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“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

I have chosen a job that I love, that of building a business. I am marketing a product that I deeply love myself. I am living my own life and not someone else. Coconut oil manufacturing has been a family business that was started by my father. I didn’t get into it as part of his succession planning, I got into it out of my own interest. Rather, he didn’t want me to join it as he didn’t want me to face the hardships that he faced. But I forced myself in, and building Cocoguru has been my dream.

Here, I would like to discuss my personal preference for Coconut Oil and my experiences with it.

My father started a Coconut Oil mill in Puttur in 1988, and I was in 1st standard class then; it was right next to our home in the same compound. So, I have physically been very close to Coconut Oil Mill. But mentally, I wasn’t at all involved in it. Even my younger brother used to get involved in it, but I didn’t show any interest in it. My parents used to force me to go there. I used to take the tools to repair my cycle. As I was interested in Physics and Mechanics, I used to observe how motors rotate and how power is transmitted from the motor to the oil extraction machine. As I showed an inclination to studies and my brother towards business, it was planned in the family that my brother would continue the business, and I would have a white-collar job outside.

Hair Oil
Till I was 25, I never used to apply hair oil. Once, I felt that my hair was dry and needed hair oil. I bought a Parachute. It smelled so nice and different from coconut oil manufactured at our mill. I didn’t know why, even though it was Pure Coconut Oil, it smelled like that. Then, I assumed it must be perfumed. Also, the oil is used to retain the quality for a longer time. Then, I developed the habit of applying coconut oil to my scalp. One is to moisturise hair and scalp, and two is to experience the fragrance of coconut oil while applying it. I continue the habit today, but this is how my liking towards coconut oil started.

Cooling Effect
When I was in the hostel, I used to wash clothes on my own. I was famous for that as I used to wash clothes more frequently than others. I had to wash more frequently, probably because I used to wear one pair only for one day  After washing, due to detergents, my hands used to feel hot and dry. To moisturise and cool, I applied coconut oil on my hands and the remaining oil on my hands and legs. Now, I see coconut oil being used for the same reason, even in commercial establishments like Cement plants. Today, I get bulk orders from cement plants just to cool and moisturise my hands after handling cement.

Oil Pulling
My mother is very health conscious, and she used to do oil pulling. She also advised me to do oil pulling to have good oral health. Since I love coconut oil and am looking for new ways to experience it. I started oil pulling, and my dental health surely improved. Tooth sensitivity and swollen gums were gone. It is a great way for me to test the quality of our product. While oil pulling is rinsing oil inside the mouth, I wouldn’t mind if I swallowed some bit.

Instant Energy
I am someone who likes to eat regularly; I like to have my breakfast, lunch and dinner early and at the same time every day. But when I travel, I cannot stick to these routines. I don’t like eating junk food outside. When I feel hungry, my energy levels come down. Then, I drink about 5 ml of coconut oil. Coconut oil is different from other edible oils in that it is easily digestible and hence provides instant energy. Also, it leaves a very good taste in the mouth.

Sales Pitch
I sometimes go with our sales van to develop new business or get feedback from customers. When I approach a new customer to develop a business, he is normally reluctant. Then I pour some drops of oil on his hand to smell it. Since ours is roasted coconut oil it smells more then conventional coconut oil. He now gets interested. He enquires about price and business terms and business starts.
Many times customers have raised doubts about the purity of our product and claim that it is perfumed and not natural. I pour a few drops of oil on my mouth in front of them and swallow it. It convinces them and I get satisfied too.

Oil Smell
A lot of smell comes out of our factory during oil extraction. It reaches the road that is a good 150 metres away all nearby residents. For me to sit in the factory and experience it the whole day is blissful. My clothes retain that smell, when I go out, people ask and I feel good about it. It happens only with Coconut Oil.

