Coconut trees are cultivated throughout the tropics worldwide. They grow a height of thirty meters(100 ft.) and with a productive life span up to seventy years as average.
It has been known to be a tree of life because of its versatility that almost all parts of the palm are useful.
Based on Philippine experience, young coconut meat is utilized into “buko” salad and the young edible stem can be utilized as vegetable or into fresh “lumpia” of which in some areas is considered it as a delicacy. The water of the young coconut can be made into beverage known locally as “buko” juice.
It’s sap can be made into wine known as “tuba” if not yet fermented and “lambanog” once it is already fermented.
The dried coconut husk can be transform into coir or coir flex that is being utilized in upholstery jobs or better yet its husk fibers is used to make geonets or geotextiles which is very effective in preventing soil erosion.
Its leaves can be transformed into mats, cannister of cooked rice known in central Philippines as “puso”. The coconut teak can be utilized into a variety of items such as basket, tray and broom.
The matured coconut meat are converted into copra by drying which is the chief source of coco crude oil, edible cooking oil and copra cake.
Coco crude oil is used as one of the main ingredients in the manufacture of cosmetics, soap making as well as animal and poultry feeds.
Once coconut becomes unproductive, the matured stem is cut and utilized it for lumber which is the chief source of scaffolding materials in local construction because it is much cheaper than the mahogany lumber the constructor usually used.
To the lowly income group coco lumber is the answer to their needs of building affordable homes.
To the well to do and food businessmen, the availability of coco lumber is a welcome development to suit aesthetically their needs in building their rest houses and business establishment where they could utilize it alongside with the native tropical materials like bamboo, nipa, cogon and rattan.
On the other hand, virgin coconut oil (VCO) is derived through the wet process where matured coconut meat is grated and coconut milk extracted and it’s from there where VCO is produced.
VCO has already made it known through global awareness the benefits that it can bring to ones health. It has been found to be speeding up metabolism converting energy and allowing to burn calories and lose weight without straining the digestive system.
The virgin coconut oil is fifty percent lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid found only in mother’s milk which can be converted into monolaurin, an anti viral and anti bacterial agent that destroys lipid coated viruses.
The VCO is a food supplement and can be used for cooking and baking as a healthier alternative to butter.
