OBTAINING AND CHARACTERIZING COCONUT OIL

Coconut oil has attracted a lot of attention by virtue of its health, hygiene and
aesthetic benefits. This work aimed to obtain and characterize coconut oil with a
focus on later application in the formulation of biodegradable films for packaging
food. Coconut oil was obtained by two-way (hot and cold) and characterized as
to its physicochemical attributes and antibacterial activity on S. aureus and E.
coli. The hot oil extraction showed a longer shelf life of 248 days, inhibited
microbial growth and avoided the rancidity of the oil due to the heating and total
evaporation of the water, while in cold extraction it was observed the formation
of granules, strong odor, rancification of the oil and microbial growth, resulting in
the shelf life of 12 to 20 days. The acidity index presented the average value of
0.59 ± 0.12 mg KOH/g oil, within the maximum limit allowed by the Brazilian
legislation. The saponification index showed the value of 316.13 ± 12.08 mg
KOH/g oil slightly above that reported in the literature, indicating a low molecular
weight of the oil. The melting point of coconut oil was 26.87 °C. At a maximum
temperature of 27.1 °C, coconut oil is fully liquid. In the antibacterial analysis the
average values of inhibition halos (7.27 ± 0.11 mm for S. aureus and 6.56 ± 0.46
mm E. coli) indicate the antibacterial potential of coconut oil, however, the
bacteria showed resistance to the concentrations used. The physicochemical
characterization of coconut oil was extremely important to evaluate the quality
standard of the final product. In general, the hot extraction presented the best
result since the process presented little variation in the sample composition and
extension of its useful life.