• Dry the coconut kernel within four hours of splitting the nut. Beyond four hours, the nut will yield
yellow or pink oil due to microbial attack. The risk is much higher in kernels of small particle size
(as in this case) because more surface area of the kernel is exposed.
• Dry the comminuted kernel at the appropriate temperature (70–75°C) to prevent it from being
burned or scorched. High temperature and improper drying techniques result in unacceptable
pale yellow coconut oil with a burnt odour. If the drying temperature is too low, bacterial
contamination may occur which also results in unacceptable yellow-coloured oil (Bawalan and
Chapman 2006).
• Do not overload the dryer. Just load the amount of grated/shredded/milled coconut kernel
according to the specified processing capacity. Overloading the dryer can cause deterioration
of the kernel that is not reached by heat and may also result in yellow-coloured oil.
• Dry the comminuted kernel to the right moisture content as specified in the type of VCO fresh-
dry processing technology that is used (e.g. 10–12% for the low pressure method, 3–4% for the
high pressure expeller and fresh-dry centrifuge process).