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this
is our latest information link, this website is great!
www.2-clicks-coconut.com
www.coconut-connections.com
www.mercola.com
www.virgincoconutoil.co.uk
www.coconutoil-online.com
 What's the difference between
Refined and Virgin Coconut Oils?
Refined Coconut Oil
Most commercial grade coconut
oils are made from copra. Copra is basically the dried kernel (meat) of the
coconut. It can be made by: smoke drying, sun drying, or kiln drying , or
derivatives or a combination of these three. If standard copra is used as a
starting material, the unrefined coconut oil extracted from copra is not
suitable for consumption and must be purified, that is refined. This is because
the way most copra is dried is not sanitary. The standard end product made from
copra is RBD coconut oil. RBD stands for refined, bleached, and deodorized. High
heat is used to deodorize the oil, and the oil is typically filtered through
(bleaching) clays to remove impurities. Sodium hydroxide is generally used to
remove free fatty acids and prolong shelf life. This is the most common way to
mass-produce coconut oil. More modern methods also use chemical solvents to
extract all the oil from the copra for higher yields.
RBD oil is also sometimes
hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. This happens mostly in tropical
climates, since the natural melting point of coconut oil is about 76 degrees F,
and already naturally a solid in most colder climates. Since coconut oil is
mostly saturated, there is little unsaturated oil left to hydrogenate.
Hydrogenated oils contain trans fatty acids.
Virgin Coconut Oil
Virgin Coconut Oil
can only be achieved by using fresh coconut meat.
Chemicals and high heating are not used in further refining, since the natural,
pure coconut oil is very stable with a shelf life of several years. There are
currently two main processes of manufacturing Virgin Coconut Oil:
1. 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.
2. Wet-milling. With this method
the oil is extracted from fresh coconut meat without drying first. "Coconut
milk" is expressed first by pressing. The oil is then further separated from the
water. Methods which can be used to separate the oil from the water include
boiling, fermentation, refrigeration, enzymes and mechanical centrifuge.
3.The Wild Organic
way. Using a traditional method, which is more
time consuming but yields a much higher quality oil.
After the coconuts are collected into the work utility,
they are driven back to the production shed.
The coconuts are stored in the shade, where they are ready
to be cut in half by large knife called a machete.
They are then placed on a bench and the coconut meat is
grated out of the half shells, this is procedure is called wet milling.
The grated coconut is then spread out on a low heated
concrete bench, which dries out any left over coconut milk or moisture residue.
The heated bench is fuelled by coconut shells and husks. The grated coconut is
only on the bench for the shortest time to rid the meat of any immediate
moisture, the bench heat never rises over 45 degrees.
The then grated and dry coconut is pushed into a cylinder,
where it is pressed. Oil oozes out and collected.
Normally now the oil is re-heated to get rid of any
moisture. Wild Organic do not do this as it would destroy the coconut oil vital
components. They use a very traditional method where they pour the milk and oil
emulsion into drums where it is left for 3 weeks so the oil can come to the top,
this procedure is called sequestering. The clear untainted oil is then poured
from the top. Producing the highest quality of oil with a minimal moisture
content. This is very important as oils with high moisture content have only a
short shelf life.
The end result
is an amazing pure coconut oil, with a extraordinary long shelf life.
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