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Certified Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Direct Micro Expelled Fresh Coconut Oil

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Frequently asked questions

1. Does Coconut Oil contains Hexane?

2. What is the Lauric Acid content of DME coconut oil?
3. Is the coconut heated when producing DME Oil?
4. How much cholesterol does coconut oil have?
5. What is the shelf life of DME oil?
6. What causes vegetable oil to go rancid?
7. At what temperature does coconut oil go solid?
8. How do I use coconut oil when it is solid?
9. What is coconut butter and “Copha”?
10. What is the difference between virgin and extra virgin coconut oil?
11. What happens when virgin coconut oil is heated? Will it become hydrogenated?
12. What books do you recommend for further information on the properties of pure coconut oil?
13. Where can I buy DME Virgin Coconut Oil?
14. Where is Kokonut Pacific located?
     

    Download a more comprehensive Coconut Oil FAQ (102Kb) here
    

Does Coconut Oil contains Hexane?

Niulife coconut oil is free of Hexane, cold pressed, certified organic by NASAA and not Genetically Modified. Hexane is not used in our DME process. To be certified organic, any use of any chemicals is ruled out – even fertilizer in the soil is banned. Having organic certification is sufficient to prove that no chemicals are used at all.

Hexane is used in large industrial situations to chemically extract coconut oil from copra, the low grade dried flesh of coconut. Coconut oil can also be removed from copra without chemicals by physical extraction using the heat and pressure of a screw press. Copra oil is then Refined, Bleached and Deodorised (RBD) to make it edible.

Niulife Extra Virgin Coconut oil is cold pressed using our own invention, the Direct Micro Expelling process, at a village level, in the Pacific islands. The DME process takes less than one hour from fresh nut to virgin oil. This locks in all the natural goodness and yields a gourmet grade, full flavour oil free of contaminants.

What is the Lauric Acid content of DME coconut oil?

The DME coconut oil from the South Pacific that we have tested has had Lauric acid between 49 and 51%. The amount of Lauric acid is determined primarily by the variety of coconut palm, but may also be due to the specific growing conditions and the age of the coconut. Often companies will state their oil has 50% or more Lauric acid, when in fact it only occasionally reaches this level. So you can't always believe that the oil you purchase really has 50+% of Lauric acid.

Is the coconut heated when producing DME Oil?

Our process does involve heat in the sense that we semi-dry the raw material before pressing out the oil. This heating process is gentle in that the material is constantly turned and tossed into the air to speed up the drying process. This stage takes about 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the humidity, temperature, breeze, etc). It it is not subjected to the high temperatures of most other oil extraction systems. The coconut is usually between 45°C (110°F) and 60°C (130°F) immediately before pressing. This is "cold" by oil standards. No heat is generated in the gentle hand-pressing of our single pressing Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. The oil is not heated at all after pressing.

How much cholesterol does coconut oil have?

Vegetable oils have insignificant amounts of cholesterol — Coconut Oil having the least, for example:

What is the shelf life of DME oil?

Because coconut oil is a saturated fat and because of its antioxidant properties it is naturally very stable. Furthermore, because DME virgin coconut oil is produced so quickly, its free fatty acid (FFA) level is less than 0.1% at production. This oil has an almost indefinite shelf life when kept under preferred storage conditions. Store out of direct sunlight in a cool dry place. It is not necessary to refrigerate. If you do it becomes rock-hard. VCO solidifies naturally at 24°C. For some applications it is better liquid and for others solid. Melt the oil by standing the container in warm water. Do not microwave.

What causes vegetable oil to go rancid?

Vegetable oils that are not saturated oxidise very quickly and go rancid.

At what temperature does coconut oil go solid?

It goes solid at about 24°C (75°F). As it cools from the liquid state, (26°C and above) it forms small "pearls" which join together until the whole product is solid at 24°C. When cooling faster in a fridge the pearls are much larger and the oil can appear more translucent.

How do I use coconut oil when it is solid?

Put the container in warm water for a few minutes or if the lid is large enough simply scoop it out with a spoon.

What is coconut butter and “Copha”?

Coconut butter is simply the coconut oil in a solid state. However, the expression "coconut butter", while common in the United States, is rarely used in Australia. because the dairy industry has exclusive rights to the name "butter". The only exception is peanut butter. Copha is hydrogenated RBD coconut oil. As a commercial product, “Copha” is also sometimes called "coconut butter".

What is the difference between virgin and extra virgin coconut oil?

The cheapest coconut oil is made from copra, the dried flesh of coconuts, and must be industrially Refined, Bleached and Deodorised (RBD) in order to make it edible. Virgin coconut oil is made directly from fresh coconuts and is normally not further refined. We call Niulife Coconut Oil ‘Extra Virgin’ because, like the best traditional cold pressed olive oil, it is made from the first and only pressing. The Direct Micro Expelling (DME) system is the quickest in the world, producing delicious hand-pressed oil less than one hour after opening a coconut. This process locks in all the natural flavour and goodness and produces top quality oil. No further processing is required and we believe ‘extra virgin’ is a legitimate description of this 100% pure and natural, cold pressed coconut oil.

What happens when virgin coconut oil is heated? Will it become hydrogenated?

Coconut oil is not easily damaged by heat. (It has a smoking point of 177°C. No cooking oil should be heated above its smoking point.) VCO does not readily oxidise like unsaturated oils do when heated, leading to free-radical formation. It is the ideal oil for deep frying and is safe to use several times over. Hydrogenation is not caused by heating coconut oil during cooking. Hydrogenation is an industrial process where hydrogen is introduced into an oil to artificially saturate it so that it will be solid at room temperature. It alters the chemical structure of the oil and creates harmful trans-fatty acids. It is perfectly safe to heat coconut oil for cooking.

What books do you recommend for further information on the properties of pure coconut oil?

• Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of fats, Oils, and Cholesterol. By Mary G. Enig (Bethesda Press 2000)
• The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil, by Bruce Fife (Piccadilly Books, 2001).
• Eat Fat Look Thin  by Bruce Fife (Piccadilly Books, 2002).
• Saturated fat may save your life by Bruce Fife
• Coconut Lovers cookbook by Bruce Fife
• Coconut Cures by Bruce Fife
• Fats that heal and Fats that Kill by Udo Erasmus

Where can I buy DME Virgin Coconut Oil?

The best quality DME extra virgin Certified Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is packaged by Kokonut Pacific under their Certified Organic and Fair Trade label, niulife.  You can also buy online at our online shop.  For bulk purchases contact Kokonut Pacific directly. Niulife is now distributed across Australia and New Zealand so check your local health food store and if they don't have it yet, ask them to get it in.

Where is Kokonut Pacific located?

In Canberra, the capital city of Australia. See our Contact Details

Download a more comprehensive Coconut Oil FAQ (47Kb) here