Antioxidant property and GCMS profile of oil extracted from Cocos nucifera using a fermentation method

Cocos nucifera L. is known as a tree of life because of its economic, domestic, and nutritional usefulness. Coconut oil (CO), which is derived from Cocos nucifera L., has received considerable attention because of its reported folkloric, nutritional, biological, and pharmacological properties. We previously reported the outstanding physicochemical properties of CO; therefore, we analyzed its antioxidant activity and chemical composition in this study. CO was extracted using a fermentation method with and without applying heat. Its antioxidant activity was investigated using the DPPH free radical scavenging method, the metal chelation capacity, the reduction of antioxidant power, and the nitric oxide scavenging capacity index. The compounds were identified using GC-MS. The data were expressed as a mean ± SEM and analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS 21.0 with data being considered significant at P < 0.05. The results showed that CO demonstrated a concentration-dependent DPPH radical scavenging activity and nitric oxide scavenging capacity index, with the highest activity in the heat-extracted virgin CO (HEVCO). The ferric-reducing antioxidant power and metal chelation capacity significantly varied (P < 0.05) between the HEVCO and the cold extracted virgin CO (CEVCO). The GCMS analysis of virgin CO identified important active compounds. The results revealed a higher content of phenolic compounds in HEVCO compared to CEVCO. In conclusion, applying heat favored incorporating phenolic compounds into CO and consequently improved the antioxidant potential of HEVCO compared to CEVCO.