Comparative Study: Physico-Chemical Properties of Virgin Coconut Oil Using Various Culture

Abstract

Using various culture to produce Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) by applied fermentation methods are important aspect impacted on characteristic of VCO. The objective of this research is to investigate the physico-chemical properties of VCO produced by various culture. The cultures were used in fermentation methods are Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Rhizopus oligosporus . Research activities were conducted in two stages; the first stage was the production of VCO by fermentation at 35 o C for 24 hours. Then, physico-chemical properties of products were analyzed using standart methods. Results showed that moisture content, acid number and iodine number of VCO produced using Saccharomyces cerevisiae lower than others. Density, viscosity and peroxide number has almost the same value. Nevertheless, all of physico-chemical properties conform to the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) and Standar Nasional Indonesia for VCO product. Keywords — culture, fermentation, physico-chemical properties , quality , Virgin Coconut Oil .