Coconut oil brands and products have invaded the market, often with labels like “virgin”, “pure” and “100% natural”. The truth is while coconut oil is a superfood, how it is extracted and manufactured affects its nutrients and substances in a big way.
There are basically two types of coconut oil and they differ from the way they are processed – pure or virgin coconut oil (VCO) and refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) coconut oil. We are going to point out features of both that will show how pure coconut oil has more benefits than RBD coconut oil.
RBD Coconut Oil
RBD coconut oil, as the name suggests, has gone extensive processing to extract its oil. Coconut oil goes through refinement, bleaching and deodorizing to achieve what you commonly see in their bottles. The less processing a food undergoes, the higher the nutrient content and the healthier it is. Processing removes and destroys nutrients. RBD is tasteless and odorless. This means that all the phytonutrients have been removed.
RBD coconut oil comes from dried coconuts (copra). Coconuts are cracked open and the meat is dried usually under the sun although ovens may be used. Open coconuts are left in the sun exposed to the elements for days and even weeks before they are processed further.
Virgin Coconut Oil
Virgin coconut oil, as the name suggests, is pure and as close as its natural state, extracted with as little processing as possible. Usually, virgin coconut oil is extracted with as little or even no heat. Since it has gone through less processing, it retains most of the phytonutrients that are naturally found in the raw unprocessed coconut oil. This includes antioxidants and phytonutrients that are known to have heart protective, anticancer and other health promoting properties.
Virgin coconut oil comes from fresh coconuts. Absolutely no chemicals are used to process its oil. This is why virgin coconut oil retains a mild coconut aroma and coconutty flavor. Virgin coconut oil is extracted from the white meat of coconut so high quality coconut oil will be colorless.
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|
VCO |
RBD |
|
Coconut Source |
Fresh Coconuts |
Dried Coconuts (Copra) |
|
Processing Method |
No Heat |
Extensive Refinement, Deodorizing, Bleaching |
|
Color, Smell, Taste |
Colorless, Mild Coconut Aroma, Coconutty Flavor |
Depends on RBD quality grade, odorless, tasteless |
|
Phytonutrients |
Present |
Absent |
|
Medium-Chain Fatty Acids |
Present |
Present |
Skinny Coconut Oil is 100% raw, virgin coconut oil, which is made from fresh, pesticide-free coconuts in the jungles of Vietnam. There is no other coconut like this on the market today. It can be purchased in the following locations.