Coconut oil purification using two different concentrations of activated charcoal

Abstract

The coconut oil that is traditionally processed is made by the heating process and normally is not neutralized. To obtain the standardized quality of oil, it is necessary to perform purification to the traditionally processed oil. The specific purpose of this study was to obtain the most effective concentration of charcoal to increase the clarity of coconut oil as well as to remove the particle non-oil like water and free fatty acids. This study using two kinds of different concentration of activated charcoal which was 1% and 1.5%. To test the quality of the oil several measurements was performed which were moisture clarity level, moisture content, and free fatty acids content. The results showed the best amount of active charcoal used in the refining process of coconut oil is at a concentration of 1.5% with a clarity level of 97.83T, moisture content of 0.016%, and free fatty acid 0.006%.