Question

Mango and coconut are ‘drupe’ type of fruits. In mango fleshy mesocarp is edible. What is the edible part of coconut? What does milk of tender coconut represent?

Answer 1

Parts of coconut

Coconut is drupe fruit, with pericarp differentiated into :-

* Outer thin skin of epicarp

* Middle fleshy and fibrous mesocarp

* Inner endocarp

Edible part

The edible part of the coconut is the endosperm which is the white fleshy portion found within the seed.

Milk of tender coconut

The milk of tender coconut represents the endosperm in the liquid form (free nuclear endosperm). Later, it gets deposited and forms edible flesh.