From Africa Recovery, Vol.14#3 (October 2000), Watch page

COCONUT WATER
FAO secures patent for tropical product

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has joined the list of contenders for food-related patents that can affect African and other developing countries. The UN agency has been granted a patent in the United Kingdom for long-life coconut water. It has announced that it will share the information with all interested producers rather than seek to make a profit.

A favourite in coastal tropical regions, fresh coconut water is tasty and full of the salts, sugars and vitamins that might make it popular with athletes. Once exposed to air it deteriorates rapidly. Current processing techniques cook out the flavour along with bacteria. FAO's process -- a form of cold sterilization -- may make coconut water a new star in the world's $1 bn sports drink market and bring a new source of income to poor producers in developing regions.

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