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DATA · GLOSSARY · PROCESSING

What is retting?

Coir glossary · Updated 2026-09-22 · Also in Português →

Traditional method of soaking coconut husks in water for weeks to months before fiber extraction. Retting softens the mesocarp tissue and facilitates fiber separation. Historically practiced in coastal lagoons and backwaters in South and Southeast Asia. If the water source is brackish or saline, retting can introduce high levels of sodium and chloride into the coir, raising EC in the final product.

Retting: equivalents.

PT: maceração · ES: macerado / enriado

Source: Embrapa · Cadena. Definition from the Carve coir glossary, where the full source list is given.

Related terms.

Washing: Passing fresh water through coir pith to remove soluble salts — primarily potassium (K+), sodium (Na+) and chloride…

Expansion ratio: Volume of hydrated substrate obtained per kilogram of dry compressed coir product.

Dry mechanical processing: Method of separating fiber and pith from coconut husk using mechanical equipment without prior water retting.

See also: Coir Pith · back to the coir glossary.

CARVE
About this page. Part of the coir glossary maintained by Carve Biorrefinaria Agroindustrial Ltda, a coir pith and fiber producer in Paraipaba, Ceará, Brazil. Corrections: [email protected].