Postharvest

Biology and
Technology
ELSEVIER Postharvest Biology and Technology9 (1996) 361-372

Drying characteristics of copra and quality of copra

and coconut oil
Roberto C. Guarte a,*, Werner Mfihlbauer b, Manfred Kellert c,,
a Department of Agricultural Engineering and Applied Mathematics. ViSCA, Baybay,
6521-A, Leyte, Philippines
b Institute of Agricultural Engineering in the Tropics and Subtropics, UniversiO, of Hohenheim,
70593 Stuttgart, Germany
CFaeulty of Technology in Natural Sciences, College ofAppliedSciences, Os~eriesland, Constantiaplatz 4,
26723 Emden, Germany
Accepted 4 June 1996

Abstract

The effects of drying air temperature up to 100°C and position of halved dehusked coconuts
with respect to the direction of the air stream were investigated at constant air velocity of 0.5 m
s-~ and tropical dew point temperature of 25°C so that good quality copra and coconut oil (CNO)
were produced at the shortest drying time. The drying characteristics of copra as shown by the
moisture reduction against the drying time, were significantly affected by the drying temperature,
being fastest at highest temperature, but not by the position at which the halves were placed on
the dryer. Drying time to reach the desired moisture content of 7% wet basis was significantly
reduced when the temperature of the air-stream was increased from 40 to 90°C but not between
90 and 100°C. As the drying temperature was increased to 90°C, both copra and CNO quality
were unaffected. Drying air temperature and position of the halves in relation to the sensory
properties of copra showed that the highest temperature of 100°C caused excessive browning,
but left the taste and smell unaffected. Neither drying temperature nor nut position affected
significantly the various quality characteristics of CNO and this was also the case for fatty acid
composition. The results suggest that drying temperature of 90°C is optimum for the production
of high quality copra and CNO in the shortest drying time.

Keywords: Drying; Quality; Copra; Coconut oil

1. Introduction

The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) is widely known as the tree of life. Its main
products come from the coconut, a fruit containing the nut enclosed by the husk of

* Corresponding author. Fax: +63 (2) 588-692.

* Deceased.

0925-5214/96/$15.00 Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

PII S 0 9 2 5 - 5 2 1 4 ( 9 6 ) 0 0 0 3 2 - 4
362 R.C. Guarte et al./Postharvest Biology and Technology 9 (1996) 361-372

~ coconut
husk

coconut

~ water

Fig. 1. Longitudinal section of coconut showing the different parts.

fibrous layers with smooth outer skin. Beneath the hard shell of the nut is the coconut
meat, a white edible endosperm that has a concave free surface forming a spherical
hollow filled with coconut water (Fig. 1). Depending on variety, a matured coconut
weighs 3-4 kg and is composed of about 35% husk, 12% shell, 22% meat and 25%
water (Grimwood, 1975). On average, fresh coconut meat consists of 50% water, 34%
oil, 7.3% carbohydrates, 3.5% protein, 3.0% fibre and 2.2% ash (Banzon and Velasco,
1982). The coconut meat is named copra once drying starts. Well-dried copra contains
7% moisture and is processed into coconut oil (CNO) and copra cake after storage when
the moisture content is reduced to about 4-5%, the equilibrium moisture content of
copra at most existing storage conditions.
CNO is classified under the lauric acid group of plant oils, and over 90% of its
fatty acids is saturated. It has the lowest percentage of unsaturated fatty acids (oleic,
linoleic and linolenic) with reported range of values from 3.7% (Banzon and Velasco,
1982) to 8.3% (Levitt, 1967) compared to palm, peanut, corn, soybean and linseed
oils which contain 53, 82, 83.6, 86.1 and 90.5%, respectively (Banzon and Velasco,
1982). Because of this low unsaturation, it is resistant to oxidative rancidity and hence,
CNO-containing foods have a long shelf life (Banzon et al., 1990). Due to its suitable
characteristics, it is extensively used as cooking oil, special coatings for confectionery
and baked products and in the manufacture of margarine, soap, detergents, foam
boasters, lubricants, cosmetics and medium-chain glycerides for medical uses (ITCU/
GATT, 1990). Copra cake is widely used as feed for milking cows, pigs and poultry
because it contains a balanced proportions of protein, carbohydrates and fat. It is the
best feed for lactating cows since it enhances the production of good quality butter and
increases milk production with good aroma.
At present, the copra industry is beset with quality and technical problems that
resulted to very low prices of copra-related products in the world market. Quality
problems include the contamination by aflatoxin in copra and copra cake, a cancer-
causing toxic metabolite produced by the Aspergillus sp. group of moulds, specifically
Aspergillus flavus, the presence of high contents of free fatty acid (FFA) that increases
the refining cost and reduces the oil recovery by 1.4 times (Flynn, 1973), and a
carcinogenic and mutagenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in CNO. The
 R.C. Guarte et aL /Postharvest Biology and Technology 9 (1996) 361-372 363

