Tambayan ng Kaalaman Tungkol sa Pilipinas
Beat the Hard Times Make Your Own Soap
Though there’s a glut of commercial soap in television screens and publications, soap making one activity that could spell big savings for your family.
It’s not a hard work as you would usually imagine. Try the following procedures for 4 kilos of soap. If you have the time and available materials to whip up more bars for your effort, just adjust proportionately the additional materials.
by Junelyn de la Rosa
January-March 2003
Volume 5 no. 1
Source:Bar Digest
The same health and nutritional benefits in breast milk can be found in coconut oil. The medium-chain fats in natural coconut oil called lauric oils are similar to the lauric oils found in breast milk.
Lauric oils are becoming popular as natural enhancers of the immune system. Like breast milk which makes babies more resistant to sickness, coconut oil can help us from getting sick.
Lauric oils are becoming popular as natural enhancers of the immune system.
Like breast milk which makes babies more resistant to sickness, coconut oil can help us from getting sick.
Half of the fatty acids in natural coconut oil are lauric acids, which are converted to fatty acid monolaurin in the body. Monolaurin works like a soldier by destroying lipid-coated viruses such as herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, and various pathogenic bacteria and protozoa.
In the past, there was misconception that coconut oil increases one’s cholesterol levels and result to heart disease. This was based on an overblown hypothesis that all saturated fats are bad for the body. Coconut oil has a high level of saturated fat. It is only recently that scientists discovered that some saturated fats are in fact good for the body.
The fatty acids in coconut oil are medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are a class of fatty acids whose chemical composition is shorter than the long-chain fatty acids present in most other fats and oils, which accounts for their name.
Also called lean fats, MCTs differ from other fats in that they have slightly lower calorie content and are more rapidly absorbed and burned as energy, resembling carbohydrates more than fats.
Because of their structure, MCTs do not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease like the long chain triglycerides found in seed oils. Negative information on coconut oil was also based on scientific studies that used hydrogenated coconut oil instead of natural coconut oil.
Hydrogenated coconut oil contains trans fatty acids (TFAs). Scientists say TFAs lower the “good” HDL cholesterol and raise the “bad” LDL cholesterol, raise total serum cholesterol levels; increase blood insulin levels, increase risk for diabetes; affect immune response by lowering efficiency of B cell response and increasing proliferation of T cells; interfere with utilization of essential omega-3 fatty acids; and escalate adverse effects of essential fatty acid deficiency.
In short, TFAs are bad for you. We should steer clear or minimize eating processed foods which usually contain TFAs i.e. margarine, potato chips and baked goods that contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil.
Today, coconut oil is called an important functional food for the 21st century. That is because coconuts provide health benefits over and beyond the basic nutrients according to Dr. Mary Enig of Michigan State University.
Current research is also done to test the effectiveness of coconut oil in lowering the viral load of HIV/AIDS patients and to increase body metabolism and lose weight in thyroid patients.
Cloning coconut’s ACP thioesterase gene
Recently, a group of scientists from various institutes of the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB) successfully cloned one of the genes responsible for producing the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil.
Called the acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) thioesterase gene, this gene is responsible for the enzyme which determines the length of fatty acid chains during biosynthesis.
The scientists employed three cloning strategies to isolate the acyl-ACP thioesterase gene: RT-PCR, RACE, and library screening and used five and six-month old endosperm tissues from the drupe of the coconut variety Laguna Tall. Coconut meat was freshly obtained for the total RNA.
Scientists are optimistic that identifying the gene will set the groundwork for identifying other coconut genes and is a step nearer to their ultimate goal of creating a transgenic coconut that will have more lauric acids.
If all goes well, this designer coconut will be more valuable in the market and will produce other novel products to ensure the sustainability of the Philippine coconut industry.
The project is part of the UPLB-PCARRD-DOST funded project entitled “Cloning of Important Genes of Coconut”.
