Thank you for contacting Tropical Traditions! Our Virgin Coconut oil is slightly heated at the end of the processing prior to packaging. This is to ensure that no moisture is present, and to draw all the oil out of the curds that are formed by the fermentation process. This heat is very low (less than boiling temperatures), and is for a very short duration (10-15 minutes). Commercial coconut oils, by contrast, undergo steam deodorization at temperatures of around 400 degrees. Traditional methods of making coconut oil naturally have always used heat in the process, and we are committed to honoring time-tested traditional methods that have nourished populations in the tropics for thousands of years. More info.

You can get more information at: [www.tropicaltraditions.com]
For more information about raw coconut, go to: [www.tropicaltraditions.com]

Coconut oil is NOT destroyed or changed chemically in anyway from its original form by using low heat. Unlike other plant oils, the medium chain fatty acids are very resistant to any change via heat. Even commercial oils heated to a very high temperature have their medium chain fatty acids kept in tact. This makes coconut oil one of the best oils to use in cooking, because it does not break down easily.

Many have expressed concern that even low-level heat can destroy enzymes and other beneficial nutrients in coconut oil. But one needs to consider that this is a tropical oil from a tropical plant grown in a very hot climate. The oil inside an airtight coconut still growing high up on a coconut tree will already see temperatures well above 100 degrees F. during its growing season. Laboratory tests done on our VCNO, for example, have shown that levels of the polyphenol antioxidants are higher than coconut oils that are produced with little or no heat - in some cases twice as high. (More info.) As to enzymes, they are present in the coconut meat but not in the oil. One would not want enzymes in the oil as it would break down the oil and cause it to go rancid. So there is no coconut oil on the market that would contain enzymes. You need to eat a coconut fresh off the tree to benefit from plant enzymes. All plant-based oils are separated from the plants they grew in, and do not contain appreciable amounts of enzymes. More info.

So it is a myth that there are coconut oils on the market that are "live" and "see no heat." Coconuts are native to the tropics, where temperatures are very hot. Any coconut oil distributed anywhere in North America has "seen heat." Shipping containers used to ship the coconut oil to the US by sea from the tropics reach temperatures of over 130 degrees. If you have a truck deliver coconut oil to your home in the summer time by any of the major carriers, temperatures inside that truck will reach up to 125 degrees. In the winter time coconut oil turns solid and MUST be heated in order to be repackaged into retail size containers from drums. Tropical Traditions uses large insulated containers that hold many drums and keep a steady temperature of between 90 to 100 degrees F. in the winter time to keep our stored oil liquid so it can be repackaged. It does take longer to liquefy 55 gallon drums this way (a few days) in the winter, but it more closely resembles ambiance air temperatures in the tropics. Many other repackagers use electric drum bands to melt the coconut oil more quickly, and temperatures inside the drum become much hotter, closer to boiling temperatures. So any coconut oil you buy will have "seen heat." But the good news is that coconuts are designed by our Maker to grow and thrive in hot climates, and the oil is not harmed in any way by these low-level heats.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Kay
Tropical Traditions
Customer Service

No wonder their coconut oil sucks. Temp. do not reach 125 F in Fedex trucks. What BS. Those drivers are constantly going in and out of the back of the trucks. How could it possibly get that hot? And with all those delicate goods etc. I've had stuff sent to me, coconut oils and such, in the summer, and the oil was not even really liquified. So how hot could it be. I've also had stuff shipped on ice packs in the summer because of the heat and they remained cool. If it was that hot, the ice packs would of melted.

Their coconut oil tastes bad and smells rancid. Go for coconut oil that is processed not through the fermentation method, but through centrifuged. Although I agree that coconuts can take more heat then other foods before they are effected by it, any of the coconut oils I've tried that were fermented have tasted horrible to me.