What is “Extra Virgin Coconut Oil?
The term “extra virgin” is likely inspired by the olive oil industry, and is meaninngless when it comes to coconut oil; it’s marketing hype at its extra finest. Is our coconut oil organic? Coconut farming is organic by nature. Coconut growing and harvesting remains the domain of farmers who operate with an average of about 3 hectares each, which means that the vast majority of farmers do not use pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers. Put another way, we feel that paying for organic certification on our coconut oil is unnecessary and would only serve to increase the price. Plus, organic certification agencies do not distinguish between coconut oil that is made using fresh coconut, and oil that is made using dried coconut (copra). These agencies also allow for use of chemical solvents under certification rules. So a number of brands of coconut oil that are marketed as “organic” coconut oil are made with copra and chemical solvents. We do not pay for organic certification on our
Some retailers and manufacturers of Virgin Coconut Oils, referring to one of the processes mentioned above, call their coconut oil “Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.” But there are no other processes used to make coconut oil other than the ones mentioned above, so this classification is simply arbitrary. There is no official classification or difference between “virgin” and “extra virgin” as there is in the olive oil industry, since the two oils are completely different in fatty acid composition, harvesting procedures, and terminology. Virgin Coconut Oil and Heat There have been many claims made recently on the Internet that there are Virgin Coconut oils in the market that are processed without heat, and that these coconut oils are somehow superior to coconut oils that use some heat in the processing. Do these claims have any merit? Mt. Banahaw Health Products and Tropical Traditions has thoroughly researched this topic, and following are the results.
