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Glossary
- Aflatoxins:
- Airborne moulds that grow in oily (lipid) mediums.
- Copra:
- The dried meat of the coconut; produced by cutting coconuts in half and
opening them up to dry under the sun.
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- Cold Pressing:
- Refers to the initial extraction of an oil emulsion from host material. A
refined, bleached or deodorized oil can be cold pressed in the standard
definition of the term. See also "Purification" below. Marketers
now employ the term "cold pressed" to imply 'naturalness' and
'chemical free' status to a variety of substances.
- Crude Oil (or copra oil):
- Crude coconut oil is the basic industrial grade oil processed from copra
(dried coconut meat) by expeller press and solvent extraction. Without
refinement, its shelf life is lower and colour/odour render it unsuitable
for use in cosmetics or food.
- Fractionated Coconut Oil:
- These oils are specific fractions or parts of refined coconut oils. Crude
or RBD oil is hydrolyzed to separate glycerin and coconut fatty acids. The
coconut fatty acids are fractionated to separate higher melting point from
lower melting point triglycerides. In theory, separating and concentrating
specific fatty acids allow users to create an oil with specific attributes.
- Hydrogenated Coconut Oil:
- This is a hardened refined coconut oil which yields a more solid texture
for use in confectioneries and capsulated products. Hydrogenation is
generally carried out with high pressure, high temperature, addition of
nickel catalyst, and further refining. It is more stable to oxidation and
has a higher melting point ( 96°F) compared to RBD oil. Other names:
"Coconut 96".
- Organic Coconut Oil:
- Organic coconut oil is certified to be produced in accordance with
guidelines established by bona fide certifying organizations. It may be made
from copra and refined provided the solvents, fertilizer and pesticides used
are of organic origin and approved by the certifying organization.
- Premium Coconut Oil*:
- A high quality unrefined oil derived by means of a process invented for
small scale, community based operations using fermentation, 'fast drying
method', DME (direct micro expeller) or similar technology. Fast drying and
DME dry fresh coconut meat in a low temperature drier before pressing
in an expeller. Oil is recovered by sedimentation/decantation methods
without applying chemicals or solvents. Traditional village methods, press
fresh coconut meat to obtain oil emulsion and use a combination of
sedimentation / heating to separate out the remaining water content.
- Caveat:
- Products described as "natural", "expeller pressed" or
"cold pressed" may or may not be chemically treated. There are
many oils (not just coconut oil) that are marketed as 'natural' or 'cold
pressed' which are in fact refined using heat or chemical means after the
initial pressing. Some marketers are also describing as "virgin"
oils that have been heated (pasteurized just below boiling temperature) in
processing.
- Purification:
- A second stage of oil production where crude oils are separated from
extraneous components such as excess water, smell, discoloration or
contamination. Refining is one method of purification. This stage of oil
production is not included or considered when "cold pressing" is
mentioned.
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- RBD:
- RBD is refined, bleached and deodorized coconut oil. Crude oil is treated
with alkali to remove free fatty acids, subjecting it to steam under vacuum
to remove odours and flavours and filtering with carbon to decolorize yellow
or dark colours. RBD is an edible oil used in food and cosmetic
applications. It is also known as Coconut oil 76 for its melting point of
76°F.
- Refining:
- A second stage of oil production where crude oils (and this includes all
vegetable oils) are subjected to combinations of heat, chemicals or enzyme
treatments to correct problems of smell, discoloration or contamination.
- Virgin Oil de Coco-Crème™:
- Literally 'untouched oil' extracted from coconut milk. Raw material for
oil recovery is high grade fresh coconut meat (not copra). Oil Extraction
achieved via 'coconut wet-milling' process which uses cold pressing to
obtain an emulsion and centrifugation to separate oil from water content. At
no stage in the entire process from pressing to purification are heat or
chemical treatments used.
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Processing Technologies:
- Standard process:
- A two stage process where crude oil is
extracted from copra and then refined to eliminate impurities /
contaminants. Copra is produced by cutting coconuts in half and then opening
them up to dry under the sun for several days, or else they are smoke dried.
Dried copra is transported to a processing plant, often overseas from the
country of origin, where it is ground to a pulp and then pressed to squeeze
out oil. The residue or "copra cake" is then treated with solvents
to extract the remaining oil and increase the recovery rate. The result is
crude coconut oil which is the basic industrial grade oil. Copra often picks
up Aflatoxins while drying under the sun and the normally white coconut meat
becomes discoloured and picks up a strong odour. In addition to quality
degradation, resistance to rancidity is lowered. A second stage of
processing is required to deal with these problems in order for the oil to
be used in cosmetic or food applications. High temperature, bleaching and
solvents used to treat these problems. RBD, hydrogenated and most of the
fractionated coconut oils pass through this latter refining stage.
- Traditional 'Village methods':
- Fresh white meat (of the coconut) is minced
and pressed to obtain an emulsion. Oil is extracted from this emulsion
either by boiling or decantation / heating which removes water content. The
oil obtained is fresh, pure and free of Aflatoxins. The drawback to the
process is that boiling or heating destroys some components of the oil
including vitamin e and tocopherols which are needed for stability and
protection against rancidity.
- 'Wet Milling' Process:
- A technology designed to produce a fresh pure
oil on a large scale while preserving all of its natural functionality.
Several methods have been proposed and so far only one, 'coconut
wet-milling' has been developed for large scale production. Wet process
technology extracts oil by mechanical means only; without high temperature,
chemical, or enzymatic treatment. It is a natural process, as the physical
or chemical characteristics of the coconut oil is not altered in any way.
The result is a high quality, unrefined virgin oil which conserves all of
the functional qualities of coconut oil. The disadvantage to the wet process
is that the yield tends to be lower than that of other methods like solvent
extraction. This along with the need to use high quality raw materials
translate into a higher product cost.
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