Preparation of Coconut oil blends and the evaluation of their health effects

Abstract

Coconut oil prepared by pressing copra (copra oil, CO) is the major cooking oil in Sri Lanka. However, copra oil contains only less than 1.5 % of essential fatty acids. The objective of the project is to improve the quality of copra oil by blending copra oil with traditional Sri Lankan seed oils containing high percentages of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Oils of the seeds of Brassica juncea (Aba), Madhuca nerifolia (Mee) and Sessamum indicum (Thala) were used to prepare oil blends. The organoleptic acceptability of the prepared blends was checked by a panel and the oil blends selected by the panel were selected for the evaluation of health effects. The acceptable blends of coconut oil were aba oil (AO) (40%), thala oil (TO) (50%) and mee oil (MO) (60%) and by volume. Male Wistar rats were fed with a special diet containing these oil blends, coconut oil (CO), and soya oil (control) and their serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), HDL, LDL, and triglycerides (TG) were determined.