Kochi, Sep 26 (IANS): State-run Coconut Development Board (CDB) on Saturday launched flavoured coconut milk in pistachio, rose and chocolate flavours.

The launch took place at the CDB headquarters here in Kerala and was placed before representatives of various coconut farmers organisations.

The CDB said coconut milk was lactose-free unlike regular milk.

It announced that other flavours like coffee and almond would be launched soon.

The flavoured milk has been developed by the CDB Institute of Technology in Aluva and will be available in attractive glass bottles, tetrapacks and pet bottles.

In a statement issued here, the CDB said coconut milk was a healthy, vegan and environment-friendly alternative to dairy milk, and has several nutritional advantages and serves as a superior source of essential nutrients.

Coconut milk serves as a much richer source of niacin, also called vitamin B-3 compared to regular milk.

Niacin, along with other B-complex vitamins, helps metabolize nutrients in food.

This new product has also been identified as a rich source of iron and copper and is lower in sugar than dairy milk, which is beneficial for limiting carbohydrates in diet.

Dairy milk contains lactose, a type of sugar difficult for many people to digest, while coconut milk does not contain lactose and is lower in carbohydrates, thus helpful for people with lactose intolerance.

The flavoured coconut milk has stabilized fat content of 3-5 percent and is rich in proteins such as albumin, globulin and gluten.

The processing technology for the flavoured milk will be shared shortly with the coconut farmers organisations and other prospective private entrepreneurs, it said.