Coconut oil sources and quality issues

Quick brand suggestions

If you'd like a quick coconut oil suggestion without all my yammerin', choose your intended use:

The boring details

If you'd prefer to read half-baked conclusions about the complicated coconut oil industry, choose a topic below:

Coconut oil quality issues

Processing

There are two major categories of coconut oil: refined and virgin ("extra virgin" is just a marketing term). Refined is more heavily-processed than virgin, leaving minimal residual coconut substances other than the fat.

Most health advisors suggest virgin coconut oil because of the milder processing and because it preserves more compounds from the coconuts. I think that's reasonable, but also think that smart-guy Ray Peat may be on to something with his recommendation of "...the deodorized refined oil, because so many people are allergic to the proteins (and starches) of coconut."

That makes me generally prefer refined oils, with the added benefit (for me) of less coconut smell/taste and higher smoke points when cooking. I suspect either one is a reasonable choice, however.

Dry vs wet process

"Dry process" usually refers to using dried coconut meat called copra to make refined oils, but virgin oil can also be made with a drying process. "Wet process" or "wet milling" extracts the oil while the coconut is still fresh.

Wet process is more expensive, but I suspect it's the better choice for virgin oils:

1. I think it minimizes the chances for microorganisms to develop compared to some of the dry process approaches.
2. It avoids the development of poly-aromatic hydrocarbons. They have a name that sounds vaguely pleasant to me, but they may have negative health effects.

Those issues probably aren't a concern with refined oils because of the filtering they go through. There's at least evidence of heat and active carbon filtering effectively removing poly-aromatic hydrocarbons.

After learning that the copra is a spontaneous combustion risk, I desperately want the new Indiana Jones movie to have a fight scene involving flaming coconuts.

Refined oil processing methods

I don't worry too much about the processing of refined oils because the end goal is just the very-stable fatty acids that shouldn't be significantly affected by the processing method. The only extraction method I find questionable is getting increased yields by using hexane. Although I haven't been able to track down any testing data on the typical amount of residual hexane in an end product, I suspect it's in very low quantities (low double or triple digit parts-per-million) and evaporates quickly. In spite of that, it seems reasonable to go with non-hexane brands when practical.

Virgin oil processing methods

DME (Direct Micro Expelling)

DME has the coconuts processed quickly after harvest, often by the same people doing the harvesting. I think this is important both for the freshness of the product as well as instilling a sense of personal responsibility for the oil quality. That's something that's missing with large supply chains made of multiple companies.

I think this is a good default choice for processing methods if you don't mind the currently-expensive brands. I only know of two at the moment: Niulife (focused on Australia) and Alpha Health Products (focused on Canada). Both will ship to the US through Amazon, although they're expensive.

Fermentation

This approach probably increases antioxidant activity (study here) if that's important to you. However, I think it may be an unpredictable process and might carry some risk of contamination with microorganisms other than the ones used for the fermentation.

Cold vs heat processing

Cold processing / pressing is processing that's often kept below 120ºF (49ºC), although many brands may use higher temperatures while still describing it as cold processing. Most cold processed brands use it as a selling point because it may help avoid damaging beneficial substances in the oil. However, heat might actually enhance the dispersion of some of these substances, so I'd personally not worry about the temperature of processing.

Mold and mycotoxins

Molds and their harmful byproducts (mycotoxins) can affect coconut oil, both by growing before processing and by developing in the finished product.

I don't think they are something people need to worry about in general in their oil, but if you are sensitive to them, I checked with some of the popular brands about their mold/mycotoxin standards. Tropical Traditions told me they test for coliform, mold (aflatoxin and mycotoxins), yeast, E. coli, and salmonella, so they seem like a good choice. Wilderness Family Naturals told me they test for molds (and reject batches that fail their tests), but they haven't responded on my request for more details.

Once you get the oil, there's a couple steps that should minimize any additional contamination:

1. Be careful to use clean spoons to extract the oil to avoid introducing any new microorganisms.
2. Many companies mention the stability of the fatty acids in coconut oil meaning you don't need refrigeration, but I think mold growth is a different issue. Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus (the fungi that most commonly affect coconut products) like heat and moisture, requiring a minimum of 50ºF (10ºC) for growth. So typical refrigerator temperatures are probably ideal for retarding their growth as long as you keep moisture levels low.

