Food Value Of Coconut Oil

THE rate of digestion of fats seems to favour coconut oil. The rate of diges tion of various fats by pancreatic lipase was measured, the fat being pre pared in the form of “reconstituted cream” so that the fat was in the form of minute globules and the conditions comparable with those of actual digestion in the or ganism. The results are of particular interest and some of the conclusions are:— Coconut oil was digested more rapidly than any other fat including butter. Al mond oil, cocoa, butter, groundnut oil, bacon fat, beef fat, oleastearine, cod liver oil, cotton seed oil, lard, mutton fat, olive oil, premier jus, soya bean oil, hardened whale oil and hardened ground nut oil were digested at a much slower rate than butter and all at approxi mately the same rate.

It seems possible that if margarine contains this fat (coconut oil) it will be more rapidly digested than butter. Coco nut oil “may prove a more valuable food than has hitherto been supposed”.— Biochemical Journal.