On the contrary, my experience with other oils, especially Sunflower Oil, is different. At my hostel at Mysore, the Kitchen was on the ground floor, and the Dining Hall was right above it on 1st floor. This meant that the kitchen smell, especially that of cooking oil (Sunflower Oil), would be felt in the dining hall. I was slow at eating, which meant I had to experience the smell for a longer time. If you don’t like the smell, the time spent feels that much longer. The clothes would retain the smell, so I had to feel it for a long time, even after I had left the hostel mess. So, I used to wear a different set of clothes to mess up, take it off and wear a different set once I came back. At a lodging in Erode, the restaurant was right below the room, and I had to endure the smell the whole night. There are a lot of restaurants with poor kitchen ventilation where Oil vapours circulate around our eating tables. I avoid such hotels.

Oily Food
I avoid eating all oily foods when I eat out. Because they mostly use cheaper oils like Sunflower Oil, Palmolein Oil or Vanaspati. A good oil can add a lot of taste and juiciness to food. I particularly like oily foods prepared by the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community. At our home, oil usage is very low, and food tastes bland. A close relative used Cocoguru coconut oil to prepare all the items for their function. I tasted all the items there, including Poori and Jilebi, that I hadn’t tasted in recent memory. At our factory canteen, we prepare one deep-fried dish a week to test the quality of our oil. For Diwali, we prepare Boondi Ladu using our coconut oil and distribute it to employees and customers. There are a few local foods like Charmuri, Omlet, Pathrode, Fish Fry and Banana Chips that must use Coconut Oil to taste good.

Overall, I use coconut oil to appeal to my 3 senses smell, taste and touch. Only a poet can explain well how good it feels rest of us have to experience it to understand it.

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Our new factory at Kallarpe (Aryapu Village, Puttur) manufactures Roasted Coconut Oil. Our new customers have instantly liked it because of its enhanced aroma and taste. But our old customers who have used cold-pressed coconut oil manufactured at our old factory in Parladka (Puttur) have various doubts about it. I seek to clear those doubts here.

Cold Press Coconut Oil
Virgin Coconut Oil is many times referred to as Cold Press Coconut Oil. Virgin Coconut Oil is extracted from fresh Coconut. But, here we refer to oil extracted from Copra (dried Coconut).

Copra with about 8% moisture is crushed as it is on a Rotary Machine (Chuck/Ghana). Oil is filtered through sedimentation of solid particles for 7 days in settling tanks. The process is extremely simple and requires minimum capital investment.

The resulting oil has a crystal clear transparent colour and smells and tastes like Copra as it is. Many people like this as it is considered to be natural and local made product.

Roasted Coconut Oil
Copra is cut into small pieces and dried using hot air to about 5% moisture level. This Copra is heated for about one hour on a multi-stage steam-jacketed vessel for roasting. A bit of steam is also added to Copra for cooking. This opens up the fat cells and helps in easy oil extraction. Oil is then filtered using a Pressure Leaf Filter and Filter Press to remove sediments when oil is extracted. This process requires more capital investment for a Steam Boiler, Pipeline, and Cooker with an Agitator and Motor. It also has higher running costs in fuel for steam generation and power.

The resulting oil has a golden yellow color. It has a stronger smell and taste. It has just the same effect as what roasted Ground Nuts give.

During processing, the temperature of oil and oil cake rise up to 100 degrees, while in cold pressed it is only about 60 degrees. In the process the oil loses moisture and reduces the risk of going rancid. Copra gets sterilized as the bacteria and fungus die, which again prolongs shelf life.

At higher temperatures, triglycerides in other oils start breaking into free fatty acids causing rancidity. But Coconut Oil being mostly Saturated Fat and is quite stable. So, roasting does not deteriorate the quality of oil.

Hair Oil manufacturers prefer Roasted Oil for its stronger smell and longer shelf life. It has a 5% premium in the bulk oil market over Cold Pressed variety. But we are selling at the same price to consumers now. It is something new to them here in Dakshina Kannada market and not yet fully accepted. We have been working hard in educating them about this new variety.

Despite so much of difference they are still the same i.e. Coconut Oil. Both of them are made from the same quality of Copra; they have the same chemical composition, and both have the same miraculous health benefits as coconut oil.

