Oxidative Stability and Shelf-Life Estimation of Virgin and Refined Coconut Oils during Storage: A Comparative Approach

The oxidative stability and shelf life of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) and Refined Coconut Oil (RCO) were evaluated under accelerated aging conditions at 60°C over a 12-week period. Key quality parameters, including free fatty acid (FFA) content, peroxide value (PV), p-anisidine value (p-AV), and induction time, were systematically monitored to assess the oils' degradation behavior. Results demonstrated that VCO exhibited superior oxidative stability, with a lower final FFA (1.72 g/100 g), PV (11.5 mEq O₂/kg), and p-AV (10.2) compared to RCO (1.87 g/100 g, 13.0 mEq O₂/kg, and 11.7, respectively). Furthermore, the induction time of VCO declined from 6.5 to 1.0 hours, whereas RCO exhibited a more rapid decrease from 4.2 to 0.6 hours. Regression analysis predicted that RCO reached the critical induction time threshold (1.5 hours) at approximately 7.9 weeks, while VCO maintained stability until around 10.3 weeks. The enhanced stability of VCO is attributed to the preservation of natural antioxidants, which are significantly diminished during the refining process. These findings highlight the critical role of minimal processing in prolonging coconut oil shelf life and suggest VCO as a preferable choice for applications requiring extended oxidative stability. Future research should validate these results under real storage conditions and optimize predictive models for shelf-life estimation.