EVOLUTIONS IN VIRGIN COCONUT OIL: LIQUID TO POWDER

Awareness of virgin coconut oil (VCO) as a functional food supplement has grown enormously. The treatment of raw material and processing parameters is crucial as they affect the overall yield and quality of the oil. Meanwhile, the microencapsulation technology offers better handling, good oxidative stability, and longer shelf life of the VCO powder. Although good quality liquid and powdered oils can be obtained through sophisticated methods, the process involved is expensive and required high maintenance. By utilising dry kernel and coconut milk-based extractions methods, high-grade quality of VCO can be achieved. During microencapsulation, the spray drying method can preserve the phenolic and antioxidant compounds and maintain the low rancidity of the VCO. This paper evaluates the recent findings of the oil extraction methods and the development of VCO microencapsulation. These methods offer good quality, reproducible and economic viability.