aflatoxin and FFA problems are attributed to the high moisture content of copra after
drying and during storage (Head, 1991), while PAH-related problems are due to direct
contamination with smoke during copra drying (Arturo, 1992). Many of these difficulties
stemmed from technical problems of inappropriate drying conditions and poor dryer
design.
This study investigated the influence of drying temperature and position of halved
dehusked coconuts with respect to the drying air stream so that good quality copra
and CNO are produced at the shortest drying time. The response by copra to different
combinations of time and temperature, also the possible difference that position of the
halved nuts might make, were investigated.

2. Materials and methods

The laboratory dryer

The drying experiments were carried out using an experimental apparatus developed
at the Institute of Agricultural Engineering in the Tropics and Subtropics at the
University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart (Germany), which maintained a range of drying
conditions with high accuracy. It consisted of an airflow control assembly (section
1), humidity control assembly (section 2), primary heating assembly (section 3), and
the drying chamber (section 4) as shown in Fig. 2. Each section was electronically
controlled by a proportional plus-reset integral (PI) controller. The airflow control
assembly regulated the amount of fresh air entering the drying chamber at an accuracy
of 4- 0.05 m s -1. The desired initial dew point temperature of the drying air was
maintained by the section 2 assembly with an accuracy of 4- 0.5°C. To obtain the
desired drying air temperature with 4- 0.5°C accuracy, the air from section 2 was heated
in section 3 and reheated in section 4 by secondary heating elements. The heated air
passed through the product inside the drying chamber and was then exhausted to the
atmosphere.

Material and drying experiments

The coconuts used in the study were purchased from Ivory Coast through a local
distributor in Stuttgart. Only matured and good quality nuts were used in the experi-
ments. Before the start of drying, the coconut husks were removed and the nuts were
split equally into halves in crosswise manner to remove the coconut water. The quality
properties of the fresh coconut meat were determined. The average diameter of dehusked
nuts and thickness of the meat were 10.0 cm and 1,3 cm, respectively.
Single layers of halved nuts, containing the meat and the shell, were dried at
temperatures of 40 to 100°C at 10°C intervals until the desired moisture content was
reached. The halves were oriented in downward (N) and upward (U) positions with
respect to the direction of air stream. Four replications were made for each temperature,
two for each nut position. The experiments were conducted at constant air velocity (va)
of 0.5 m s -1, the recommended velocity for industrial drying of coconut (Nampoorthiry
et al., 1986). Since heating the ambient air under atmospheric pressure occurs at a
constant dew point temperature (Tdp) while decreasing the relative humidity, a tropical
Tdp of 25°C was maintained in all experiments to simulate tropical drying conditions.
364 R.C. Guarte et al./ Postharvest Biology and Technology 9 (1996) 361-372

,.~ ¢.

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 R.C. Guarte et al./ Postharvest Biology and Technology 9 (1996) 361-372 365

Drying air temperatures, dew point temperatures, drying air velocity and the atmospheric
conditions were recorded automatically by the computer at 10-min intervals. The
instantaneous weight of samples was measured by a load cell connected to the computer.
After each drying trial, the moisture content (MC) of copra samples expressed on a wet
basis was measured immediately by means of a dedicated computer program.