Source: Cloning and Partial Characterization of the ACYL-ACP Thioesterase Gene in Coconut (Cococ nucifera L) by Marni Cueno, Rita Laude, Antonio Laurena, Ma.Jamela Revilleza and Evelyn Mae Mendoza of the Institute of Biological Sciences (IBS), Institute of Plant Breeding and Institute of Chemistry of the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB). Health and Nutritional Benefits from Coconut Oil: An Important Functional Food for the 21st Century by Dr. Mary G. Enig of Michigan State University.
From the RDE Network PCRDF Selects best coconut researches
BAR Digest, July 1999
The Philippine Coconut Research and Development Foundation (PCRDF) has selected this year’s three best research papers on coconut. The selection was announced at the annual convention of the Federation of Crop Science Society of the Philippines (FCSSP) last May in General Santos.
A member of the FCSSP, the PCRDF sponsored the coconut session of the annual meet.
The Best Paper Award went to Biological Studies of the Coconut Mealybug in Palawan authored by Mateo Sipagan of PCA Albay Research Center.
Second place went to Leaf Pruning Technique in Bearing Coconut Palms (CLP): Its Effect on Underplanting Young Coconuts for Pith or ‘Ubod’ Production jointly authored by Gerardo Padrones, Millicent Secretaria and Severino Magat of the PCA Davao Research Center, Bago Oshiro Davao City.
The third best paper was Up-take and Metabolism 0/2.4 Coconut Inflorescence and Calii of O. D Orense and R. Hornung. The winners received monetary prizes and certificates.
Researchers on crop science present their outstanding research papers during the Federation’s annual conventions, which are also when agricultural societies get together.
Leaf Pruning Technique in Bearing Coconut Palms (CLP): Its Effect on Underplanting Young Coconuts for Pith or ‘Ubod’ Production
by Gerardo Padrones, Severino Magat and Millicent Secretaria
(Awarded Second Best Research Paper on Coconut by the Federation of Crop Science Society of the Philippines)
The feasibility and viability of producing coconut pith or ubod from young coconuts planted either in a single or double plants per hill under pruned (CLP maintaining 18 younger leaves of upper crown) or non-pruned bearing palms was studied at 1he Philippine Coconut Authority-Davao Research Center. Bago Oshiro Davao City. Results showed that the number of leaves produced by young coconut was significantly affected by leaf pruning with higher number of leaves produced under pruned coconut than those under non-pruned coconut. On the other hand, nut and copra production of bearing palms was not significantly affected by leaf pruning.
Significantly, bigger girth and more number of leaves were produced from single planting (SP) of young coconut per hill than double planting (DP) scheme. Consequently, longer and heavier fresh weight of ubod (average of 6.8 kg/palm; range 3.3-10.7 kg) was obtained from single planting than that from double planting scheme (average of 5.9 kg/palm; range 2.8-9.4 kg) on the first year of ubod harvest. However, on a per ha basis, yield of ubod from single planting was lower than double planting mainly due to the number of plants per hill. The total ubod yields for single and double planting were 4.9 t and 8.9 t/ha.
Under the Davao growing condition, cost and return analysis of ubod production in single plant per hill scheme indicated a total net income of P68, 624 per ha in 4 years with a return on investment (ROI) of 163%. In double planting scheme, average ubod yield valued at P129, 030 or an average of P32, 258/year/ha with an ROI of 180%. Considering copra plus ubod production from these two planting schemes, the cumulative net incomes and ROI obtained were P180, 736; P242, 389.6 and 202%; 203% for single and double planting respectively.
Based on the results of this study with modest fertilizer application of ammonium sulfate plus common salt (NaCl), underplanting of one or two young coconuts per hill at 3×3 m distance between spacer of bearing coconut palms harvested at three years from field-planting is more profitable and viable production scheme to increase farm productivity even without leaf pruning of old plants. The farm income with this coconut-based production is increased by 160% to 210% compared to coconut monocropping.