Commercial samples of virgin coconut oil (VCO), refined, bleached and deodorized
coconut oil (RBD CNO), and copra oil were analyzed using standard chemical parameters:
gas chromatography (GC) of the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), % moisture by Karl Fischer
titration, % volatile matter at 120° C, % free fatty acid, iodine value, peroxide value, and
microbial contamination. Principal components analysis (PCA) of the GC-FAME results
indicates that the various samples cannot be differentiated by their fatty acid composition,
indicating that the fatty acid profile is not affected by the processing method. No trans-fatty
acid was detected in all samples down to 0.01% (w/w) detection limit. VCO can be differentiated
from RBD CNO and copra oil using the following tests: % moisture by Karl Fischer, % volatile
matter volatile at 120° C, and peroxide value.