Standardisation of Centrifugation Method for Virgin Coconut Oil Production and Comparison of Quality Parameters of the Recovered Oil

Abstract

Virgin coconut oil is a finest edible oil having immense health benefits. Several methods are adopted for the extraction of virgin coconut oil. This experiment aims to provide a cost-effective and efficient method for small-scale production of high-quality virgin coconut oil. The objective of this study was standardisation of centrifugation method for virgin coconut oil production. Mature coconuts from West Coast Tall variety were collected and coconut milk was taken out by using coconut gratings with equal quantity of water and coconut water and two fold of water.  The coconut milk was then chilled for 10 hours at 5-70C, followed by centrifugation at different revolutions per minute (rpm) and time. The colour, odour, taste, moisture content, free fatty acid content and total phenolic content of the resulting virgin coconut oil were assessed. The study revealed that the optimal conditions for maximum virgin coconut oil yield (28.087 percent) involve extracting coconut milk from coconut gratings with equal quantity of coconut water followed by chilling for 10 hours at 5-7ᵒC, centrifuged at 12000 rpm for 15 minutes and subsequently drying at 50°C.