Coconut oil
Coconut oil becomes quite popular in these years, various researchers claim that coconut oil can do almost everything from providing weight loss to reducing the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. Many producers start to utilize coconut oil in various packaged products. While many people utilize it for cooking purposes. Numerous products such as sweet foods, fried foods, coffee, shampoo, smoothies consist of coconut oil. Coconut oil consists of 80% of saturated fat. Few experts link saturated fats with cardiovascular and a few other diseases.
The results of a study in the United States reveal that 72% of people think that coconut oil is healthy, but not just 37% of the dieticians and nutritionists agree. Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest the limitation of eating of saturated fats under 10% of the calories each day. This refers that someone who is following 2000 calories a day diet should consume no more than 20 grams per day of saturated fat. You can use coconut oil for daily cooking purposes. (1)
Coconut oil is edible and extracts from the coconut dried meat, the coconut palm of the fruit. Coconut oil is semi-liquid that melts at the temperature of 23 °C and is a yellowish-white liquid. While other oils get from fish sources or plant sources, coconut oil contains a less percentage of unsaturated fatty acids and more than 90% of saturated fat. It does not consist of cholesterol. It is also utilized for various industrial purposes that include the manufacturing of detergents, soaps, shampoos, glycerin, and synthetic rubber. After the refining to exclude the deodorizing and free fatty acids, it uses in edible fats like vegetable shortenings and margarine.
Coconut oil gets from dried coconut meat, also called copra that crushes and cleans. An essential food that utilizes coconut oil that appears from the high percentage of lauric acid (40-45%). The fresh coconut meat is nearly 50% water and 30-40% oil, more dried copra consist of 4-5 % moisture content and 63-70% oil. The oil extracts from the copra are mainly by solvent extraction and pressing.
The crude product contains the characteristics of coconut odor. It also resists rancidity and oxidation. Bakers and confectioners utilize refined coconut oil in making products that might stand for some time after preparing. The oil has an extreme smoke point that also allows foods to be sautéed or fried at high temperatures. Coconut oil comprises the main commercial products of coconut oil. It uses in hair oil, cooking fat, industrial oil, and body oil. It exclusively prepares for industrial uses and is variously used in the preparation of chocolates, margarine, biscuits, ice creams, and confectionery products. (2)
It is also utilized for the preparation of pharmaceutical agents and paints. Desirable functions such as resistance to rancidity, low melting point, easy digestibility, and pleasant flavor make it an amazing ingredient in the industry of food. Coconut oil is a chemical source like methyl esters, fatty acids, and fatty alcohol. For toiletry and cooking purposes, it is utilized commonly in the filtration of coconut oil. Virgin coconut oil, which is rich-quality oil, is prepared from the extraction of milk from the raw kernel. This kind of coconut oil is desirable for massage for babies. (3)