COMPOSITION OF COCONUT OIL

As a plant product, coconut oil contains biologically active substances which have been identified to provide nutraceutical/health benefits, these substances include anti oxidants (tocopherols, tocotrienols), phytosterols (plant sterols), phenolic compounds (flavonoids and other polyphenols), phospholipids and saturated fat made up of medium chain triglycerides (Carandang, 2008).

The oil has the natural sweet taste of coconut and contains 92 % of saturated fatty acids (in the form of triglycerides), most of them (about 70%) are medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) (Gopala et al., 2010). These medium chain triglycerides are made up of three saturated fats bound to a glycerol backbone, they are distinguished from other triglycerol by the fact that each fat molecule is between six to twelve carbons in length (Babayan, 1988). The medium chain triglycerides are a component of many foods, with coconut and palm oil being the dietary sources with the highest concentration (Heydnger and Nakhasi, 1996).

The most abundant and potent medium chain fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid (C12) which comprises nearly 50% of coconuts fat content, others include capric acid (C10), caprylic acid (C8) and caproic acid (C6). Other types of fatty acid it contain include myristic acid (C14), palmitic acid (C16), stearic acid(C18), oleic acid(C18:1), and linoleic acid (C18:2) (Manisha and Shyamapada, 2010). Below is a graphical representation of the fatty acid composition of coconut oil.

   Phytochemical studies have indicated that lauric acid (C12) which is coconut oil’s major fatty acid component is highly responsible for the activities of the oil (Peat, 2003) such as antbacterial, antifugal, antiviral and antiprotozoal activities (Isaacs and Thormar 1991, Rihakova et al., 2002, Thormar 1996, Enig 2003).