Virgin Coconut Oil

Virgin Coconut Oil can only be achieved by using fresh coconut meat or what is called non-copra. Chemicals and high heating are not used in further refining, since the natural, pure coconut oil is very stable with a shelf life of several years. There are currently two main processes of manufacturing Virgin Coconut Oil:

1. Quick drying of fresh coconut meat which is then used to press out the oil. Using this method, minimal heat is used to quick dry the coconut meat, and the oil is then pressed out via mechanical means.

2. Wet-milling. With this method the oil is extracted from fresh coconut meat without drying first. "Coconut milk" is expressed first by pressing. The oil is then further separated from the water. Methods which can be used to separate the oil from the water include boiling, fermentation, refrigeration, enzymes and mechanical centrifuge

The method we use at Mt. Banahaw Health Products Corp. in the Philippines is the traditional fermentation method. The coconut milk expressed from the freshly harvested coconuts is fermented for 24-36 hours. During this time, the water separates from the oil. The oil is then slightly heated for a short time to remove moisture, and then lightly filtered. The result is a clear coconut oil that retains the distinct scent and taste of coconuts. This is a traditional method of coconut oil extraction that has been used in the Philippines for hundreds of years. Laboratory tests show that this is a very high quality coconut oil, with the lauric acid content being 50 to 57%. This oil is not mass produced, but made by hand just as it has been done for hundreds of years. Since we live in the community where the coconuts grow, we personally guarantee that the best organic coconuts available are used in producing this Virgin Coconut Oil, and that no chemicals whatsoever are used in the growing or processing of the coconuts. Our coconuts are also certified organic according to strict USDA standards. In addition, all of our coconuts are hand-picked within 24 hours of harvest. Only those nuts that produce the highest quality coconut oil are chosen, while the rest of the crop is sold to copra dealers. Because of our extremely selective procedure for selecting the coconuts, we pay a higher price to the farmer. Almost all other virgin coconut oils on the market are mass-produced and do not take this kind of attention to detail that begins with choosing the right nuts.

One of the main differences between Virgin Coconut oil and refined coconut oils is the scent and taste. All Virgin Coconut Oils retain the fresh scent and taste of coconuts, whereas the copra-based refined coconut oils have a bland taste due to the refining process. Some grades of refined copra-based oils are also now sold that have a coconut flavor, but are usually bitter and have a burnt taste to it. They are a form of "crude coconut oil" that has not undergone all of the deodorizing process, and they have a shorter shelf-life

Formulation of a Vision: Chemical Engineering

The framework

It would be presumptuous to say that I have a vision for the future of Chemical Engineering. A vision has value only if it is a shared one, and only if it is reached after focused and thorough discussions with those involved. What I would like to present, rather, are some personal perspectives on the formulation of a vision of the chemical engineer’s role, discussing its components from a personal viewpoint, drawing on the ideas presented in the previous chapters. I would like to propose a framework which focuses on the chemical engineer as a person and three related aspects of his life: the job, the contribution to the society, and the responsibility to the physical world (Fig. 1). First, however, I shall highlight the important social, technological and economic factors affecting the life of the chemical engineer.

A new environment for the 21st century

Science and technology have occupied a central position in the 20th Century and have ushered in the knowledge-based economy. The profound changes in the socialeconomical environment that science and technology have brought about will be carried further. The characteristics of our present environment are illustrated in Table 1, showing the trends that can be expected to influence the future. Most of the features listed in Table 1 will be familiar to the chemical engineering community. We live in a world changing at an increasingly rapid pace. To illustrate the pace of technological innovation, consider as a benchmark the number of years for a technology to reach 50 million users worldwide. It took radio 35, personal computers 16, color television 13 and the world wide web 4 years respectively to reach this mass audience [1]. The structural changes in the chemical industry in the last two decades have been phenomenal and are still occurring. At one time, a chemical engineer would have been proud to pursue a career opportunity with corporate giants like Hoechst, ICI, McDonald Douglas, Rhone Poulenc, Union Carbide, or American Cyanamid.Where are these companies now? The answer is that they have been down-sized, divested, acquired, merged and re-structured, some many times over, as vividly illustrated by Professor Felcht in Chapter 3. The nature of competition between companies is changing. In the past, a chemical company knew who its competitors in the marketplace were. In the future, competitors will emerge unexpectedly from all directions. Suppliers, customers, partners can all change roles to become competitors. Competition from new technology will be severe in many instances. The only advantage is that in every competition, there will also be an opportunity for cooperation. In the knowledge-based economy, knowledge has more value if shared. This is the essence of this non-zero sum game. Thus we have witnessed technological and social transformations at multiple levels with far-reaching effects in our home, office and factory, and impacts on the routines of our daily life, our jobs, our modes of operation and our ways of thinking.

The job: chemical engineering

A chemical engineer may perform one or more of the following functions: research and development, manufacturing, management and service, and education. Analyzing the disintegration of big conglomerates and the restructuring of the chemical processing industries, especially in Europe, Felcht portrays in Chapter 3 two basic types of chemical companies: the Molecule Suppliers and the Problem Solvers. Molecule Suppliers include manufacturers of commodities and fine chemicals while the Problems Solvers are manufacturers of specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, agricultural and other active ingredients. To compete, Molecule Supplier companies will rely on sophisticated process technology, economies of scale, access to cost-effective raw materials, interlinked energy and material saving processes and excellent logistics systems. Problem Solver companies will compete on unique product property and performance, or high end-use value provided to customers. Thus whilst Molecule Suppliers can easily be substituted on cost and availability criteria, Problem Solver companies are not easily, if at all, substitutable, and thrive on the “magic” performance of their products. A chemical engineer pursuing product R&D should strive to analyze the nature of his business and the success factors concerned — and then design for an architecture of high end-use values, or for an interlinking of material and energy efficient processes. Additionally, the reduction, re-use and recycling of a product during its full product-life cycle should always be considered during its product development. Chemical engineers working in product R&D should have an intimate knowledge of nano-science, life science, biotechnology, genetic modification technology, advanced materials technology, computer modeling and computational science.