An effective process to extract coconut oil
I have tried to extract coconut oil. Below is the process I have followed.
- Ground the coconut flesh with some added water.
- Milked the ground coconut flesh by cold pressing it and filtering all big particles.
- Dried the milk for a few hours in a steel vessel using butane flame.
- Filtering out the dried brown residue.
The resulting oil looks like the following.
My question is about the efficiency of my process. I have a strong feeling that the colouration is due to the heating or bad filtering techniques. I tried to rest it for the night, and it doesn't seem to have any "heavier" residues at the bottom of the oil bottle. I tried filtering it with 4-layer muslin cloth with no luck. Is there a process that does not involve heating (assuming my intuition is correct)?
P.S. I'm not a scientist and I don't have a lot of background in chemistry. Please explain to me in layman's terms if possible.
Best Answer
The color could be due to your heating. You can try a cold-press method to get a clear oil. While I have never done it, there are process descriptions online.
- Make the coconut milk (should be the same as your steps 1-3)
- Leave the coconut milk overnight to separate. You will get, from bottom to top: coconut water, coconut oil, and coconut cream.
- Separate the oil from the other layers. I suppose a fat separator pitcher will work for that.
- The oil will still have some water, milk and solids mixed in. Filter it well.
- Leave the oil sit, not tightly covered, until the residual moisture has evaporated.
You can see the process (in a commercial setting) documented on YouTube. The interesting part (after step 2) starts at 3:30.
The factory in the video creates a completely clear oil with this process. Of course, they have some heavy-duty filtering system for step 4. If you are only working with a nut milk bag or similar, you will likely have some particles left over. But without the heating step, it is unlikely that they will brown to give you the yellow color you dislike.
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What is the most effective method for oil extraction?
Oil extraction by mechanical expellers or presses is the most conventional method. In this method, either a manual ram press or an engine-driven screw press is used for the extraction of oil.What methods are used to extract oil?
Oil is extracted by three general methods: rendering, used with animal products and oleaginous fruits; mechanical pressing, for oil-bearing seeds and nuts; and extracting with volatile solvents, employed in large-scale operations for a more complete extraction than is possible with pressing.How To Make Virgin Coconut Oil At Home - Ventha Velichenna - Urukku Velichenna - Coconut Oil Recipe
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Answer 2
Commercially coconut meat is dried before extracting oil. The practice is so common that the dry coconut has a name ; copra. Many decades ago I read that copra is a major product of commerce in some areas, presumably it still is
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