Download Write up of Roasted Coconut Oil FAQ

Edible Oils are in 3 forms on the basis of processing, viz. Crude Oil, Refined Oil and Vanaspati. The uninitiated, based on the terms used, will perceive

• Crude Oil is natural and not yet fit for consumption
• Refined Oil is improved and made perfect for consumption
• Vanaspati, in Sanskrit, means ‘lord of forest’, should be very healthy

This is where consumers are misguided by the names and their literal meanings. The fact, though is

• Crude Oil Oil that is just filtered after extracting OilOil from the oil seed is the healthiest. Unrefined oils still have healthy bioactive components, such as Vitamin E, flavour, and aroma.
• Refined OilOil is highly processed with the use of chemicals and heat to just retain the OilOil. Even oils extracted from lower quality oil seed can be refined. So, refined OilOil though pure is not as healthy as corresponding crude/unrefined OilOil.
• Vanaspati is formed by partial hydrogenation of refined vegetable oil is extremely harmful. They have Trans fats which are formed as a by product of hydrogenation.

In India, of the total 13 million tons of edible OilOil consumed, 10% is in the form of Vanaspati and 45% each in refined and unrefined form. Doctors and Health Departments warn consumers against intake of saturated fats, but the real culprit for all the heart problems and obesity are trans fats. Chemical analysis of trans fats gives a logical reason why trans-fats are harmful.

Chemistry of Fats
Fatty acids are characterized as either saturated or unsaturated based on the presence of double bonds in their structure. If the molecule contains no double bonds, it is said to be saturated; otherwise, it is unsaturated to some degree. Saturated fat has no double bonds, has the maximum number of hydrogens bonded to the carbons, and, therefore, is “saturated” with hydrogen atoms. The more double bonds in the fatty acid, the more vulnerable it is to rancidity, as free radicals attack double bonds.

In most naturally occurring unsaturated fatty acids (and all saturated fatty acids), the hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the double bonds of the carbon chain (cis configuration — from the Latin, meaning “on the same side”). However, partial hydrogenation reconfigures most of the double bonds that do not become chemically saturated, twisting them so that the hydrogen atoms end up on different sides of the chain. This type of configuration is called trans, from the Latin, meaning “across.” The trans conformation is the lower energy form and is favoured when catalytically equilibrated as a side reaction in hydrogenation.

The trans configuration is straighter, while the cis configuration is noticeably kinked. Trans fats have a much higher melting point (45 °C) due to the ability of the trans molecules to pack more tightly, forming a solid that is more difficult to break apart. This notably means that it is a solid at human body temperatures (37 °C).

In essence, hydrogenated oil/trans fats are stable making the food products last longer and are solids at body temperature making it harder to digest.

Why Hydrogenate?
Hydrogenated oils are more stable than corresponding natural oils with unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are mostly found in animal sources (Butter, Ghee, etc), which are scarce and hence expensive. Oils from vegetable sources are mostly unsaturated, abundant and less expensive. So, partial hydrogenation of less expensive unsaturated fats from vegetable sources is an attractive commercial proposition. They are not only stable and make the fried food product last longer but also add to the taste. That is why we find widespread use in commercial cooking in Breads, Cookies, Cream Biscuits, Sweets, fried snacks, chocolates and ice creams.

Health Risks
The primary health risk identified for trans fat consumption is an elevated risk of coronary heart disease. The reason is trans fat increases the level of LDL or bad cholesterol and decreases HDL or good cholesterol. Other ill-effects are Alzheimer’s disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Obesity, Liver dysfunction and infertility in women.

Prevention of Food Adulteration Act specifies that the melting point of Vanaspati be strictly less than 41 °C. That means manufacturers must ensure that hydrogenation is stopped before the melting point reaches that point. Also, the labels on packed food products must show the amount of trans fats in the food sample. ITC, Britannia, and the like, who are branded manufacturers of such food products, clearly mention that Trans fats are bad for health, just like Cigarette packs mention ‘Smoking is injurious to health’.

It is highly advised that consumers avoid all commercially prepared foods (Bakeries, Hotels and Packed foods) to the extent possible. One should also carefully read the labels for its ingredients and nutrition values. Food items containing Edible Vegetable Fat or having Trans fats value more than 2% should be avoided.

Sources – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat