The Truth about the Virgin Coconut Oil

by: Gemma C. Delmo

The virgin coconut oil, a viscous liquid extracted from fresh coconut meat, is now selling like hotcakes nationwide. Due to its reported therapeutic claims, Filipinos are scurrying to buy this coconut by-product and eager to try its "wonders".

Despite its popularity, some people are still harboring the bad image spread during the early ‘70's and 8o's re the virgin coconut oil. Others are also in doubt of its "healing" qualities, saying it could be another health blunder like the apatong fruit A.K.A. Noni Juice, thought to cure cancer but was later discovered to be a health hazard.

Dr. Conrado Dayrit*, a medical specialist who has been conducting studies on virgin coconut oil since the 1960s, explains the nature of this new health phenomenon. "Virgin coconut oil is coconut oil," he says. "The difference is just that when you say virgin, it did not pass the copra process. 

You just press the oil from the rest of the meat content. The process is done by separating the oil from the coconut meat as soon as it has been opened. "Though similar in character, Dr. Dayrit distinguishes the difference of the refined coconut oil and the virgin coconut oil. ”The process of making ordinary coconut oil is through copra. Then to get the oil as we know now, chemicals and extreme heat is applied to remove the stench of the copra and to bleach it to make the oil clearer. In a nutshell that is how the ordinary cooking oil is made. In the case of virgin coconut oil, little heat is applied and the smell and the taste of the coconut are preserved to maintain its natural state. It contains no additives and it did not alter the nature of the oil malting it pure. It is also good for cosmetic and medicinal purposes because its texture is not heavy, thus it is even better,” he adds.

Mount Banahaw Health Products Corporation shows in its website the three main processes of manufacturing virgin coconut oil.  First is the quick drying of fresh coconut meat which is then used to press out the oil. Using this method, minimal heat is used to quick dry the coconut meat and the oil is then pressed out via mechanical means. The second one is through wet milling. This process extracts the coconut milk from the fresh fruit and then separates the oil residue from the water through boiling, fermentation, refrigeration, enzymes and mechanical centrifuge. The third and current process used by t he company is the traditional fermentation method wherein freshly-harvested coconuts are fermented for 24-36 hours where water is gradually separated from the oil during this period. Oil is slightly heated for a few hours to remove moisture and filtered afterwards to create a clear oil extract but retaining the authentic taste and scent.

Renowned biochemist and nutritionist Dr. Mary Enig reveals that the virgin coconut oil is indeed healthy oil because it contains anti-microbial properties. In the website CoconutInfo.com, Dr. Enig writes that approximately 50 percent of coconut oil is mostly of medium chain fatty acid. One of its constituent is called lauric acid a known antibacterial and antifungal component. Lauric acid when mixed with monoglyceride becomes monolaurine that has the same molecular structure as mother's milk, called "collustrum". Monolaurin is anti-viral, antibacterial, antifungal and antiprotozoal. Monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as lamblia. Some studies have also shown antimicrobial effects on the free lauric acid. To verify this study, our local health officials conducted its own clinical test in San Lazaro Hospital by giving a daily 50 milliliter dose of virgin coconut oil to HIV-afflicted patients. After three to six months, 50 percent of the patients have decreased their viral count with one of them miraculously recovered from the dreaded virus. Though no official claim yet was made by the researchers, the trial was, at any rate, a convincing theory that virgin coconut oil can indeed be curative.  In line with this experiment, the virgin coconut oil also was applied to tuberculosis and leprosy patients and garnered favorable results after a few months. Jon J. Kabarra, PhD and Professor Emeritus from Michigan State University likewise echo the findings of Dr,

Enig. He says that "it is so important to emphasize the value of lauric oils. The medium-chain fats in coconut oil are similar to fats in a mother's milk and have nutriceutical effects."

In comparison to other "edible, healthy oils' such as canola, soy, olive and corn, Dr. Dayrit relates that virgin coconut oil is safer because it doesn't contain trans-fatty acids, one of the main causes of heart ailments. The mentioned edible oils contain a high dosage of trans-fatty acids. "Trans-fatty acids are unnatural to the body and these can be poisonous because the body doesn't have the enzymes to break it down. The virgin coconut oil as well as the refined coconut oil, on the other hand, contains essential fatty acids, which if burned, creates the energy which is needed by the body," he says.

