Open AccessEffect of Extraction Methods on the Physicochemical Properties, Fatty Acid Profile and Storage Stability of Virgin Coconut Oil
Author(s) -
C. O. Ajogun,
S. C. Achinewhu,
D. B. Kiin Kabari,
O. M. Akusu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
asian food science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2581-7752
DOI - 10.9734/afsj/2020/v18i430225
Subject(s) - coconut oil , peroxide value , iodine value , acid value , chemistry , cold storage , fatty acid , food science , extraction (chemistry) , lauric acid , chromatography , biochemistry , horticulture , biology
The objective of this work was to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics and storage stability of virgin coconut oil (VCO) extracted using cold press and hot press processes. Data were collected and analyzed using complete randomization design (CRD). The work was done at the Department of Food Science and Technology, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt. Virgin coconut oil (VCO) was extracted from mature nuts of Cocos nucifera, using the cold and the hot process. Hot process gave significantly (P 0.05) different. Iodine value was 5.72 g/100 g and 6.09 g/100 g for cold pressed and hot pressed VCO, respectively. Lauric acid was the predominant fatty acid in the coconut oil samples, recording 49.30% in hot pressed coconut oil and 48.76% in cold pressed coconut oil. The melting point was found to increase while the smoke point decreased significantly (P<0.05) for both cold pressed and hot pressed VCO after three months of storage at room temperature (28±20C). Percentage free fatty acid and peroxide values increased significantly from 0.054% to 0.742% and 1.173 mEq/kg to 2.274mEq/kg, respectively, after 3 months of storage at room temperature (28±20C). The overall result showed that coconut is a good source of vegetable oil, with good keeping quality. More also, there isn’t much difference in the physicochemical quality of both hot press and cold press method of extraction.