Ensuring coconut oil purity

Coconut oil is a value ingredient in food and oleochemical products and high quality bleaching earths and activated carbon are needed in an optimum ratio to ensure a good quality oil

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a tropical plant which has been used as a source of cooking oil for centuries and, more recently, for producing food, cosmetics, medicines and various other products.

Coconut oil is made from coconut meat which is sun-dried or heat-treated to produce copra.

Oil is extracted from copra by means of mechanical pressing or solvent extraction, which is then refined through physical or chemical treatment.

In the case of virgin coconut oil, only fresh mature coconut meat is used, which is wet or dried for extraction through mechanical pressing, without further refinement to maintain the unique fresh aroma of coconut oil.

Market and producers

Currently, the main producers of coconut oil include India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, while the top importers are the European Union (EU) and the USA.

Coconut oil is extensively used in commercial food processing and in the oleochemical industry, as it offers advantageous chemical properties such as a high lauric acid content that is otherwise only found in palm kernel oil. That makes it unique among edible oils.

Despite the potential impact of coconut oil on cardiovascular health due to its high saturated fat content, it is high in medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) and therefore easier to digest than other types of edible oils.