South Asian Research Journal of Natural Products

Handcrafted coconut, soybean and corn oils were analyzed for quality and cholesterol composition using standard methods. The observed moisture composition of the oils exceeded the 0.2% threshold for maintenance of quality shelf life. Corn oil displayed the highest degree of unsaturation followed by soybean oil. Coconut oil was below the specified standard for edible oil. The vitamin C content of the handcrafted oils followed the order corn oil (0.20 µg/100g) > soybean oil (0.10 µg/100g) > coconut oil (0.07 µg/100g). The observed cholesterol level of corn oil (7.5 mmol/dL) was the highest against the cholesterol of soybean oil (6.5 mmol/dL) and then followed by coconut oil (3.6 mmol/dL), which was the least in cholesterol content. The oil samples possessed those quality parameters that could project them as edible from of vegetable oils. However, effort should be made to lower cholesterol and moisture contents of the handcrafted oils. High cholesterol has been implicated against healthy living in humans while low moisture is known to promote the shelf life or delay spoilage of vegetable oils. This study has analyzed the quality and cholesterol composition of handcrafted coconut, soybean and corn oils.