Coconut Oil - Unique & Healthy

Branded coconut oil in consumer packs

Coconut oil finds extensive use in food, toiletry and industrial sectors because of its unique characteristics. The numerous qualities of coconut oil reported are:

Oil of natural origin
Edible in raw form
Saturated and stable
Pleasing flavour
Light colour
Pleasant aroma
Biodegradable
High resistance to oxidative rancidity
Sharp melting behaviour
Narrow temperature range of melting
Skin friendly oil
Effective heat transfer agent in frying
Better shelf life for fried product
Contributes to palatability
Ideal for deep frying
Ideal confectionery fat
Provides moisture barrier and imparts high gloss for bakery items in spray oil use
Carrier and protective agent for fat soluble vitamins
Low viscosity
Superior baby oil
Oldest and most widely used cosmetic raw material
Contains 91 per cent assimilable glycerides
Maximum glycerine content
Easily saponifiable even in cold
Good emollient on skin, skull and hair
Gives softness and suppleness to skin on regular massaging
Spreads easily on the skin when used as massage oil
Excellent base for hair oil
Provides gloss to hair
Germicidal and antimicrobial property
Lowers evaporative loss of water from skin
Protects skin from heat
Ready penetration into the skin and appreciable water absorbing property
Nourishes the hair roots and provides coolness to the body
Imparts hardness and lathering property to soaps
Illuminant and lubricant
Does not leave a smoky flame if used in open lamps
Only slight changes on hydrogenation
Blends well with other oils
Easily hydrolyses
Highest saponification value and lowest iodine value
Potential fatty raw material in chemical industry due to its biodegradable nature
Excellent fat source in the preparation of filled milk and infant food formulae
Essential for the manufacture of toilet soaps, shaving cream, liquid soaps,
natural shampoo and other cosmetics
Desirable emulsifying property
No harmful effects due to reheating
Can be converted into diesel fuel
Essential ingredient in ghee substitutes
Contains fatty acid derivatives such as monoglycerides, fatty esters, polyol esters, fatty ethanolamide, ethoxylates, polysorbates and betaines
Contains fatty alcohol derivatives such as fatty chlorides, fatty alcohol sulphate and fatty alcohol ether sulphate.

Nutritional / Medicinal

Easy digestibility and absorbability
Ideal energy source in baby foods
Contains Vitamin E
Composed mainly of short and medium chain fatty acids which have
desirable qualities and functions
Does not contain cholesterol
Reduced fat accumulation in body
Easily oxidized and therefore a preferred energy source
Requires no transport system to absorb, digest and metabolize
Very low content of Omega 6 fatty acid
Helps maintain healthy ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids when
consumed as a part of diet
Rich content of lauric acid, the source of disease fighting fatty acid
derivative monolaurin
Contains 6-8 per cent monounsaturated oleic acid
Inhibitory effect against certain chemical carcinogens
Superior antigenotoxic activity

Studies undertaken by the Biochemistry Department,
University of Kerala showed that coconut oil:

Does not elevate blood total cholesterol
Increases blood HDL cholesterol
Consumed along with coconut kernel lowers blood cholesterol
Does not elevate LDL cholesterol or LDL cholesterol / HDL cholesterol ratio
Decreases serum triglycerides

What the Tradition says

The property of an oil follows the source from which it is extracted.

Coconut fruit belongs to the sweet group. Sweet is creative of Kapha and which acts against Vata and Pitta.

Regarding the properties of the fruits of the sweet group, Vagbhata says "They are builders, heavy and cooling. They are with sweet taste and in post digestion also sweet. They are unctuous but a bit holding up of bowels; good to release burning sensation, to heal lesions and hurts due to accidents, etc. It clears bloods and subsides Pitta (the heat). It promotes Kapha and semen (improves sexual potency)".

"Coconut fruit is agreeable to heart", says Gunapadom, a Kerala text.

Newsletter on Coconut and coconut oil - COCONUT INSIGHTS - Vol 1