MAPÚA UNIVERSITY

School of Chemical, Biological, and Materials

Engineering and Sciences

Report 6 – Coconut Oil

Andreagail L. Ducog
CH140L – A41
3 August 2021
PROCESS FLOW CHART
Coconut Oil Extraction: Cold Process

Coconut Oil Extraction: Hot Process

A. IMPORTANT CHEMICAL ENGINEERING EQUIPMENT AND CHEMICALS

IN COCONUT OIL EXTRACTION
1. Freshly Grated Coconut – Raw material for this process. Oils are extracted from this
material.
2. Cheesecloth – grated coconut meat is placed inside and squeezed dry to acquire coconut
milk.
3. Refrigerator – used for extracting coconut oil through the cold process. Coconut milk
is refrigerated to separate the oil.
4. Kettle/Pot – used for extracting coconut oil through the hot process. Coconut milk is
heated and stirred until it boils and becomes thick.
 5. Stirring rod – Used for stirring the heated milk during the hot process.
6. Water – used to soak squeezed grated coconut for repeated squeezing to acquire more
milk.

B. COMMENTS ON PROCEDURE

Extraction of Coconut Oil: Cold process

• Grated coconut meat is placed within a cheesecloth and is wrapped.
• The cheesecloth with grated coconut is squeezed over a container to release
coconut milk. This must be done repeatedly until there is no more liquid released.
• Soak the squeezed grated coconut in water. Filter and squeeze using a cheesecloth
to release more milk.
• Refrigerate the container with the coconut milk for 10 to 17 hours to separate the
oil from the milk
• After refrigerating, take the container and let it rest to reach room temperature.
• The constituents of the milk are then separated in a suspension. Coconut solids on
top, coconut oil in the middle, and coconut water in the bottom.
• Remove the coconut solids to access the coconut oil. Separate the oil from the
water and put in a different container.
Extraction of Coconut Oil: Hot process
• Extraction of coconut milk from the grated coconut is exactly the same with the
steps done in the cold process.
• The coconut milk is then poured into a pot and heated until boiling and the milk is
thick and oily.
• Strain or decant the oily mixture into a different container or bottle to separate the
oil.
C. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

• Using mechanical compressor to squeeze the grated coconut in the cheesecloth

could be recommended to improve efficiency of getting coconut milk.
 • Freezing the suspension of oil and water would allow for easier separation since
coconut oil freezes on a higher temperature than coconut water.
D. REALIZATIONS

Coconut oil has many great properties that can be beneficial for human whether it
is consumed, or applied to the skin. I realized that the extraction of coconut oil from raw
coconut is far easier and simpler than I thought. The extraction processes take advantage
of the difference of properties within the constituents of coconut milk. Properties like how
coconut water evaporates in lower temperatures than oil, or that coconut oil tends to float
and set above the coconut water when subjected to lower temperature. With that in mind,
the actual process of extracting coconut oil from coconut milk is pretty easy compared to
getting coconut milk from raw coconut since that requires elbow grease.