Quality evaluation
Copra quality is based mainly on moisture content and appearance (Varnakulasingam,
1974) and these criteria are still used in domestic and international markets. Copra with
7% MC and below with pale white to light brown colours are regularly marketed with
good returns, but those that are scorched, burned, sooty, mouldy and with high moisture
content are sold at discounted prices. Existing CNO quality criteria adopted the 1990
guidelines issued by the Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Association (FOSFA) which
included a FFA (oleic) content of less than 4% and colour on the Lovibond scale of less
than 9 red and 50 yellow.
In this work copra quality was evaluated as colour, taste and smell by selected
assessors using the rating scale method (Land and Shepherd, 1984). Although the
taste and smell attributes are normally not included in the evaluation of copra quality,
they were considered in this work as they are good indicators of over-dried or burned
copra. The sensory colour of the copra surface was assessed as shades of white and
brown. To establish a stable method of colour measurement of copra surface visually
is highly subjective, so sensory measurements were compared to the surface colour
measured with a hand-held tristimulus reflectance colorimeter (Model CR-100, Minolta
Corp.) using the CIE-L*a*b* uniform colour space (CIE-Lab), where L* indicates the
lightness, a* indicates chromacity on a green ( - ) to red (+) axis, and b* chromacity on
a blue ( - ) to yellow (+) axis (Nunes et al., 1995). Numerical values of a* and b* were
transformed into chroma C* [C* = (a .2 + b'2)1/2]. The C* describes the purity of the
hue values.
The quality of CNO was evaluated as acid number, anisidine value, oil content, free
fatty acid content, moisture content, saponification value and the composition of fatty
acids according to standard methods (DGF-Standards, 1989). These parameters are the
quality indicators of oil. The acid number is a measure of the FFA content in an oil. The
saponification value indicates the chemical reaction of an alkali with a fat or fatty acid,
based on milligrams of potassium hydroxide necessary to react or neutralize 1 gram
of the product under test. Oil with a high saponification value imparts hardness, high
foamability and lathering properties in soap and detergents. The anisidine value is used
to indicate whether oil colour is susceptible to darkening when subjected to heating. The
fatty acid composition gave the degree of saturation and unsaturation of fatty acids in
CNO. Unsaturation is indicated by the value of oleic (C18:1) (mono-unsaturation) and
linoleic (C18:2) (polyunsaturation) fatty acids. In all drying trials, the quality of fresh
coconut meat, freeze-dried at 20°C, were measured and served as the control.

Analysis of data
The effects of drying temperature and nut position on the different quality parameters
of copra and CNO were determined using a 2 × 8 factorial experiment in completely
366 R.C. Guarte et al./ Postharvest Biology and Technology 9 (1996) 361-372

randomized block design (RCBD) following the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method.
Significant differences of treatment means were determined by Duncan's Multiple
Range Test (DMRT). Regression analysis was used for constructing regression lines
(Gomez and Gomez, 1984). The value of the MC of copra was expressed in percent on
a wet basis, [MC (%) = 100(W0 - WD)/W0], where W0 and Wo correspond to the initial
and dry solid weights of samples.

3. Results and discussion

Drying characteristics
The drying time for copra to reach the desired MC of 7%, at which attack by
Aspergillus sp. group of moulds or insects and an increase of FFA level in CNO
are unlikely to occur (Head, 1991; Thampan, 1975), was significantly affected by the
drying temperature but not by the position of the halved nuts. Drying time decreased
exponentially with the increase in the drying temperature (Fig. 3). Comparison of
treatment means by DMRT indicated significant differences between 40 to 90°C but
not between 90 and 100°C. The average drying time to reach 7% MC from the initial
range of 45-47% was 110, 79, 58, 46, 34, 21 and 18 hours at drying temperatures of
40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100°C, respectively. Therefore, at drying temperatures of
90-100°C, it would take less than one day of continuous drying or 2 days with overnight
cooling to reduce the moisture to 7%. These times were longer than those reported in
the literature. For example, Palmer (1968) and Dumaluan and Lozada (1982) reported a
drying time of 18 and 20 h at 60°C. Although such differences could not be immediately
explained, it is assumed that they were due to experimental techniques (Hall, 1979). Due
to inadequate instrumentation, a much higher temperature than reported would have had
to be used during the drying process. The method of moisture content determination
and the thickness of the meat could also account for the differences between past and
present results.
The drying characteristics of copra, indicated by the progressive change of moisture
content, was significantly affected by the drying temperature, being fastest at highest

~20 I
I A n II U
i

.DT = 4 8 3 . 6 2 - 1 0 2 , 7 1 1 n (T)
ao / , (R2 = 0 . 9 8 )

~- 60

~ 40
i
2O

0
40 50 60 70 BO 90 iO0
Drying Temperature, "C

Fig. 3. Thedrying time ofcopraatdifferenttemperatures and nutpositions.

