt |location=New York |year=2006 |isbn=978-0805080063 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/polpot00phil }}</ref> The Documentation Center of Cambodia cited the practice of allowing untrained nurses to administer green coconut water during the Pol Pot regime as a crime against humanity.<ref>{{cite web |title='Keeping Them Alive, One Gets Nothing; Killing Them, One Loses Nothing': Prosecuting Khmer Rouge Medical Practices as Crimes against Humanity |first=Laura |last=Vilim |publisher=Georgetown University Law Center |year=2012 |url=http://www.d.dccam.org/Tribunal/Analysis/pdf/Prosecuting_Khmer_Rouge_Medical_Practices_as_Crimes_against_Humanity.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407103200/http://www.d.dccam.org/Tribunal/Analysis/pdf/Prosecuting_Khmer_Rouge_Medical_Practices_as_Crimes_against_Humanity.pdf |archive-date=7 April 2014 |access-date=11 January 2014 }}</ref>
== See also == {{Portal|Drink}} * Coconut milk * Coconut sugar * Juicing * List of juices * Palm wine * Coconut oil
== References == {{reflist|30em}}
== External links == {{Commonscat-inline|Coconut water}}
{{Coconut}} {{Fruit juice}}
Category:Coconut drinks Category:Fruit juice Category:2010s in food