Frozen Coconut Milk
Frozen coconut milk is the aqueous emulsion pressed from the grated white kernel of the mature coconut, Cocos nucifera, preserved by freezing rather than by retort sterilisation or spray drying. It is an oil-in-water emulsion in which coconut oil droplets, typically 17 to 24 percent of the product by weight, are stabilised by the coconut protein fraction and by native phospholipids, with the balance being water and small amounts of carbohydrate and minerals.
Freezing is chosen over the alternatives because heat is what damages coconut milk. Retorting drives Maillard browning and a cooked note, and spray drying requires added carriers and an emulsifier system that change the composition. A frozen product can be made from raw or lightly pasteurised milk and thaws to something much closer to freshly pressed, which is why it dominates the food service and industrial trade in coconut-based curries, desserts and beverages.
The material ships as frozen blocks, slabs or pouches, white to off-white, held below minus 18 degrees Celsius. The emulsion is not indefinitely stable to freezing: ice crystal growth and fat crystallisation partially break it, so on thawing the product separates into a thick cream layer and a thin aqueous layer and has to be recombined by stirring or by light homogenisation. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles destroy the emulsion irreversibly, which is the main handling constraint.
We source bulk Frozen Coconut Milk from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Hainan. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Plant extract
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance after Thawing | White to off-white emulsion, separates and recombines on stirring |
| Fat Content | 17.0 to 19.0% |
| Total Solids | 20.0 to 24.0% |
| pH | 5.8 to 6.5 |
| Free Fatty Acid as Lauric | ≤ 0.5% on fat |
| Peroxide Value | ≤ 1.0 meq/kg fat |
| Sulphur Dioxide | Not added |
| Lead | ≤ 0.1 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 0.1 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 50,000 cfu/g |
| Yeast and Mould | ≤ 100 cfu/g |
| E. coli | Negative in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Negative in 25 g |
| Storage | Below -18°C, single freeze-thaw only |
Common Markets Grades
Grades are set by fat content and by the degree of processing. First press or coconut cream runs at 20 to 24 percent fat, standard coconut milk at 17 to 19 percent, and diluted or second press milk at 5 to 10 percent, with the last made by re-extracting the pressed kernel residue. Total solids and fat are the two figures the trade actually quotes.
Beyond fat level the significant distinctions are whether the milk is raw frozen or pasteurised before freezing, whether any stabiliser or emulsifier has been added, and whether the product carries sulphite or another antioxidant to control colour. Additive-free single-ingredient grades are traded at a premium for clean label work. Organic certified material is a substantial part of the trade. Pack format is part of the specification because it decides thawing behaviour: thin slabs and pouches thaw evenly, while large solid blocks thaw from the outside in and give inconsistent composition if used part-thawed.
Applications
- Southeast Asian curry pastes and prepared curry sauces, the largest industrial outlet
- Chilled and frozen ready meals in Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian and southern Indian styles
- Non-dairy beverages and coconut milk drinks, diluted and homogenised to a stable drinking emulsion
- Ice cream, frozen dessert and non-dairy frozen confection bases, where the fat contributes structure
- Bakery fillings, custards and puddings replacing dairy cream
- Non-dairy yoghurt and fermented plant products, where the coconut fat gives body
- Coconut based sauces, soups and dressings in food service kitchens
- Confectionery and coconut fillings for chocolate and biscuit products
- Feedstock for further processing into coconut milk powder or coconut cream concentrate
Brands Using Frozen Coconut Milk
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Frozen Coconut Milk on the ingredient label.
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Frozen Coconut Milk
Top Frozen Coconut Milk manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
Coconut milk is a conventional food, not an additive, and has an established history of consumption worldwide. In the United States it is handled as a food ingredient subject to the general food safety requirements of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and to the preventive controls and hazard analysis requirements for human food in 21 CFR Part 117. Coconut is a declarable tree nut allergen under the Food Allergen Labelling and Consumer Protection Act, which is a labelling point buyers often miss. Any added stabiliser, emulsifier or sulphite must appear in the ingredient statement, and sulphite above the labelling threshold must be declared.
In the European Union coconut milk is a conventional food and is not a novel food. Coconut is not on the EU list of substances requiring allergen declaration, which differs from the United States position. Any additive used falls under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, and labelling follows the food information Regulation. Frozen product must comply with the general food hygiene requirements of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, including maintenance of the cold chain. Codex has adopted a standard for aqueous coconut products, covering coconut milk and coconut cream and setting the compositional bands for fat and total solids that most of the international trade follows.
Manufacturing Process
Production starts with mature coconuts, dehusked and deshelled, with the brown testa either pared off for a white product or left on for a lower grade. The kernel is washed, ground on a hammer mill or grating machine to a fine wet meal, then pressed. Screw presses or hydraulic presses extract the first milk directly; some plants add a controlled quantity of water to the residue and press again to recover a second, more dilute milk. The pressed liquor is passed through a decanter or a vibrating screen to remove kernel fibre and then through a centrifugal separator, which is where the fat content is standardised by adjusting how much cream is returned to the stream.
The standardised milk is chilled immediately, since raw coconut milk ferments and develops free fatty acids within hours at ambient temperature. Depending on the grade it is either left raw or given a short pasteurisation at 72 to 85 degrees Celsius, and may be homogenised to reduce droplet size before freezing. It is then filled into pouches, blocks or slab moulds and frozen, ideally in a plate or blast freezer that takes the product through the ice crystallisation range fast, because slow freezing grows large crystals and breaks the emulsion. Frozen units are cased and held below minus 18 degrees Celsius through the whole chain.
