Skip to Content

How To Tell If Coconut Is Bad – 6 Important Answers!

Coconut is a coconut palm fruit, which can live for about 100 years and can produce four hundred nuts and above in a year. Typically, the fruit is covered with a hard shell, and sometimes it can weigh about 2.5 kilograms. 

Inside is white copra pulp and coconut water. Coconut palms are mentioned as early as the 4th century BC. For the first time, this plant was grown in Malaysia. The inhabitants of the Pacific coast highly value palm trees because the wood is used for construction and heating.

The fruits are constantly present in the diet. In honor of the newborn, many plants a new tree. Coconut trees grow on sandy shores. The fruits often fall into the water and thus spread to other islands. 

The peel of the nut is very strong and is not damaged by seawater. Sometimes the fruit gets spoilt because of many reasons. We need to know how to tell if coconut is bad.

How To Tell If Coconut Is Bad
Coconut halves affected by mold fungi on a white background – via Flickr

How to tell if coconut is bad

  1. If you see mold growing on the coconut, it is a sure sign that it is bad. Essentially, it is good to be cautious than be sorry.
  2. The coconut is made up of three triangular openings commonly called eyes. Typically, if there is liquid, mildew, or dampness in the eyes, know that the coconut is bad. It is not supposed to be consumed as it can cause bacterial infections or indigestion.
  3. If the food you make with coconut has changed the color and smell, it is bad.
  4. Whole fresh coconut can be kept on the shelf for just four months. It can be stored in the refrigerator for about two to three months. If it has been in the refrigerator for about six to eight months, you can tell it is bad.
  5. If you open the coconut, you will see that the inside has changed color. This is not a good sign, and the coconut is bad.
  6. Ripe coconut is said to have a clean and pleasant scent. Therefore, it is bad if it doesn’t smell like alcohol or a misty scent.
How To Tell If Coconut Is Bad 2
Bad Coconut – via Wikimedia

Benefits of coconut

Coconut is known primarily for its high content of various fatty acids. The flesh of the coconut is rich in oils, and the liquid inside the fruit contains a lot of antioxidants and minerals. The coconut water quenches thirst so well.

Coconut pulp is nutritious, which eliminates muscle fatigue and restore strength. Folic acids, B vitamins, and panthenic are crucial in the functioning of the nervous and immune systems and metabolic processes.

There is a lot of potassium, magnesium, and iodine in coconut. They support the heart and blood vessels, and iodine is necessary for the endocrine glands.

Coconut pulp is high in fiber and fatty acids, good for intestinal flora. A small amount of this product relieves stomach ulcers and intestinal colitis inflammation.

Vitamin E is good for the skin. Coconut oil nourishes and refreshes the skin, slowing down the aging process and fighting minor inflammation. Lauric acid prevents pathogenic microorganisms. Also, coconut oil improves the nails and hair condition.

What to look for when choosing a coconut

  1. The coconut should be free of cracks, dark spots and mold. The fruit was held on the palm tree should not be soft and pressed through when pressed. This indicates the rotting of the fruit.
  1. When buying a coconut, you should be guided by the principle of choosing a watermelon. The more weight for such a volume, the better. This is natural because the fruit must be ripe and heavy to fall from a tree. It is a mature coconut that falls by itself without outside help.
  1. The presence of liquid or its absence is easy to check by shaking the nut. The greener the coconut, the more liquid it contains. In nature, in fruit ripening, this liquid, which is commonly called coconut milk, turns into pulp. There may be very little of a well-ripened coconut, and the layer of pulp, accordingly, should be thick. But you can check this only by opening the fetus.
  1. The louder the liquid inside the fruit flounders, the fresher it is. It has been noticed that if the splash is deaf, then the appearance of the fetus is unattractive. This coconut is not worth buying. As for the liquid, it is coconut water. Many mistakenly call it milk. Milk is a product of processing coconut pulp.
  1. The pulp of a ripe nut is easily separated from the shell and has a delicate texture. If it clings to the layer under the shell and is hard, it indicates the nut was shot green.

Secrets of the correct opening of a coconut

  • The most straightforward way to open a coconut is to smash it. This can be done by hitting it hard with something heavy, such as a hammer. However, this is quite dangerous because coconuts can slip and jump off. So before such an opening, the fetus should be securely fixed.
  • Sawing with a hacksaw is also not perfect for opening a coconut because the juice is poured out of it in this way.
  • To preserve coconut milk before opening, you need to find three dark spots on it at the base. They should be pierced with a sharp object and pour out a valuable liquid. You can make two holes, insert a tube into one of them and drink the juice of your coconut.
  • After that, you can safely split the coconut with a knife, which should be hit in the area that is 1/3 of the part from the dark holes to its other end. It should be hit with the blunt side of the knife. Lay it out on a flat table first. Then you should slightly rotate the coconut around the axis and hit again. 
  • Repeat this procedure until a crack appears in the coconut. You need to insert a knife into it in the final. This way, the coconut will fully open.

Conclusion

Coconut is a tropical delicacy famous for its nutritional properties, unique taste and benefits for the whole body. It grows on hot ocean coasts, effectively used in many areas of human life. The content of the nut has a lot of useful properties, is very nutritious and is effectively used for medical purposes.

Coconut contains many chemical elements that have a positive effect on human health: B vitamins, as well as C, K, and E. There are many signs on how to tell if coconut is bad, and I think this article has been important to you.