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Coconut Sprouts as Phytomedicine
Published in Parimelazhagan Thangaraj, Phytomedicine, 2020
S. Abiraami Valli, S. Uma Gowrie
Cocos nucifera is the only species of the genus Cocos, which includes 27 genera and 600 species (Evans 2002). One of the essential primary natural products from the dry coconut fruit is the coconut oil, which has been used as traditional medicine, functional food, and also in pharmaceuticals. It is referred to as “miracle oil.” The coconut tree itself is known as “the Tree of Life,” as each of its parts are being used for various purposes. These are highly nutritious and are enriched with bioactive compounds with great medicinal value (Siriphanich et al. 2011). The constituents of C. nucifera have some of the biological effects, such as anthelminthic, anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, anti-oxidant, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-tumor activities. In addition, other properties, such as anti-hypertensive, cardioprotective, anti-seizure, cytotoxicity, hepatoprotective, vasodilation, nephroprotective, and anti-osteoporosis effects were also reported. Because each part of the C. nucifera has different constituents, the pharmacological effects of the plant vary according to the part of the plant evaluated (Lima et al. 2015).
Waste coconut oil methyl ester with and without additives as an alternative fuel in diesel engine at two different injection pressures
Published in Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2020
Manzoore Elahi M Soudagar, Asif Afzal, Mohammed Kareemullah
It is an edible oil derived from the kernel of ripened coconuts reaped from the coconut palm tree. It is scientifically known as Cocos nucifera L. and belongs to family Arecaceae. It is native to the tropical regions, and it is found throughout the South and Central America, Asia and few places in Africa. The palm trees with a single trunk grows up to a height of 30 m, with leaves growing 4–6 m long, pinnae of 60–90 cm long, and produce up to 75 fruits annually (How et al. 2014). The agronomy of coconut palm tree needs sandy, saline soils with plentiful light and consistent rain all over the year. Coconut is recognized for its resourcefulness, as demonstrated by the several industrial, commercial and domestic applications of its various parts. The coconut oil contains high saturated fats, oxidizes slowly, resists oxidation, and lasts for a time duration of 2 years. Also, the free fatty acid percentage is lower compared to other biodiesel feedstocks (Kumar et al. 2010). Figure 2 illustrates the parts of a coconut tree, the flowers, the tree with coconut fruits, and the dried kernels.
Kinetics of microwave-assisted extraction of virgin coconut oil from solid coconut waste
Published in Chemical Engineering Communications, 2023
Mohd Haffizi Hasni, Sarina Sulaiman, Dzun Noraini Jimat, Azura Amid
Coconut, Cocos nucifera, is a common plant of the palm tree family. It is an important plant known for its versatility of use. Various products could be produced from its kernels (or coconut meat), such as coconut milk, oil, and spice (Chan et al. 2016). The global market for VCO in 2016 was at $2.1 billion, and it was forecast to increase to $4.2 billion by 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8% (Goldstein 2019). The global market for refined, bleached, and deodorized coconut oil in 2016 was at $4.1 billion and would be at $6.5 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 6.02% (Goldstein 2019). Coconut oil, in general, is known as a functional food with healthy fats, particularly medium-chain fatty acid, where the predominant fatty acid is lauric acid which is readily metabolized and absorbed by the body (Marina et al. 2009; Chan et al. 2016; Masyithah 2017; Ng et al. 2021). Lauric acid is beneficial for reducing obesity and can be converted to monolaurin, which has antiviral and antimicrobial properties (Masyithah 2017). VCO and refined, bleached, and deodorized coconut oil (RBD) are also known to demonstrate antifungal properties (Ogbolu et al. 2007; Winarsi and Purwanto 2008; Monica et al. 2018). Coconut oil, particularly VCO, has been used in skincare applications such as moisturizers, and it also has been shown to increase the wound healing rate (Nevin and Rajamohan 2010; Chew 2019). The difference of VCO and RBD in terms of fatty acid content is stated in Table 1 (Chan et al. 2016). The maximum and minimum limits of both RBD and VCO fatty acid content are not that different except for C12 or lauric acid. For RBD, the minimum content is 45.10%, and the VCO minimum content is 43.00%, a 2.1% margin.
Determination of required HLB value and emulsifiers for the preparation of water in coconut oil emulsions for application in food process industries
Published in Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology, 2023
Amol Jayavant Gore, Sunil Subhash Bhagwat, Sudhakar Mhaskar, Sachin Saxena
Food emulsions are either oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions for example, liquid cream or milk, or water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions, for example, margarine.[6] Today nuts and seeds continue to be enjoyed worldwide in various ways, as recipe ingredients, spreads, and snacks as a delicacy as vegan food. Various types of plant-based butters/spreads are available in market prepared from peanut, almond, cashew, pumpkin seed, etc. and named vegan butter.[8] Coconut oil is plant seed-derived edible oil that contains mostly saturated fatty acids and thus is slow to oxidize and resistant to rancidity. The refined coconut oil has no protein, carbohydrates or cholesterol with trace amounts of iron, vitamin E and vitamin K, and it is high in phenolic compounds, which are natural antioxidants.[9] Nowadays various industries are working on the preparation of vegan butter from the coconut oil emulsion with lower fat content. The use of coconut oil also reduces high unsaturation and increase medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) in product with increased health benefits.[9] And sunflower oil used in combination with coconut oil has the highest polyunsaturated fat (PUFA's) (69%) compared to many commonly used vegetable oils. It supplies some monounsaturated fat (20%) and is low in saturated fat (11%), making it overall heart-healthy. About 50% PUFA is linoleic acid, mainly Omega-6, which helps lower LDL (Low-density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol. It also contains Vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant that protects from harmful free radicals.[10] Water in oil emulsion such as butter and margarine can be stabilized by emulsifiers with Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (HLB) value less than 6. Lecithin, Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate (PGPR) and Distilled Monoglycerides (DMG) are used as a stabilizer in food emulsions which improves the texture of spread and flavor release of margarine.[5,11–13]