Analysis of physicochemical characteristics of virgin coconut oil (VCO) from enzymatic method

This research produces Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) with the enzymatic method using papaya leaf extract as a source of papain enzyme. Papain enzymes can catalyze a substrate through a hydrolysis reaction with air molecules. There were three samples of VCO produced; the first sample was a mixture of water mixed with papaya leaf extraction, the second sample added papaya leaf extraction, the third sample added a mixture of water with papaya peel extraction. The results of functional group analysis using FTIR Spectroscopy for the three VCO samples showed that the spectral data tended to be the same with a difference of ∼0.001. The ester functional group with the maximum intensity is at a wavenumber of 1742.65. The results of the GC-MS analysis of the enzymatic VCO samples showed that the highest fatty acid content was lauric acid of 60.20% and the composition of other fatty acids whose value was less than 2%. This shows that enzymatic VCO can be used for human health because it contains unsaturated fatty acids. The refractive index values of VCO samples I, II, III are 1.318, 1.218, and 1.172. VCO density values ranged from 897.48 to 902.776 kg/m³. VCO viscosity values ranged from 36,362 to 38,959 mm²/s. Organoleptic tests (smell, taste, and color) on each sample of VCO were normal, light yellow to greenish-yellow, clear, with a characteristic coconut aroma, and not rancid. Based on the characterization of VCO using the FTIR method and physical parameters, the resulting VCO still meets the requirements of the Asian and Pasific Coconut Community (APCC).