Coconut (Cocos nucifera) Oil

Abstract

The coconut (Cocos nucifera L., family Arecaceae) is an important fruit tree in the world. Copra, the dried kernel, is mainly used for oil extraction. Coconut oil is one of the most important edible oils for domestic use. The oil is rich in medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) and exhibits good digestibility. Different coconut oils are produced from different parts of coconut by different means. Copra as well as refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) oils are produced from dried coconut kernel, with a difference that RBD oil undergoes chemical refinement and bleaching. The brown testa of the coconut is used for the preparation of coconut testa oil (CTO), which is actually a byproduct of coconut oil preparation. Compared to corpa oil (CO) and RBD oils, virgin coconut oil (VCO) is extracted depend on a “wet method” using fresh coconut milk. As there is no specific method of preparation of VCO has been established, all types of preparations that do not involve refinement and alterations in the oil are considered as a virgin. This chapter will cover the preparation of different oils from coconut, chemistry of coconut oils, blending of coconut oil with other edible oils and biological activities of coconut oils.