In a significant technological advancement for the coconut sector, the ICAR–Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CPCRI), Kasaragod, Keralam, has developed an innovative Coconut Sap Concentrator for hygienic collection and thermal pre-concentration of coconut sap directly at the tree top.
The pilot-scale electrical sap concentrator was developed with financial support from the Coconut Development Board (CDB), Kochi. The technology has jointly been patented by ICAR-CPCRI and the CDB under the title ‘A Portable Electric Palm Top Concentrator’ (Patent No. 591074), the Director of ICAR- CPCRI K. Balachandra Hebbar told The Hindu.
Deepa Nair, Chief Executive Officer, CDB, launched the product in CPCRI a few days ago.
Coconut inflorescence sap is a nutritious natural beverage containing sugars, minerals, and other nutrients. However, its high sugar content makes freshly-collected sap highly susceptible to fermentation at ambient temperature, creating challenges for collection, transportation, storage, and processing.
Thermal pre-concentration
Earlier, ICAR-CPCRI had developed a cocosap chiller to maintain the freshness of sap through refrigeration. However, maintaining a continuous cold chain requires considerable energy and increases processing costs.
“The newly-developed Coconut Sap Concentrator addresses this challenge by enabling thermal pre-concentration of the sap at the tree top, immediately after collection. The device can operate using electrical power and has potential for integration with solar power systems, thereby reducing dependence on refrigeration and lowering subsequent processing requirements,” Mr. Hebbar said.
Innovative engineering
The concentrator is designed as a compact, hygienic, and portable system incorporating a double-jacketed and insulated outer vessel with a food-grade inner container. Fresh sap flows directly from the tapped inflorescence through a food-grade pipe into the heating chamber, minimising exposure to external contaminants, Mr. Hebbar said.
“The system incorporates a steel-embedded immersion heater for controlled heating in the range of 85°C–90°C, facilitating evaporation of water, and pre-concentration of the sap. The specially designed lid integrates a waterproof, heat-resistant electrical socket along with temperature and level sensors, provision for sap inlet and outlet. A dedicated spadix holder facilitates smooth transfer of freshly-collected sap into the concentrator,” he said.
Reduction in production cost
An economic comparison demonstrated substantial savings in the production of coconut sugar when tree-top sap pre-concentration was adopted.
“For processing 30 litres of sap to produce approximately 4.5 kg of sugar, the concentrator-based process incurred a total energy and fuel expenditure of ₹294.44. In comparison, the conventional chilling-based process requires ₹632.02 for the same output,” he said.
“Based on these estimates, the production cost of coconut sugar was reduced from approximately ₹140.45 per kg with the conventional chilling-based process to ₹65.43 per kg using tree-top sap pre-concentration — a reduction of approximately 53.4%,” Mr. Hebbar said.
Potential of product
With funding support from CDB, the technology will be evaluated on a large scale under farmers’ field conditions to assess ease of adoption, operational feasibility, and the need for further refinement.
Based on the outcome of this feasibility study, a suitable mould will be developed for large-scale manufacturing of the concentrator. “The technology, therefore, offers considerable potential to reduce dependence on refrigerated transportation, minimise post-harvest losses, and facilitate more efficient production of value-added products, such as coconut sugar and coconut syrup,” Mr. Hebbar said.
The innovation is particularly relevant for coconut farmers, farmer producer organisations, self-help groups, and rural entrepreneurs, who can potentially adopt decentralised processing models closer to coconut farms, Mr. Hebbar said.
Published – October 08, 2026 04:12 pm IST
