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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI know this has been talked about before, but does anyone know how safe it is to eat non organic young coconuts? I know they are dipped in formaldehyde and other chemicals, but wonder how much, if any, leaches into the coconut meat and water. I also wonder, for those of you who order organic coconuts online, how long they will stay fresh with refrigeration prior to opening. It seems like they send a lot of coconuts, and I don’t want them to go bad. Thanks!
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I started ordering mine online because I noticed the non organic ones have an off smell and taste, at least compared to the ones online.
The only drawback to ordering is the price, but since each coconut (they usually send about 15 coconuts) has a lot of white meat, they do actually last longer than one would think. I believe my first round lasted about 2 months, but it really depends on how often you use them.
Anyway, the water in both non and organic seems to taste the same, except the organic one appears clearer and lighter. SO maybe the formaldehyde does leech in to some extent. I also noticed something very strange: the meat of organic ones scooped out much easier without any brown stuff sticking than conventional ones. Maybe the chemicals leeched in and stuck. Who knows?
About the refrigeration, I kept mine all in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks, but there were still a lot of coconuts so I just ended up freezing them. They freeze very well, the meat stays soft (as long as you freeze the coconuts unopened) and the water does freeze, but you can put them under warm – to hot water (not too hot) to defrost them.
Good luck!
Thanks so much, RKC. Good to know about being able to freeze them, although I still don’t think we’d have enough room in our fridge/freezer to store them all. Do you have an extra fridge? We live in a NYC apartment, so space is kind of limited. Interesting about the slight differences you’ve found in organic vs. nonorganic. It does seem, though, that shell is so hard that the amounts would be trace. Even so, I don’t think I want trace amounts of formaldehyde in my food. It’s a little frustrating because of the size of the order; I think I’ll ask around and see if anyone would be interested in splitting one. That would be good solution space-wise and financially. Thanks again, RKC.
They aren’t necessarily dipped in formaldehyde. Check out this link
Wow Winona, thanks. Just read it. I wonder how this rumor got started? Does this mean there is no chemical treatment of the coconuts?
I don’t know any more than what the link says… Matt said that “There was absolutely no indication whatsoever that the Thai Coconut samples provided to Michelson Laboratories was ever in contact with formaldehyde.”
We were excited! Not only could we continue to enjoy Thai Coconuts but we also had definitive proof that the formaldehyde scare was nothing more than rumor.”
I suppose that some companies could dip the coconuts but not others, but I think we should ASSUME the coconuts are untreated UNLESS you send yours to a lab and confirm that they’re treated.
I’ve never seen any PROOF that the coconuts are chemically dipped! It appears to be a rumor.
Yes, I just reread the link and this is very good news. Perhaps the formaldehyde rumor was just an urban coconut legend? :)
Are you guys in the states? I’ve tried local asian shops, supermarkets and googled it but cant seem to find young coconuts in the UK. Can anyone help? Anyone know of a UK mail order cocnut distributer?
Well, let me just say this: do not buy coconuts unless they are labeled certified organic If it just says “pesticide free” like my health food store is, that doesn’t mean they didn’t dip the coconuts in formaldehyde.
Because I have noticed taste differences, certain coconuts may be dipped and others may be not. It’s best to check whether the coconut is certified organic. The coconuts are dipped to prevent the husk from browning, and that is why certified organic Thai coconuts have the husk trimmed off.
Hiya Mon46, your welcome. No, I don’t have extra fridge actually. I stuff them either on the sides of the fridge or in the pull-out bins at the bottom of the fridge, or divide them among the fridge and the freezer. Yes, the shell seems very hard, good point. I just noticed taste differences, but since there are many type of coconut palms, there may be slight taste differences between coconuts from different retailers. Yes, it might all be a rumor. We won’t know until we get them checked in every state. :)