98 PHILIPPINE RESINS, GUMS, AND OILS 



and that beyond this period, which coincides with the time that 

 the sprout makes its appearance, there is a decided decrease in 

 the above constituents. 



The quality and value of coconut oil depend largely upon the 

 condition of the copra at the time of milling. Copra which has 

 not been sufficiently dried becomes moldy. The molds tend to 

 decompose, or hydrolyze the fats in the copra, with the result 

 that the oil, after expression, contains free, fatty acids, becomes 

 rancid quickly, and acquires a bad odor. Walker made a large 

 number of experiments to determine the conditions which induce 

 this deterioration and the methods by which it could be pre- 

 vented. He found that, ordinarily, commercial copra contained 

 from 9 to 12 per cent of moisture and that this amount was 

 very favorable for the growth of molds. Most of the free acids 

 and the accompanying bad odor and taste which are present in 

 coconut oil are produced in the copra itself. Walker found that 

 no organisms grew, and that there was no change of acidity, in 

 a sample of copra containing 4.7 per cent of moisture. The 

 remedy is to dry the copra until it contains no more than 5 per 

 cent of moisture, which prevents the growth of mold; and to 

 express the oil as soon as possible, thereby avoiding long storage 

 in a warm, moist atmosphere. He says that the copra should 

 be fresh and be prepared under the best possible conditions of 

 drying, and that the oil should be thoroughly dried and filtered 

 until absolutely clear. Under these conditions it should be cap- 

 able of shipment or storage without noticeable deterioration. 

 He believed, contrary to many statements, that the keeping 

 qualities of coconut oil prepared in a pure state were superior 

 to those of most other vegetable fats and oils. When sufficient 

 sugars and albuminoids are left in the oil, if, in other words, 

 it is not properly filtered, molds which have been pressed out 

 with the oil or, in the case of hot-pressed oil, which enter the 

 freshly prepared oil, cause a rapid splitting of the fat and an 

 increase in acidity. 



Brill, Parker, and Yates * confirmed Walker's conclusions, 

 that the deterioration of copra is due largely to molds and not to 

 bacteria, since a moisture content sufficiently high to favor bac- 

 terial growth is not found ordinarily in copra and, moreover, 

 bacteria cause scarcely any loss even under conditions most 

 favora'ble for their growth. These writers found four molds 

 occurring upon coconut meat and moldy copra. The spore 

 masses of the four molds differ considerably in color and are 



* Brill, H, C, Parker, H. O., and Yates, H. S., Copra and coconut oil. 

 Philippine Journal of Science, Section A, Volume 12 (1917), page 55. 



