Fruit beverages blends have been consumed for the balance between nutrients and flavor. The coconut water to replace water is a more natural solution and an option for blending in the fruit beverages. The present study aimed to develop fruit beverages using coconut water as a base, guava, watermelon, and was added apple juice as natural sweetener. Experimental design was used for the development of beverages, considering a factorial design 22, followed by the physicochemical and sensory analysis. The guava fruit was highlighted on antioxidant capacity results compared with the watermelon fruit, in the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (86.0 ± 2.5 and 11.7 ± 4.5% of reduction, respectively) and in the 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (31.7 ± 0.0 μmol trolox/g 12.8 ± 1.6 μmol trolox/g, respectively). The physicochemical results of the blends revealed that the beverages with guava (0.5 ± 0.0%) are more acidic than those with watermelon (0.2 ± 0.0%), indicating the impact of the intrinsic characteristics of each fruit in the final composition. According to the results of the sensory analysis and response surface methodology, verified the potential optimized formulas contain in their composition 40 g of fruit, 30 g of coconut water, and 30 g of apple juice per 100 mL of beverage, this composition affected the sensory acceptance of the beverages. Our findings indicated the fruit beverages with coconut water have functional attributes, sensory acceptance and can be used as one more option for beverages category.

Coconut water (Cocos nucifera L.) is an undiluted, non-fermented beverage obtained from the liquid part of the coconut fruit. It is a versatile product in the industry and has been growing economically due to its functional character. The objective is to identify in the scientific literature different aspects of coconut water production and its nutritional characteristics applied to health. A narrative review of the literature was carried out, using the databases Scielo, Scopus, Repositório Alice da EMBRAPA, Periódicos CAPES and Google academic, applying the descriptors, coconut water, nutrition, composition, health, health benefits, economy, pasteurization, ultrapressure, ultrasound, ozone and their respective names in English, considering the Boolean operators “OR” and “AND”. Titles and abstracts were screened, considering the eligibility criteria: full text available in English and/or Portuguese; paid and/or free access; dissertations and theses, narrative, systematic review, observational and longitudinal studies, including clinical trials. Non-thermal processing methods were effective in maintaining the shelf life of the beverage, however ultrapressure showed alterations in the physical functionality and/or changes in the color of protein-rich foods. The presence of phytohormones, vitamins and amino acids was detected, which are responsible for the antioxidant property of the product, as well as the beneficial effects on health. New studies are proposed to evaluate the effects of coconut water on human health, as it is a drink with market potential and accessible to consumers.