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New
Technology of Extracting Coconut Oil
Here's a new technology of
extracting coconut oil that can triple the income of
coconut farmers. Dr. Pham Binh Chay, a researcher of
the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
(BIOTECH), University of the Philippines Bahos, has
developed a better method of
getting oil other than the traditional, tedious and
uneconomical "copra system."
The new technology is using
"gamanase," a bacterial enzyme which has the ability
to break the cell wall surrounding the fresh coconut
by decomposing the strands of complex carbohydrates
which constitute 70 percent of the wall into simple
substances or sugar and allow the oil its components
to leak out.
Pham says that through the gamanase method, super quality
oil that is colorless, tasteless and smells like fresh
coconut meat can be extract
Compared with the copra method, as much as 20 percent
more oil is recovered by using the enzyme.
Aside from the oil, two other by-products with economic
significance are produced by this new technology: the
protein-packed "supernatant," which can be solidified
to enrich hamburger patties, produce textured vegetable
proteins and other foods; and fiber that can be added
to flavc crag and biscuits.
In a nutshell, the steps involved to squeeze out the
oil from the coconut shell through the gamanase method
are as follows:
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Pick 11 to 12 months old coconuts.
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Remove meat and place in a clean container.
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Shred meat using a special grater, then place shredded
meat in a large tank that combines blender and homogenizer.
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Add water three times the volume of meat. Let stand
for few minutes, then transfer slurry to another tank.
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Add gamanase while stirring.
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Leave slurry for three hours. (The slurry will slowly
separate into three parts - the oil on top, the supernatant
in middle, and the fiber at the bottom).
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Remove crystal white fiber first, then the supernatant,
using a siphon or hose. (Mix supernatant mixed with
hydrochloric acid, filter to isolate protein then, dry).
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Filter oil to remove unwanted solids.
With the oil, supernatant
and fiber recovered through enzymatic processing, the
coconut farmers can triple their income. (BPG).
Source: The observer, Aug.-Sept.
1998, www.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph
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