Therapeutic Benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil – A Testimony

Picture taken from here

Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) which is rich in medium chair fatty acids is known to inactive a number of pathogenic organisms. Its antibacterial, antiviral and antiprotozoal, activities are well documented. Dr. DS Rawat, a retired ICAR scientist (45 Garh Vihar, P.O. IIP. Mohkampur, Dehradun-248005) has been treating his wife for Alzheimer’s disease with virgin coconut oil supplied by CPCRI for the last 8 months. She has been having 1 table spoon of VCO orally twice a day (VCO by fermentation technique and hot process, alternally).

DR. Rawat writes, his wife has shown remarkable improvement on taking VCO for the treatment of her Alzheimer’s disease durign the last eight months. A slight gain in body weigth could be noticed, her posture improved and her skin has regained its old glow. She is better composed, calmer and responding to what is being told to her. Her fast losing vocabulary has reversed, she sometimes speaks words that she had forgotten for months. She repsonds when called by name and recognizes family members and relatives but cannot call them by name. Her sleep pattern has also improved, though not regular yet. Her digestion has become satisfatory.

Dr. Rawat is happy that VCO has helped his wife very much. He regrets that he could have come across the case study by Dr. Mary Newport few years earlier when his wife was in the first stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Nevertheless, he is happy that he could get good results from VCO and has requested the Institute to supply him more quantity of VCO. The experience of Dr. Rawat stand testimony to the therapeutic benefits of VCO. (CPCRI News).

Source: Cocommunity, Vol.XLII No.2, 1 February 2012

Avoid Fermentation To Improve The Quality of VCO

Currently there are many methods for producing VCO. Basically, all methods can be used as long as itis capable of producing a high quality product VCO.  Economic considerations are another factor related to its business activities.

One of parameters of the VCO quality is lauric acid content. High levels of lauric acid come from good raw materials and good manufacturing processes. Good raw material comes from an old coconut fruits that indicated with blackish brown husk  and dark brown shell, thick and hard. The flesh is also much thicker than the young coconut fruits.

While good process is indicated by the maintained important contents in the VCO and remain economically viable. One of the problems in the process of manufacturing  VCO is the fermentation that causes lauric acid content is low. Fermentation is due to non-sterile production process, including raw materials used, the means of production and the environment.

In many cases the traditional industry is difficult to produce quality VCO due to lack of knowledge onhygiene factors and the production process. So as to avoid fermentation, it is necessary to make the production process as sterile as possible. If the process has been performed in sterile and produce VCOwith high lauric acid content, the next process is the usual purification, the lower the moisture content up tothe allowable level (typically <0.1%).

High quality VCO will provide optimum benefit for you. So before you eat them thoroughly first the VCO products, because not all VCO have the same quality.

Business development of VCO in Indonesia

Almost all VCO producers in Indonesia have not made further purification of its product of VCO so that the selling price is still relatively cheap. Purify lauric acid will provide great added value for VCO producers in Indonesia. While the supply of VCO can be overwhelming, but without further purification, the abundance of supply will cause VCO price to become cheaper. Pharmaceutical needs of very large demand for lauric acid with high purity. This business will provide great added value. Entrepreneurial spirit and a great spirit of innovation needed to realize this.

Fine chemicals from the VCO is lauric acid. Purification VCO will produce lauric acid to near 100% purity and would increase the significant economic value. Pure Lauric acid is especially needed by manufacturers of baby food and pharmaceutical plants. Because, baby needs a high laurate to the body and brain growth. Indeed, lauric acid is found in breast milk but it represents only 3%.

While many pharmaceutical companies use it as an antiviral drug and bacteria. Fatty acid molecular weight of 200.32 was used as a surfactant or a binder in industrial soaps, detergents, and perfumes. In at least one bath soap contains 15% lauric acid. Antibacteria properties that make it more fatty acid application. Along with the development, lauric acid is also used in the insecticide industry, food, and beverages.

The benefits of lauric acid, among others, can kill various types of microbial origin cell membrane fatty acids (lipid coated Microorganism). Nature of lauric acid to dissolve the lipid membrane of the virus so that it will interfere with viral immunity. This will create a viral inactivation. Some diseases caused by these types of microbes such as HIV, hepatitis C, herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, Strepcocous sp., Stapilococus sp., Gram positive, gram negative, helicobacterpylory, and candida

Lauric fatty acids obtained by esterification of virgin coconut oil (VCO) or fractionation technology that separation of fractions. The content of the VCO described through the boiling point of each component making up the fraction. Virgin coconut oil inserted into fractionating tube with 5 mm Hg pressure and 45 C temperature. When the temperature was raised to 132 C, obtained 81.3% lauric acid and 18.9% myristic acid. Heating at that temperature did not damage the lauric acid of VCO. Therefore, this compound will be damaged when heated at a temperature of 306 C.

VCO with 50% content of lauric acid is the most widely used source. That's because coconut oil is more numerous and easier to make than other sources.

Lauric acid from palm kernel oil palm-like VCO, but only 2% rendement. As an illustration, to produce a liter of oil takes 50 kg or 2500 oil palm fruit. Therefore, using palm kernel oil as a source is expensive. Compare with a liter of VCO obtained from 10 coconuts.

In addition, other commodities containing lauric acid is Cuphea calophylla and C. viscosissima. Both are native to America and contains 85% lauric acid. Constraint at harvest must be picked by hand, so could not have become the raw material of industry.

Rapeseed canola are also new sources of lauric acid. Originally cabbage family- it has only a 0.02% lauric acid. However, by the researchers, the plant gene modified by recombinant DNA technology in 1997. Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformed into canola genes. Agrobacterium membrane has a gene codes for the production of lauric acid. As a result, canola now contains 38% lauric acid.

Monsanto, a biotechnology company in the United States who gave birth to a new canola, optimistic lauric acid canola boosted by 60%. If the dream come true, wishes do not always reap the lauric acid was based on virgin coconut oil. Perhaps security is questioned by some consumers. Is not GM products have always invited the pros and cons?

Recognizing these conditions, is certainly a big opportunity when the coconut tree that grows organically throughout Indonesia as a source of raw material lauric acid with huge potential.

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