What is the shelf life of coconut oil?
Refined coconut oil should last 1 years without showing signs of rancidity. Coconut Virgin Oil from the modern COLD press process has an indefinite shelf-life usually lasting more than 2 years because of its stability and resiliency from rancidity. *A properly purified unrefined coconut oil will keep much longer than refined oil and this applies to other vegetable oils as well. Unrefined oils contain natural anti-oxidant agents, which protect the oil against atmospheric oxidation and rancidity. However, if the crude (unrefined) oil is of poor quality and has sufficient impurities and moisture, it will undergo hydrolysis which in turn increases the free fatty acid content. The result of this is deterioration of taste and flavour. High quality crude oil can be achieved with proper selection of materials, process, and the nature of the plant species.