The major fraction of an edible oil is the saponifiable fraction,
which contains triglycerides and free fatty acids. Attempts to improve
the quality of the non-saponifiable fraction may affect the
quality of the saponifiable fraction. Therefore, it is important to
investigate how the modifications to the methods and conditions
of oil extraction to improve the quality of the non-saponifiable
fraction affect the quality of the saponifiable fraction. The fatty acid
composition, acid value and peroxide value of the CECO and HECO
were determined in order to estimate the effect of cold and hot
conditions of oil extraction on the quality of the saponifiable fraction.
According to the results in Table 3, there was no significant
difference between the fatty acid contents, acid values and peroxide
values of CECO and HECO, indicating that temperature-assisted
quality improvements can be made to coconut oil without affecting
the quality of the saponifiable fraction. Due to a high percentage
of saturated fatty acids, coconut oil has much better thermal
stability and oxidative stability, compared with several other edible
oils (Jayadas & Nair, 2006).