Coconut Production Business In Nigeria

What are the main countries producing coconut oil in Nigeria? What are the benefits of natural coconut oil for health and beauty? Read the article to learn more.

Coconut oil – how is it produced?

The oil received from fruits of a coconut palm is one of the main foods for the population of Indonesia, India, and Thailand. Thanks to a variety of curative properties, coconut oil is also often used in traditional system of the Indian medicine. This useful product enjoys has a wide popularity at inhabitants of Southeast Asia and Africa as the best natural cosmetic for the daily care of skin and hair. Under a firm shell of the fruit of coconut palm, the white thick layer (about 12 mm) called copra is located. All other space in coconut is occupied with coconut juice.

In process of ripening of a coco, initially liquid and transparent coconut juice gradually turns into the emulsion (coconut water), gradually gets denser and by the end of 8th and 9th month of maturing of coconut, it hardens. At this time, the ripe fruit of a coconut palm is ready to processing for the purpose of receiving of coconut oil from it. At the production of coconut oil the hardened coconut pulp (content of fat in which is not less than 67%) at first is separated from its shell, then the shelled copra is dried up & crushed, and people receive the oil from it, having the characteristic sweetish aroma.

Most often at the production of coconut oil people use method of hot pressing, at which people get, as a rule, not less than 300 g of vegetable oil from 1 kilogram of copra. But for receiving coconut oil, the sparing technology of cold extraction, allowing receiving coconut oil having the highest nutrition and biological value, is used. At the same time, it is more expensive (because of a low volume of a ready-made product). As well as other vegetable oils, coconut oil can be not refined (crude) and refined (deodorized, undergone cleaning under high pressure). The refined coconut oil is transparent unlike not refined, the color of which can vary from milky white to pale yellow. But the refined oil of a coconut is almost deprived of pleasant tropical aroma characteristic for not refined coconut oil.

The temperature of melting of coconut oil is 25-27°C (below this temperature, oil represents the hardened granular oily mass). Because of the high content of saturated fatty acids, coconut oil is practically not exposed to oxidation and has a long period of storage even in the room temperature. Possessing expressed foam-forming and purifying properties, coconut oil finds a wide use in soap and beauty manufactures. The main scopes of oil of coconuts are also the production of margarine, the cosmetic industry, cosmetics production, and production of medicinal ointments. Besides, recently in the countries located in tropical regions, coconut oil rather often is used as alternative fuel for cars, buses, and other vehicles. Today the main global manufacturers of coconut oil are located in Malaysia, India, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. But there are also coconut producing states in Nigeria.

Benefits of coconut oil

The oil has a set of properties:

  • It well influences a functional condition of a thyroid gland,
  • Reduces the risk of development of diseases of bodies of a gastrointestinal tract,
  • It is useful for people who have diabetes of the II type, as it interferes with the development of obesity. Coconut oil improves natural development of insulin by pancreas, makes active and accelerates exchange processes, promotes recovery of the normal contents of glucose in blood at diabetes,
  • Has sedative and anti-stress effects,
  • Interferes with development of caries,
  • Promotes increase in immune protection,
  • It is useful for the nursing women,
  • Has antioxidant effect, reduces risk of development of oncological diseases,
  • It is rich with the substances, influencing a condition of skin well. Coconut oil is a very widespread ingredient of various cosmetics of industrial production. Also this useful vegetable product of home cosmetology can be used for enrichment of various creams, masks, balms, tonics, and lotions and any other cosmetics intended for mitigation or moistening of skin (before addition of coconut oil it is necessary to be kindled previously on a water bath at a temperature not higher than 40-45°C),
  • Coconut oil best of all is suitable for the daily care of the dry, shelled, inflamed, coarsened or mature face and body skin. Coconut oil can be used as a part of the delicate care of the sensitive skin around eyes, soft skin of a bust and area of a décolleté. Use of coconut oil for the care of the problem or fat skin isn’t recommended as this product can provoke the emergence of spots.
  • For care of skin it is recommended to use only the refined coconut oil, adding it to ready cosmetic medicines in small amount (in remedies for care of face skin the share of coconut oil shouldn’t exceed 10%, and in remedies for care of body skin, the optimum content of coconut oil is 30%).
  • In a pure, undiluted form, not refined coconut oil is admissible to use only for the care of hair, for cracks of skin on heels or for processing of the coarsened sites of skin in the field of elbow bends. Coconut oil is also the excellent natural restoring remedy for the care of the injured, splitting, thinned, dim, or fragile hair exposed to frequent coloring.

Coconut producing states in Nigeria

Palm trees with coconuts grow mainly on the coast of Nigeria and are located at distance no more than 450 miles from the sea. The following states, which are engaged in production of coconut oil in Nigeria are included in the list: Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, Delta, Bayelsa, Ogun, Rivers, Anambra, Ondo, Enugu, Imo, Oyo, Abia, Edo, Ogun, with Cross River, Delta, Ondo, and Edo.

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