Protein-inspired porous resin for selective removal of organics from coconut water

Overview

This solution introduces a protein-inspired porous resin engineered to selectively remove specific organic compounds—lactones and aldehydes—from From Concentrate Coconut Water (FCCW). These organics are metabolic byproducts in coconuts that contribute to off-flavors and quality degradation in finished beverages. The technology draws inspiration from natural protein–small molecule binding interactions, translating them into synthetic peptide-based porous materials that offer a scalable, targeted approach to flavor compound management in coconut water processing.

The value proposition for beverage manufacturers and ingredient suppliers is a more selective and potentially cleaner alternative to broad-spectrum adsorbents currently used in liquid food processing. By mimicking the molecular recognition properties of proteins that naturally bind these target organics, the resin aims to improve sensory quality and shelf stability of coconut water products.

Technical specifications

Core approach:

• Computational screening of protein structures from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) to identify amino acid residues in contact with lactone and aldehyde molecules
• Recombination of key binding residues into engineered peptide sequences with predicted high affinity for target organics
• Computational structure prediction and binding evaluation to select top candidate sequences
• Chemical modification of selected peptides to enable programmed self-assembly into porous materials
• Scalable self-assembly process developed in the PI's laboratory (Park 2015) for producing porous peptide resins

Key features:

• Molecular specificity: Peptide sequences are designed based on natural protein binding pockets, providing selectivity for target off-flavor organics
• Porous architecture: Self-assembled porous structure maximizes surface area and binding capacity
• Scalable production: Builds on a demonstrated self-assembly method suitable for larger-scale resin manufacturing
• Food-processing relevance: Targets compounds directly relevant to coconut water quality

Technology readiness level

This technology is currently at an early research stage (TRL 2–3). The underlying hypotheses are supported by published precedent showing that peptides can be engineered from proteins to bind specific small molecules, and the PI has previously demonstrated a scalable method for self-assembling porous peptide materials. Future validation will proceed through computational peptide design, peptide synthesis and purification, resin fabrication via programmed self-assembly, and functional testing of lactone and aldehyde binding in real FCCW matrices. Successful completion of these steps would advance the technology toward pilot-scale evaluation and potential industry collaboration for food and beverage applications.