 R.C. Guarte et al./ Postharvest Biology and Technology 9 (1996) 361-372 367

• 50 --~- r [

40

4~

u 20

~ 0 ~O0"C 90 801 "70 "50 50 ,~6

0 2O 40 60 80 100 120
Ory~ng Time, h
Fig. 4. The meandryingcharacteristicsof copra at differenttemperatures.

temperature (Fig. 4). Constant rate of moisture removal during the early stage of drying
was not observed as in other studies (Cardenas, 1968; Rajasekharan et al., 1961). The
halves may have dried out a little during sample preparation (Lozada, 1978). In general,
moisture removal slowed as the tissue dried out and this is attributed to the shrinkage
of the cell structure and low water concentration which may have reduced the water
diffusion coefficient, as in the case of scalded potato reported by Fish (1958). Case
hardening, the formation of a hard layer on the outer layer of the product that restricts
the passage of moisture movement from the interior to the surface, was not observed
even at drying temperatures of 80-100°C in contrast to the claim of Child (1964). Based
on drying time, a drying temperature of 90°C is optimal for copra.

Copra quality
The smell and taste of copra was not affected by either drying temperature or
position of halved nuts. Except at 80°C, colour was the same for both positions for each
temperature. Colour changed as temperature increased from 80 to 100°C (Table 1), but
no charring occurred throughout the drying period, a finding which is in contrast to that
of Cardenas (1968). The browning of copra at high temperatures is mainly attributed to
the Maillard reaction. Since pale white to light brown copra is traded commercially and
there has been no reported loss of copra quality even at a light brown colour, it can be
deduced that based on the sensory qualities of colour, smell and taste, copra can be dried
up to 90°C without losing quality.
Statistical analysis of the data obtained from Minolta Chromameter CR 100 indicated
that colour of copra differed significantly at different drying temperatures. Position of
the halves affected significantly the C* value but not the L* value. Referring to the
sensory colour evaluation, these differences do not imply loss of quality up to 90°C, but
rather they indicate that using chromameter CR 100 or similar equipment, good quality
copra should have L* value of 51.5 4- 2.0 or higher and C* of 21 4- 1.2 or lower.

Quality o f coconut oil

The mean values of the different CNO quality indicators are presented in Table 2 and
the results of the ANOVA are summarized in Table 3. Drying temperature and position
 368 R.C. Guarte et al./ Postharvest Biology and Technology 9 (1996) 361-372

Table 1
Copra quality as affected by the drying temperature and nut position (Va = 0.5 m s -1 and Tdp = 25°C)

Drying Smell Taste Copra colour

temperature n u N
U Human eyes Chromameter
(°C)
n U L* C*
20 (Control) Ta T T T W W 82.3 a b 2.25 a
40 4- 0.60 T T T T W W 78.8 b 3.30 b
50 -t- 0.60 T T T T W W 75.5 c 4.40 c
60 4- 0.50 T T T T W W 69.3 d 6.80 d
70 4- 0.30 T T T T W W 65.8 e 8.95 e
80 4- 0.60 T T T T LB W 61.3 f 17.3 f
90 4- 0.50 T T T T LB LB 51.5 g 21.0 f
100 4. 1.30 T T T T B B 47.3 h 30.3 f

a T = typical; W = white; LB = light brown; B = brown; L* = lightness; C* = chroma.

b Treatments means with the same letters are not significantly different at DMRT 5% level.

Table 2
Quality characteristics of CNO as affected by the drying temperature and nut position (V a = 0.5 m s - l and
Tdp = 25°C)

Temperature Oil Acid Saponification Anisidine Free fatty

(°C) content number number value acid
(g 100 g 1) (mg KOH g-l) (mg KOH g-l) (%)

20 (Control) 62.05 aa 0.25 a 249.50 a 0.30 a 0.10 a

40 -4-0.60 64.95 a 0.25 a 261.00 a 0.30 a 0.10 a
50-4-0.60 61.95 a 0.35 a 239.00 a 0.38 a 0.10 a
60 + 0.50 62.68 a 0.35 a 250.75 a 0.33 a 0.12 a
70 -4-0.30 63.20 a 0.28 a 244.75 a 0.48 a 0.12 a
80 4- 0.60 60.78 a 0.30 a 246.25 a 0.33 a 0.10 a
90 4- 0.50 61.63 a 0.30 a 252.00 a 0.48 a 0.10 a
100 4- 1.30 60.08 a 0.25 a 254.75 a 0.48 a 0.10 a
C.V. 0.04 0.13 0.02 0.15 0.12

a Treatments means with the same letters are not significantly different at DMRT 5% level.

