Tempeh Yeast Used to Extract Cooking Oil from Coconut

The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in Indonesia is using tempeh yeast to extract cooking oil and virgin coconut oil (VCO) from coconut, a researcher from BRIN’s Chemical Research informed, according to an Antara news report on February 14.  The addition of tempeh yeast helps separate oil and water within coconut milk naturally since the protein in coconut milk that helps oil and water to mix is eaten by the yeast, Teuku Beuna Bardant said.
The process of producing the oil is the wet method, which involves extracting the coconut milk first, he said.  This is done by grating the coconut flesh, pressing it to extract the milk, and then tempeh yeast is added to the mix, he informed.  The oil is then heated to a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius to kill the yeast and its spores contained within the oil, he explained.  The process is repeated two to three times, and is usually known as the pasteurization process, he added. 
   
      “This oil is better for human health because it has short and medium chain fatty acids,” Bardant pointed out.  The shorter chain makes coconut oil easier to consume. When people consume such oil, the body tends to use them rather than store them under the skin tissue, Bardant explained.  He further said he expects people to utilize coconut oil for cooking and palm oil for energy fuel.  “People will not be too dependent on palm oil because coconut oil can also be used as cooking oil,” he remarked.