Mike Foale on Coconut Oil

My first exposure to coconut palms was in Sri Lanka in August 1957 on a day trip from a passenger liner en route to UK. Bright orange King Coconuts were on sale for drinks at the roadside. In 1958 I reviewed ALL the coconut writings available in the library of the College of Tropical Agriculture in Trinidad, and from 1959 spent ten years in Solomon Islands as a coconut specialist. The task in Solomons was to identify and correct mineral deficiencies on different soils, to devise improved nursery and field planting techniques, and to develop high-yielding hybrid strains.

After joining CSIRO in Queensland in 1969 coconut interests waned for 16 years but were rekindled by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) which had a coconut production project under the guidance of Dr Gabrielle Persley. As a consultant to that project (partial secondment from CSIRO) I surveyed coconut varieties across the south Pacific, engaged with coconut researchers in Papua New Guinea, and attended several coconut meetings in the Pacific, Indonesia and India.

By 1988 it was evident that the value of coconut products derived from the kernel, especially the oil, was suffering from competition from other vegetable oils which were much more heavily promoted in the market-place. The saturated fat hypothesis in relation the heart disease, now completely discredited, gained wide acceptance leading to a preference for unsaturated fats and oils in the human diet for more than three decades. The exoneration of saturated fats, including coconut oil, from blame in heart disease has still not been completed as processors and advertisers of unsaturated fats fight a determined battle to hold onto their market-share.


A current consuming interest is supporting the establishment of a processing centre in Timor Leste for producing organic virgin coconut oil using the Direct Micro-expelling system of Kokonut Pacific Ltd (of www.kokonutpacific.com.au). As the market for virgin coconut oil grows, the producers in such environments as Timor Leste will share in the bounty of the coconut.


The great hope for coconut oil, apart from the telling of the true story of its health benefits, is the development of its virgin form. By definition this is oil that has been obtained from the coconut without any damaging application of high temperature (above 75C) or the influence of biological, chemical, or physical contaminants. This oil is suitable (and attractive) for direct consumption as a nutriceutical (a substance that has nutritional as well as medicinal value), as well as a feed-stock for body and skin lotions and shampoos of the highest quality and effectiveness.
I am dedicated to the restoration of coconut to its rightful position as one of nature’s most bountiful and valuable plants so that those who nurture the coconut may also prosper from the sale of its products. Some excellent coconut reference sites on the web include: www.coconutresearchcenter.org and www.westonaprice.org.

Mike Foale,
Specialist in Coconut management and Dryland Soils
Post-retirement Fellow - CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems - QBP
306 Carmody Road, St Lucia 4067. Queensland Australia

Email: mike.foale@csiro.au
Phone (617) 32 14 23 19 (Thursdays only) or
mobile 0409 34 24 36.(text messages preferred) fax 32 14 23 08