%0 Journal Article
%T Innovative Integrated Wet Process for Virgin Coconut Oil Production
%A M.A. Hamid
%A M.R. Sarmidi
%A T.H. Mokhtar
%A W.R.W. Sulaiman
%J Journal of Applied Sciences
%D 2011
%I Asian Network for Scientific Information
%X During the recent years, increased interest on the development of the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) has been observed. This is to maximize the benefit of the multifunctional traditionally used coconut. VCO is rich in the Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFAs) that have been shown to speed up the metabolism. Almost 50% of the fatty acid in virgin coconut oil is in form of lauric acid. This fatty acid has wide application as wide spectrum of antimicrobial substances against fungi, bacteria and viruses. Moreover, the fatty acid profile of coconut oil shares the similar characteristic with breast milk. The MCFAs in coconut oil are not stored in the body cells but rather processed directly in the liver where they are converted immediately into energy. The present study describes the process for VCO production through integrated wet process. The novel features of this process is the production of virgin coconut oil itself which can minimize the time, cost, energy and man power as well as can maximize the yield and improve the quality of coconut oil. The VCO obtained by this process contribute about 30-40% wt/wt of yield which is 10-20% higher than conventional method. The physical characteristics of VCO along this process shows that the VCO is colorless, retain fresh coconut aroma and sweet coconut taste with the highest content of lauric acid (49.85%). Besides that, the result also indicates the presence of vitamin E VCO. In general, the overall results for sensory analysis were acceptable in terms of aroma and taste of the product.
%K Virgin Conconut Oil (VCO)
%K Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFAs)
%K integrated wet process
%K antimicrobial
%U http://docsdrive.com/pdfs/ansinet/jas/2011/2467-2469.pdf