A Simple Refning Technique of Coconut Oil for Small Holder Industries

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Abstract: A simple refning equipment and process for small holder industries of edible coconut oil has been investigated. The equipment consisted of 20-L fltering and NaOH neutralization bottles. Filtration was intended to remove impurities such as gums and pigment, while neutralization was to remove free fatty acids (FFA) and other non-fat materials. In the experiment, the crude coconut oil was found to have impurity of 0.16%, FFA of 8.02%, saponifcation number of 270, and water content of 0.33%. The results showed that either granular activated carbon (GAC) or zeolite fltration can be chosen individually to remove physical impurity. The GAC or zeolite-fltered coconut oil contained impurity less than the SNI standard of 0.05%. In term of FFA; however, the NaOH neutralized coconut oil did not meet the SNI standard of 0.3%. After NaOH neutralization, the GAC fltered oil contained 1.20% FFA; while the zeolite fltered oil contained 1.32%. These FFA contents were defnitely higher than the SNI standard, but could satisfy APCC standard for grade IV coconut oil which is 5%. The refned coconut oils could also satisfy the SNI standard of saponifcation number which is 196 – 206 at minimum. In term of water content, either the fltered or the neutralized oil could also satisfy the SNI standard of 0.3%. In short, the proposed technique could help farmers refne their raw coconut oil, and hopefully improve its marketability.
Keywords: retining, coconut oil, small holder industry
Author: Sugeng Triyono dan Agus Haryanto
Journal Code: jppertaniandd090110

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Jp Pertanian dd 2009