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Refined Coconut Oil is the most commonly available coconut oil and can be used for a variety of applications.
Refined Coconut Oil is the most used form of coconut oil worldwide, if not the purest or the best. It is also known by the name of RBD Coconut Oil, which stands for Refined, Bleached & Deodorized Coconut Oil. Actually, the oil that is expelled directly from copra is not fit for consumption since it may contain dust particles, insect remains, spawns, microbes, fungal spores and many other such substances which may be harmful for health. You may wonder that how these things get into coconut oil. You would have found the answer to this had you seen how coconut kernels are dried to Copra. In most cases (Frankly, in almost every case) the kernels are cut open and spread open in the strong sun to dry up, with their flesh facing the sun. They are kept like that for days, weeks and even months until they dry up as desired. They are not even covered with nets. Now, you can well imagine what happens in between. All the dust and every possible inedible substance fall into them. Further, all those curious insects, birds, rodents and other animals pay a regular visit to them to see what’s happening (actually, to taste what’s happening). Again, in absence of sufficiently strong sun or in cloudy weather, there are plenty of chances of fungal growth in them (they are neither thrown away nor cleaned before expelling). So, that leaves us with no choice but to clean the oil instead. Let us have a study of the points discussed under;
- Extraction: There is no special technique involved in extraction of refined coconut oil. In fact, no coconut oil is refined when it is expelled. It is expelled from copra using a bullock or machine driven expeller just as any other oil.
- Refining, Bleaching & Deodorizing: The crude oil is first repeatedly filtered to obtain a clean filtrate. The oil is also bleached in the process as this filtration is done using calcareous clays. Then, it is heated at very high temperature. This serves dual purpose. It deodorizes the oil and also kills the germs or fungal spores in it. Thereafter, sodium hydroxide (Na (OH) 2) is added to it and further filtered to remove the mono-fats or free fats. Finally, in some cases, it is hydrogenated to ensure that no unsaturated fatty acids are left in it and its shelf life is elongated.
- Difference from Pure Coconut Oil: Refined Coconut Oil differs from pure coconut oil in many respects. First, you won’t find any scent (typical coconut scent) or taste of coconut in it, unlike in pure coconut oil. This deodorization is deliberately done since although many may like the scent of coconut in their cooking oil, there are many who don’t. Being refined, it is certainly more hygienic than the crude coconut oil, but not that beneficial from the point of view of health. It is left with almost no proteins or minerals. Its shelf life is longer than that of crude or pure coconut oil.
- Prices: It is certainly bit dearer than the crude oil (the refining, bleaching and other processing charges add to it). But it is cheaper than the same crude oil when it comes with a “Pure Coconut Oil” tag. Again, it is far cheaper than its other sisters like the Organic Coconut Oil, Virgin Coconut Oil and Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.
- Availability: Refined Coconut Oil is the most easily available; most sold and most consumed form of coconut oil. In fact, nearly all the coconut oil that comes packed in bottles, sachets and bigger packs in the market is refined coconut oil.
So, I think that’s all a person like me, who is a mere user of coconut oil and not going to write a thesis on Refined Coconut Oil, needs to know regarding Refined Coconut Oil. See you then!
This article is contributed by Aparup Mukherjee.
Sources of Information:
- Reports of Coconut Development Board of India,
- Reports of KERAFED.
- Text books of various courses of agriculture.
- Various other reports on internet.
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