o f split nuts h a d n o s i g n i f i c a n t i n f l u e n c e o n the quality o f c o c o n u t oil a n d this w a s a l s o

t h e c a s e f o r the r e p l i c a t i o n s a n d i n t e r a c t i o n effects. T h i s s h o w s that c o c o n u t oil e x t r a c t e d
f r o m c o p r a d r i e d up to 100°C r e m a i n s stable in t e r m s o f its oil c o n t e n t , a c i d n u m b e r ,
s a p o n i f i c a t i o n n u m b e r , a n i s i d i n e v a l u e a n d f r e e fatty a c i d c o n t e n t .
T h e m e a n v a l u e o f oil c o n t e n t w a s in the r a n g e o f a b o u t 6 0 - 6 5 % , o n a dry basis.
T h e r e w a s n o t r e n d e s t a b l i s h e d w i t h r e s p e c t to the e f f e c t s o f d r y i n g t e m p e r a t u r e , a n d this
is the c a s e f o r t h e a c i d n u m b e r as w e l l . T h e m e a n s a p o n i f i c a t i o n n u m b e r s w e r e w i t h i n
the r a n g e s g i v e n b y K a u f m a n n a n d T h i e m e (1956) a n d B a n s o n a n d V e l a s c o (1982).
T h e a n i s i d i n e v a l u e s fell w i t h i n the r a n g e o f 1 - 1 . 4 f o u n d b y H a m m o n d s et al. (1991).
B a s e d o n F F A c o n t e n t , the C N O p r o d u c e d f r o m the d r y i n g e x p e r i m e n t s w e r e all o f the
first g r a d e ( V a r n a k u l a s i n g a m , 1974). T h e i n s i g n i f i c a n t e f f e c t s o f d r y i n g t e m p e r a t u r e a n d
 R.C. Guarte et al./ Postharvest Biology and Technology 9 (1996) 361-372 369

Table 3
Summary of the analysis of variance on the effects of temperature and nut position on the quality of coconut
oil using a 2 × 8 factorial experiment in RCBD (Va = 0.5 m s -1 and Tdp = 25°C)

Sources of Computed F-value Table

variation F-value
Coconut oil quality Copra colour
OC a AN SN ASV FFA L* C* 5% 1%
Replication 0.01 ns b 5.84* 0.90 ns 0.10 ns 0.01 ns 0.72 ns 0.05 ns 4.54 8.68
Treatment 0.77 ns 1.15 ns 1.12 ns 1.53 ns 0.88 ns 200** 325** 2.41 3.53
Nut position (A) 0.70 ns 0.43 ns 0.21 ns 0.36 ns 1.88 ns 0.03 ns 8.50* 4.54 8.56
Temperature (B) 0.40ns 1.10ns 1.18 ns 1.88 ns 0.80 ns 425** 695** 2.70 4.14
A× B 1.16ns 1.31 ns 1.18 ns 1.33 ns 0.80 ns 5.33** 1.09 ns 2.70 4.14
C.V. 0.04 0.11 0.02 0.15 0.12 0.01 0.03

a OC = oil content; AN = acid number; SN = saponification number; ASV = anisidine value; FFA = free

fatty acid.
b ns = not significant at 5% level, ** = significant at 1% level.

p o s i t i o n o f the h a l v e s on the quality o f C N O i n d i c a t e d that in t e r m s o f C N O quality,

c o p r a c a n b e d r i e d up to 100°C.

Composition o f the fatty acids in the CNO

T h e fatty a c i d s are the m o s t i m p o r t a n t c o n s t i t u e n t s o f oil a n d the b a l a n c e b e t w e e n
the various a c i d c o m p o n e n t s d e t e r m i n e s t h e p r o p e r t i e s a n d u s e s o f the oil. C N O is
v a l u e d b y s o a p m a n u f a c t u r e r s d u e to its h i g h c o n t e n t o f lauric acid. T h e m e a n fatty
a c i d c o m p o s i t i o n s o f C N O are s h o w n in Table 4 and a s u m m a r y o f the A N O V A o n the
e f f e c t s o f t e m p e r a t u r e a n d nut p o s i t i o n o n the fatty a c i d c o m p o s i t i o n is g i v e n in T a b l e 5.
S t a t i s t i c a l a n a l y s i s i n d i c a t e d that d r y i n g t e m p e r a t u r e a n d nut p o s i t i o n h a d n o signifi-
c a n t e f f e c t s on the lauric (C12:0) a n d stearic (C18:0) acids. T h e values o f the o t h e r fatty

