As explained on The Wilderness Family website:
Expeller Pressed Method (for coconuts)
I didn’t know this about expeller pressed oils, I thought they were healthy. However, I don’t like the way the method of extraction sounds.
"The coconuts are opened and quickly dried. The dried coconuts are then mechanically pressed to remove the oil, without using chemical solvents. Any free fatty acids are removed, the oil is run through diatomaceous earth, and lastly, the oil is steam distilled. This yields a very pure, uncontaminated coconut oil. Though not a virgin oil, it still melts at 76 ° F, is very light and creamy smooth, containing the same medium chain fatty acids as virgin coconut oil."
Don’t think I’ll buy that kind again. Now I know it’s not raw and I’ve read the warnings on packages of diatomaceous earth.
Centrifuged Coconut Oil
This method of oil extraction keeps the temperature of the oil at about 78.8 degrees and the oil is extracted by a method called centrifuge. It brings out the best in the oil. The process explained on The Wilderness Family website "Our Centrifuged Coconut Oil is USDA Certified Organic by Integrity Certified International. It is made from fresh coconuts opened less than 48 hours after they are picked from the trees. They first shell the coconuts and then chop the flesh, placing it in an expeller press. The temperatures of the coconut flesh and the resulting coconut milk emulsion do not exceed 25° C or 78.8° F (room temperature). Once the coconut is shelled, it takes less than 45 minutes to produce the milk. The resulting coconut milk emulsion is then chilled slightly to 10° C (50° F) so that the oil will “pull out of solution.” In other words, the chilling helps to break the protein emulsion that holds the oils in solution. Next, the cooled milk, by use of a large centrifuge, is separated into the pure oil that we sell here and a “skim” coconut milk. This method of extraction requires no heat at all. It works like a cream separator that is used for separating cream from cow’s milk. It requires quite a few passes through this chilled centrifuge to obtain pure oil, but the resulting oil is absolutely fabulous."
Virgin Coconut Oil
"Virgin" means it was produced without any chemicals. "For generations in the Philippines they have been making virgin coconut oil by hand, using a traditional Philippine method of extraction. First the fresh coconuts are opened and grated. Then the flesh is pressed, yielding a fresh coconut milk emulsion that is approximately 40% oil. The milk is called an emulsion because there is a natural protein that holds the oil in solution. Within about 12 hours, however, the natural enzymes from the coconut will break down this protein, releasing the oil. This process has been studied and now perfected by our manufacturers in the Philippines and professors at the neighboring university. As the oil floats, it is siphoned off and made ready for export to the United States. This oil, unlike other traditionally processed Philippine oils, is never heated. Most traditionally processed Philippine virgin coconut oils experiences temperatures close to the boiling point of water (200° F). Most raw-foodists, however, prefer to use food that does not see heat above 117° F. Our manufacturers have perfected the fermentation process so that our virgin coconut oil, made the traditional way, has a very low moisture content without having to heat the oil at all." Sounds good to me.
Olive Oils as posted on Wikipedia:
Summary of Olive Oil extraction terms :
- Decanter centrifugation: Spins the crushed food around in a special machine which forces the oil out of it
- Expeller Pressed: Pressed without chemicals, but the heat caused by friction causes it to be cooked which isn’t good for oils, it’s also passed through diatomaceous earth which has warnings on the label (I used it in my pool filter)
- Extra-Virgin olive oils: From the first pressing of the olives, can’t have any refined oil in it
- First Cold Pressed: The European Union only gives out this distinction to oils which were kept below 27degrees C (80 degrees F) during the first pressing of the olives
- Olive Oil: Blend of virgin and refined oils
- Olive-Pomace oil: Produced using chemicals
- Refined olive oil: Produced using chemicals
- Virgin olive oil: Produced without chemicals, using physical means only, can’t have any refined oil in it
My choice
I think I’ll have to go with the centrifuged oil or cold-pressed extra virgin oils.
Read my review of Coconut Oil