Organic Facts of Refined Coconut Oil! Know Them before Using

Celebes

Refined coconut oil is one of the most widely available and used form of coconut oil across the world. The oil that is expelled directly from copra is not fit for consumption at all since it may contain dust particles, microbes, insect remains, spawns, fungal spores and many other such substances that may be harmful for health. You may wonder how these foreign substances get into coconut oil. If you have ever seen how coconut kernels are dried into copra, you would understand. In almost every case, the kernels are cut open and spread open in the strong sun to dry, with their flesh facing the sun. They are kept like that for days, weeks, or even months until they dry up as desired. They are not even covered with nets. Perhaps now you can imagine what happens in that time. Dust and every other possible inedible substance could fall into them at any time.

Moreover, all those curious insects, rodents, birds, and other animals pay regular visits to see, or rather taste, what’s happening. Again, in the absence of sufficiently strong sunshine or in cloudy weather, there are plenty of chances for fungal growth in the kernels, which are neither thrown away nor cleaned before the oil is extracted. Basically, you are left with no choice but to clean the oil instead for your own safety.

Extraction of Refined Coconut Oil

There is no special technique involved in the extraction of refined coconut oil. In fact, no coconut oil is refined when it is expelled. It is expelled from copra using a bullock or machine driven expeller, just like any other oil.

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Refining, Bleaching & Deodorizing Coconut Oil – Another Name of Refined Coconut Oil

You must be wondering why refined coconut oil is named as RBD coconut oil or Refining, Bleaching & Deodorizing Coconut Oil. It’s because the crude oil is first repeatedly filtered to obtain a clean filtrate. The oil is also bleached in the process as this filtration is done using calcareous clays. Then, it is heated to a very high temperature which serves a dual purpose. It deodorizes the oil while also killing the germs or fungal spores within it. Later, sodium hydroxide is added to it and it is further filtered to remove the fat contents. Finally, it is hydrogenated to make sure that no unsaturated fatty acids are left in the oil which elongates the shelf life considerably.

That’s why refined coconut oil generally less expensive than unrefined coconut oil and can be commonly found in grocery stores as well.

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