Table 4
Saturated and unsaturated fatty acid composition (in percent of the whole) of CNO as affected by the drying
temperature and nut position (Oa = 0.5 m s-j and Tdp = 25°C)

Temperature C8:0 C8:1 Cl0:0 C12:0 C14:0 C16:0 C18:0 C18:1 Cls:2
(°C) (caprylic) (caprylic) (caprie) (lauric) (myristic) (palmitic) (stearic) (oleic) (linoleic)
20 (Control) 12.42 a a 0.38 a 7.80 ab 50.50 a 16.32 a 5.72 a 1.68 a 4.18 a hl0 a
40-t-0.60 10.15ab 0.20a 6.90a 48.95a 18.80bc 7.30b 1.75a 4.60ab 1.35ab
504-0.60 9.35b 0.15a 6.95ab 48.20a 18.40c 7.75b 1.95a 5.90b 1.45b
604-0.50 9.88ab 0.18a 7.28ab 49.90a 17.50abc 6.90ab 1.72a 5.18ab 1.30ab
70 4- 0.30 12.05ab 0.38 a 7.92b 49.95 a 16.58 ab 5.90a 1.62 a 4.52 ab 1.22 ab
804-0.60 10.55ab 0.28 a 6.95 ab 49.65 a 17.88 abc 6.95 ab 1.75 a 4.98 ab 1.35 ab
904-0.50 ll.80ab 0.30a 7.82ab 49.70a 16.90bc 6.48ab 1.80a 4.65ab 1.28ab
100 4- 1 . 3 0 12.42a 0.30 a 7.85 ab 49.35 a 16.42 a 6.34 ab 1.65 a 4.25 a 1.38 b
C.V. 0.05 0.16 0.03 0.01 0.02 0.04 0.07 0.06 0.04

a Treatment means with the same letter are not significantly different at DMRT 5% level.
370 R.C. Guarte et a l . / Postharvest Biology and Technology 9 (1996) 361-372

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 R. C. Guarte et al. / Postharvest Biology and Technology 9 (1996) 361-372 371

acids were significantly affected by temperature, but not by the position of the nut except
for the capric acid (C10: o) (Table 5). Further analysis of the treatment means by DMRT
indicated however, that although the ANOVA showed a possible significant influence
of temperature on the differences in the values of some fatty acids like the caprylic
(C8: o, C8:1), capric (Clo: 0), myristic (C 14: 0), palmitic (C16: 0), oleic (C18: l) and linoleic
(C18:2) acids, there was no definite trend of these differences at various temperature
levels (Table 4). At 100°C for example, except for linoleic acid the respective value of
other fatty acids did not differ significantly with those at 20°C (control). Other than
the linoleic acid, the interaction between nut position and temperature was also not
significant (Table 5). Hence, it is inferred that other factors such as variety and maturity
of the source material are likely to influence the differences in the values of each fatty
acid at various temperature levels rather than the temperature of the drying air.
Looking at the saturated fatty acid compositions of CNO in all drying experiments
(Table 4), lauric acid constituted the highest portion at about 48-51%. This was
followed by the myristic, caprylic, capric, palmitic, and stearic acids with mean values
in the range of about 16-19, 9-13, 7-8, 6-8, and 1.5-2%, respectively. Except for the
caprylic acid, the percentages of the saturated fatty acids obtained from the experiments
were comparable to the values given by Kaufmann and Thieme (1956) and by Padua-
Resurrection and Banzon (1979). The values of unsaturated fatty acids oleic and linoleic
were in the range of about 4-6 and 1-1.5%, respectively, which compare well with
those cited by Banzon and Velasco (1982) and Levitt (1967). The results indicate that
both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in CNO remain stable even if exposed to
100°C during drying.

4. Conclusions

Drying temperature of 90°C is found to be optimum to produce high quality copra

and coconut oil at the least drying time. Position of the halved nuts during drying has
no influence on quality and drying time and therefore arrangement of the halves on the
dryer in actual field drying can be eliminated to save labour.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) for
providing the research funds, to the ViSCA-GTZ Ecology Project at ViSCA, Baybay,
Leyte, Philippines and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for providing
the senior author the scholarship grant.

References
Arturo, Y., 1992. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) Content of Philippine Coconut Oil. PCA
Memorandum.PhilippineCoconutAuthority,QuezonCity.
Banzon, J.A. and VelascoJ.R., 1982.CoconutProductionand Utilization. PCRDF Manila.
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