The tree of life

Americans, which are heavy users of canola, soy, olive and corn oils, are among those who have the highest rate of heart disease, according to Dr. Dayrit. He tells that since the 1950s, heart disorders have increased by 8oo percent in the USA. 'The Americans have reduced their smoking, and drinking, plus they maintain a low carbohydrate, low protein diet, and yet they are still prone to heart ailments. I believe that this is because of their diet which is full of saturated fat." This statement is supported by a study Presented by CoconutOil.com that traditional Asian cultures that eat significant amounts of coconut in their diet do not suffer from modern diseases seen in western cultures that promote a low-fat diet. Jing Reyes, manager of the Manila Herbal and Essential Oil Company Incorporated, one of the country's leading herbal oil producers and who also maintains a coconut plantation in Davao, explains how virgin coconut oil safely circulates around the body. “Since the virgin coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid, it does not produce cholesterol. Once the medium chain fatty acid is inside the body, it goes directly to the liver and from the liver; it goes out and becomes an immediate source of energy. It doesn't circulate around the body. On the other hand, oils from corn, canola, olive and peanut are called long chain fatty acids and they go through the stomach, go to the liver then on to different tissues and organs such as the heart, the spleen, the kidney and then back from every part of the body to the liver. And that's how cholesterol is produced. "The Manila Herbal and Essential Oil Company Incorporated has been producing virgin coconut oil for three years and is the first to introduce the virgin coconut oil to the domestic market.

As a major component in food processing, coconut oil was once prominent in the Western countries until the seventies when it was reported to contain high percentage of cholesterol. This negative campaign pulled down exports and even local consumer demand “It was perhaps the biggest setback ever to the coconut oil sector," relates Reyes. "Imagine, coconut oil was one of our top export products before that negative publicity. I thought it was the end for the industry."

However, experts since then hive refuted these findings. According to Dr. Enig, the negative studies found on the coconut oil in the past were done on hydrogenated coconut oil, which has been altered from its original form. In fact, the saturated fat which was found in the coconut oil is the medium chain fatty acids, which is beneficial to the human body. One study revealed that this campaign's motive was to ruin the image of coconut oil in favor of other crops, particularly soy.

Nevertheless, it took a long while before people were convinced that virgin coconut oil is indeed safe and free of the dreaded cholesterol. Dr. Dayrit laments that the government did not do anything to disprove this off-putting claim. As a matter of fact, the virgin coconut oil is not a new fad. "We're not working on a new study. The Philippine government has been alerted to this and now they are attending to something they should have done fifty years ago. I think that the saddest thing is to readily accept what the Americans said that coconut oil is bad, without making a research to dispute the claim." It is interesting to note that according to Dr. Dayrit, foreign-based researchers like Dr. Mary Enig, Dr. Jon Kabarra and Dr. Bruce Fife did the research and contradicted the negative findings of the Americans. The esteemed doctor was the only Filipino who made a research but was not completed. He likewise envies the palm oil sector in Malaysia for the support it gets from their government. "Look at the difference between the coconut oil and palm oil. The Malaysians established PORIM or Palm Oil Research institute of Malaysia. For every drop of palm oil, a certain percent of the revenue is earmarked for the research of PORIM to support any bad publicity should there be one. They got the best scientists from Europe and the US. Our coconut industry was not supported that way." Dr. Dayrit points out that if the Westerners do not want our virgin coconut oil, we can focus instead on Asia where market potentials are vast. "Considering that China and India alone are two countries that have large populations, Asia alone can consume all our coconut oil. We shouldn't be relying too much on US and Europe.

Jing Reyes says that 'there are only three established producers of virgin coconut oil in the country, stressing that there is no industry yet for the valued oil. "Because of the black propaganda, manufacturers are wary of its acceptance in the wider market. To achieve a good quality oil one would need a laboratory and chemists to assure consumers that the oil being delivered is good quality virgin coconut that is free of microbes, a very important thing."

Reyes also emphasized the importance of information dissemination to encourage more Filipinos to discover other uses of the virgin coconut oil. "This is to encourage the creativity of the Filipinos because we have a rich source of virgin coconut oil. Through this, we can also help our coconut farmers to establish more community-based projects particularly in the rural areas."

Better research and development will also determine if the virgin coconut oil will flourish in the future. "The new studies disputing the negative findings in the past are a big help in verifying the genuine nature of the coconut oil. The success of the industry depends on the oil that will be delivered to the public. So the producers should be very careful and assure the buyers of their product and an industry that could last for a lifetime."

THERE ARE SEVERAL METHODS TO PRODUCE VIRGIN COCONUT OIL (VCNO), but it can only be produced by using fresh coconut or the non-copra meat. Whatever method is used, it is necessary to reduce the final moisture of the oil to 0.1 percent or less. This is necessary to prevent the oil from becoming rancid.

The manner in which the requirement is met depends on the extraction methods used as described below:

(1) Traditional hand-pressed/Homemade

In this process, fresh coconut meat is grated and pressed to produce coconut milk, which is allowed to settle for 24-36 hours.

During this time, the water and solid content are separated from the oil. The oil is then heated for a short time to remove moisture, and then it is filtered.

(2) Direct Micro Expeller

The oil is extracted from fresh grated Coconut in which is first dried and then pressed by mechanical means.

Since there is still moisture in the coconut meat, the mixture is allowed to stand so that the oil separates from the water.

Minimal heat is used to remove the remaining water. This oil generally has a light to medium texture and a more consistent fragrance and flavor.

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