Production of Virgin Coconut Oil (Vco) Via Water Soluble Materials : Fatty acid composition; dispersed phase; virgin coconut oil (VCO); centrifugation; demulsification; GC-MS

The conventional ways of breaking emulsions using heat is disadvantageous from both economic and environmental perspectives. In this study, the quality of virgin coconut oil (VCO) produced from the water soluble materials and centrifugation method of coconut milk from freshly harvested coconuts was investigated and the Separation and filtration of the oil from the cream after centrifugation. Analysis was carried out by HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography). The oil recovery was about 25-30% of the volume of coconut milk. The oil was colourless, had natural sweet taste, and free from turbidity and rancidity. Its acid value (0.26-0.43 mg KOH/g oil), and refractive index at 40 oC (1.448-1.449) indicated good quality. Comparison of the fatty acid profile between VCNO and commercial grade edible coconut oil showed that VCNO had higher concentration of short and medium chain fatty acids and lower concentrations of long chain fatty acids than the commercial grade edible coconut oil.