How can the Anti-obesity compound in Coconut Testa help you in weight control?

Have you reduced the consumption of coconut oil worrying about its fat content? No more worries, you may be able to feast on your favourite food without worrying about gaining weight. A concentrate prepared from coconut testa can control the harmful effect of excessive intake of fat in food. The concentrate is developed by a group of scientists from CFTRI, Mysore, Karnataka.

Concentrate from Coconut Testa

Coconut testa is the brown outer covering of the kernel that is usually discarded as waste from coconut-based industries. Coconut testa is a waste or by-product obtained after processing virgin coconut oil.

A large amount of testa is removed during coconut processing so that the oil gets a pure white colour. As a result, a large amount of testa is getting wasted. The scientists wanted to find out whether this can be utilised as a value-added food. The result is successfully proved on animals.

The extract, called phenolic concentrate, derived from coconut testa, controlled weight gain in animals, even though they were fed with a high amount of fat. These experiments also showed resistance to developing obesity-related diabetes under laboratory conditions.

Effectiveness in Humans

The effectiveness of this concentrate in humans is yet to be done in detail. But, it can be added into the food of any flavour, as it has no taste or odour, unlike medicines. Gradually, we can add this to our regular diet and have a guilt-free meal.

But it will take some more time before it can be added to regular cooked food. Right now, you can use it in chutneys, salads, and sauces, etc.

The researchers are currently working on maintaining the stability of the concentrate at higher temperatures so that it can be used in regular foods.