Extraction Of Virgin Coconut Oil

I live in a land that coconuts are grown along the seaside. Drinking fresh coconut water is really a blessing in Kota Kinabalu. Cheap and easily available.

My husband mentioned to me the benefits of virgin coconut oil (VCO) a few months ago. I didn't pay a lot of attention as I was taught that coconut oil has bad cholesterol. VCO came to my attention when I was trying to find out why sometimes my wok smokes a lot. Finally I found out that the type of oil used was the culprit. I read about smoke point of different oil, and how heat can damage the oil. Now I know that different type of oil has different smoke point. Once the oil passed its smoke point, the oil becomes damage and harmful to our body. For example, olive oil is meant to be good for our body. However, if we heat olive oil in high temperature, the good oil becomes bad oil.

Back to VCO. At the tip of Borneo in Kudat and Kota Marudu, the locals plant a lot of coconut trees. They are hard-core poor farmers. A few NGO helped to set up a VCO processing centre for the locals to extract VCO. I remember when I was young, I went to Keningau as my aunties and uncle were living there. They kept coconut oil in the house as disinfectant like iodine. The locals always apply coconut oil on their hair. The coconut oil smelt very bad. Because of that, I have never like coconut oil. However, VCO changes my perception. My brother in law brought along some boiled vegetables sprinkled with VCO on Saturday night. The VCO smelt 清香fragrant。I love it.

Again, back to VCO. Now I understand the coconut oil extraction method can affect the type of coconut oil quality. Apparently, VCO doesn't go through high temperature heating. It involves a simple process.

First, 10-15 matured coconuts are grated using the grater machine. The grated coconut is then sun-dried for three hours, after which it is ready for oil extraction. The dried coconut is fed into the oil expeller machine, and then cold-pressed to extract oil that flows down into a container. It is then filtered to obtain clean oil. And the end result is virgin coconut oil—pure, raw and crystal clear, without any chemicals added, and with a sweet aroma.

There is no heat treatment—the grated coconut is dried naturally in sunlight. This differs from refined coconut oil (hydrogenated coconut oil), obtained by boiling the copra of which the oil is yellow in colour with a thick odour.

VCO can be obtained through traditional fermentation method, involving the natural separation of the coconut oil from water using gravity. This can be done at home. First, coconut milk is expressed from freshly harvested coconuts. The coconut milk is then allowed to sit for approximately half a day. The water separates from the oil and sinks to the bottom, while the lighter coconut solids float to the top. In between the coconut solids and the water is a crystal clear layer of completely unrefined coconut oil. The oil is warmed for a short time to remove any remaining moisture, and then filtered. The result is a clear coconut oil that retains the distinct scent and taste of coconuts.

There are many claims that VCO provide many benefits. I am yet to try it out, for my aging skin, my gum and the old age spot. Since it is easily available, I should give it a try.