Coconut fat

Coconut fat is a fat obtained from the flesh of the coconut. It is easy to obtain in many countries, especially where a lot of baking or frying is done. In supermarkets you often find coconut fat on the shelf with oils and fats or in the baking section. Health food stores and Asian shops often have even more selection. Online shops also offer special variants, for example particularly mild or extra virgin coconut fat.
Important: the term “coconut fat” is sometimes used differently. Many mean a solid, neutral-tasting fat (often “coconut fat, hydrogenated” or “Palmin” in Germany). Others understand coconut fat simply as coconut oil, which also becomes solid at cooler temperatures due to its fatty acids. Both come from the coconut but have different production methods and properties.

The coconut palm grows in tropical regions. Main growing areas include, among others:

There coconuts are harvested, the white flesh (copra or fresh grated coconut) is dried or processed directly. Pressing produces the oil which, depending on processing, becomes soft coconut oil or the solid, particularly neutral coconut fat.

Coconut fat is composed mainly of saturated fatty acids. For this reason it is often solid at room temperature, especially when cool. It melts roughly between 20 and 26 degrees Celsius. That is practical for baking and frying because it is heat-stable and less likely to burn quickly.

Coconut fat (also called coconut oil or coconut kernel oil) is a vegetable fat obtained from the dried flesh of the coconut (Cocos nucifera). At temperatures below about 24–26 °C it is solid to semi-solid, above this it becomes liquid-oily. Characteristic are the high oxidation stability, the high content of medium-chain saturated fatty acids and pronounced heat resistance. In food technology, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and industrial applications coconut fat serves as a structuring, flavoring and technologically robust raw material.

Origin and extraction: Coconut fat is obtained primarily from copra (dried coconut kernel pieces) or from fresh coconut flesh. The processes include mechanical pressing (cold-pressed/virgin), wet processing by centrifugation and hot pressing with subsequent refining. Refined, bleached and deodorized qualities (RBD) are neutral in taste and show low levels of free fatty acids. Unrefined qualities retain volatile aroma components, including lactones, which impart the characteristic coconut aroma.

Chemical composition: Coconut fat consists of about 99% triglycerides. The fatty acid content is strongly saturated; typical profiles (mass percentages) are: lauric acid (C12:0) about 45–53%, myristic acid (C14:0) 16–21%, palmitic acid (C16:0) 7–11%, caprylic acid (C8:0) 5–9%, capric acid (C10:0) 4–8%, stearic acid (C18:0) 2–4%, oleic acid (C18:1) 5–8%, linoleic acid (C18:2) 1–2%. The proportion of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT; C8–C12) is high, which entails particular metabolic and technological properties. Accompanying substances include tocopherols/tocotrienols in small amounts, phytosterols, polyphenols (especially in unrefined oils).