Organic removal and digital chemical/sensory assessment of coconut water

Overview

This research addresses off-flavour challenges in coconut water through a combined approach of targeted organic removal and advanced digital assessment. The solution integrates specific membrane manufacturing, chemical treatments using bentonite with activated charcoal, and enzyme-resin combinations (such as Amberlite XAD-4) to reduce undesirable organic compounds. Complementing these treatments, a suite of digital and sensory tools including low-cost electronic noses (e-noses), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS), near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR), and biometric monitoring are used to characterize, model, and validate taste acceptance. The approach enables rapid detection and removal of off-flavours, supporting product quality and consumer satisfaction in the coconut water industry.

Technical specifications

Organic removal strategies:

• Custom-designed membranes for physical separation of organic compounds
• Fining treatments combining bentonite and activated charcoal
• Enzyme and resin treatments using materials such as Amberlite XAD-4

Digital and sensory assessment tools:

• Low-cost electronic noses for rapid chemical fingerprinting
• GCMS for detailed chemical composition analysis
• Near-infrared spectroscopy for non-destructive sample evaluation
• Biometric monitoring capturing heart rate, respiration rate, eye temperature, and emotional responses
• The BioSensory Computer Application for real-time digital sensory data collection
• Artificial intelligence modeling to correlate low-cost sensor inputs with GCMS targets

Validation methodology:

• Comparison of treated samples against untreated controls
• Consumer taste trials with 60 recruited panellists
• Combined traditional sensory forms and biometric assessments via the BioSensory App

Technology readiness level

The underlying digital assessment methods have been validated in prior research on beer and smoke-tainted wine, demonstrating the feasibility of e-nose, GCMS, NIR, and biometric approaches for off-flavour detection. The BioSensory Application and sensory laboratory infrastructure, including 20 testing booths at the Parkville Campus, are operational and available for immediate use. Future validation will involve controlled coconut water samples with varying off-flavour levels, processed through the three treatment strategies and assessed using the full digital and sensory toolkit. This positions the technology at an advanced development stage, ready for pilot-scale validation and industry collaboration.