Processing Coconut Oil

The “virgin” version of Coconut Oil is pressed from the flesh of the coconut, whereas the refined version has been dried, bleached, and deodorised, all with the use of non-toxic chemicals.

Virgin Coconut Oil

Preparation of the virgin version takes much more care and the price thereof is about three times more than that of the refined version.

Due to low demand, we’ve had to discontinue offering virgin coconut oil.

RBD Coconut Oil

What does the refining process involve?

Our refined organic coconut oil is processed using the organically approved methods of physical extraction and refining. This is the process that refined coconut oil goes through:

• Coconuts are broken into pieces and the coconut “meat” (aka “copra”) is allowed to dry in the sun
• The meat is hydraulically pressed at 130 °C to extract the oil
• The product is then refined, by:
  • Filtering it (under pressure)
  • De-gumming it, with citric acid
  • Bleaching it (by adding activated charcoal)
  • Filtering it through diatomaceous earth to remove any residual citric acid or charcoal
  • Deodorising it with steam (“sparging”), under vacuum

This physical refining process is accepted and approved under organic processing regulations. The items added during the process (citric acid, activated charcoal, and diatomaceous earth) are classified as “processing aids” and not additives because they are entirely removed during processing and are not found in the finished product.