You're halfway through the most boring part of the page, so here's an entertaining video as a reward:

Plastic container leaching

I've always bought coconut oil that's in plastic containers without thinking about it. However, if tuna fish oil is a reasonable approximation of coconut oil, and BPA is a reasonable approximation of the behavior of other estrogenic substances, then this study suggests to me that it could absorb estrogenic materials from plastic containers.

I'm making more assumptions there than I'd like, so if you have any additional information, please let me know in the comments. In the meantime, I suspect it's probably beneficial to buy glass jars, or to at least transfer the oil to glass jars for long term storage.

Sustainability

Coconut oil sustainability doesn't look as bad as some products like palm, but large scale production can displace mangroves that protect biodiversity and coastlines. Coconut palms may have positive effects compared to a lot of other crops, however. Unfortunately most brands obscure where their oils actually come from, and how their farming is managed.

The harvesting of the coconuts can be dangerous to the people involved, and the whole production process may involve very low wages. I figure fair trade certification is a good thing to look for if you'd like to address those issues, in spite of the fact that it can be twisted to the company's benefit.

So far Kelapo is the most open company I've found on sustainability policies. See their page here describing farming practices and fair trade information.

Organic and non-GMO products

I suspect that coconuts aren't strongly affected by pesticides, even systemic ones:

• This analysis from Unilever tested coconut oils from the Philippines from 2003-2007 without detecting any pesticide residue. I wouldn't dismiss the idea that Unilever would be biased in their testing, but they did detect pesticides in other kinds of oils, making me believe the coconut oil results are legitimate.
• This analysis tested coconut water and found no detectable pesticide levels.

I also suspect that most of the beneficial properties of coconut oil aren't affected by the use of conventional fertilizers.

Similarly, I don't think GMO concerns apply to coconuts at the moment. In spite of panicky articles to the contrary, I can't find evidence of normal coconut growers using GMO palms, only experimental growth for research purposes.

So I don't concern myself with specifically looking for organic or non-GMO products. If I've missed any evidence of them having a leg up on conventional products, please let me know in the comments.

Hydrogenation

To those that have been warned about the health issues of hydrogenated fats, hydrogenated coconut oil sounds like a bad idea. However, coconut oil hydrogenation generally attempts to perform full hydrogenation, theoretically avoiding the destructive effects from trans fat common to most hydrogenated oils.

In real-world coconut oil manufacturing, I suspect that "full hydrogenation" is just intended to produce an oil with particular specifications, not necessarily that the resulting oil will avoid every bit of trans fat. That's supported by some of the results in the products area where iodine values don't quite reach 0, and a half-gram of trans fat is reported in one case (unless those values are due to testing limitations).

If I'm right in that conclusion, people wanting fully hydrogenated fats may have to accept that they may still get some trace trans fats.

Identifying (nearly) fully hydrogenated oils

There's some confusion on what melting point indicates an oil that was manufactured to be fully hydrogenated:

• Wikipedia mentions a range of 36–40°C (96.8–104.0°F).
• An analysis of coconut oil mentions a Wiley melting point of 36.7°C (98.1°F) for fully hydrogenated oil.
• A textbook gives a value of around 32°C (89.6°F).

I think the large amount of variation in those numbers is due to differing methods of determining a "melt point." Based on the iodine and trans fat testing from some of the manufacturers in the brands section, I think coconut oils referred to as "92 degree coconut oil" are fully hydrogenated (or as near as is practical for the manufacturers).

Another issue is the metal catalyst used for hydrogenation. I believe this is usually nickel, so there's reason to be concerned that some nickel might remain even after the end product is filtered. So far the hydrogenated oil manufacturers don't answer back on my questions about their nickel testing. However, the FDA believes that typical residual nickel levels should be very low compared to intake from other sources.

You've completed the most boring part of the page, so here's another entertaining video as a reward:

Coconut oil brand comparison

This isn't a comprehensive list. I just looked at the sources I've heard recommended, plus those that are easily available.

The price-per-ounce is in US dollars, not including shipping.

Refined brands

Virgin brands

I think Evita Ochel's coconut oil page is a good source for choosing a virgin coconut oil. She's personally tried all of her top 5 recommendations, and has tried enough of brands in general that I suspect her taste is a good way of measuring their quality.

Hydrogenated brands