Introduction. Coconut oil is produced by extracting oil from copra, which is dried coconut flesh. When the oil is expelled mechanically the residue is called copra cake and if this is then solvent extracted to increase the yield of oil, the product is called copra meal.
Pure coconut oil cake is made using extracted oil from copra. These are processed through our solvent processes. The coconuts are dehusked, split in half, drained of coconut water; then the halves are exposed to the sun for about a week, until the copra contains 6-8% water. The main coconut by-product is the copra meal. Coconut oil cake is also sometimes called copra meal or coconut meal.
Depending on the oil extraction method, the oil residue in the marketed product ranges from 1% to 22%. The copra meal sometimes refers to the mechanically extracted and the solvent extracted product. Copra meal is a common feed ingredient, particularly for ruminants. Its crude protein content is 20-25% with relatively high quantities of cell wall constituents. The oil content makes it a valuable energy source. Perfect for animal and cattle feed, these have rich mineral content. It is also used to increase the weight of the fully grown animals. Copra meal is a valuable feed for ruminants and can be used as a protein supplement for grass-fed animals, either alone or in combination with other protein sources.
While theoretically inferior to other common oil meals due to its lower protein content, it is often a better feed resource than other products. It is as effective as cottonseed meal for growth performance despite having half of the protein content, suggesting that the protein quality of copra meal has a higher biological value than that of cottonseed meal.
