‘The Tree of Life’: Coconut Trees can now be Source of Ethyl Alcohol
Coconut, also known as the tree of life, can now become a source of ethyl alcohol for sanitizers and disinfectants.
The product from distilled coconut nectar which was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines (FDA) is called the ALCOCO, a hand sanitizer with 70% ethyl alcohol solution.
The ALCOCO Ethyl Alcohol
The ALCOCO ethyl alcohol solution is an anti-bacterial gel sourced from local coconuts. As certified by Intertek Testing Services Philippines, Inc., an international testing laboratory with locations in over 100 countries worldwide, ALCOCO has a 99.9% germ kill rate.
This hand sanitizer is sourced from the liquid that is extracted from the inflorescence of coconut trees. The coconut nectar was harvested from the CALABARZON region and was distilled and compounded in FDA-approved facilities.
PCA: Ethyl Alcohol from Coconuts, Additional Source of Livelihood
ALCOCO has been presented by lawyer Anthony C. Manguiat, President of Philippine Craft Distillers, Inc. (PCDI) to Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Administrator Benjamin R. Madrigal, Jr. on June 26, 2020.
According to Madrigal the ethyl alcohol from coconuts is a welcome development in the industry especially now that we are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PCA Administrator also added, “This local source will make the Philippines less dependent on imported ethyl alcohol from other countries.”
With more than three hundred million (300M) coconut trees in the country, Madrigal said that the PCA is now coming up with programs to make ethyl alcohol from coconuts as an additional source of livelihood for the 3.5 million farmers who are dependent on the coconut industry.
VCO being looked into as possible COVID-19 Treatment
Aside from the breakthrough on ethyl alcohol, the race is on to find a cure to the spreading pandemic worldwide, and that includes finding possible cures to eradicate the disease, may it be in the form of vaccines or finding the cure in nature. The Department of Science and Technology is further researching the potentials of coconut, particularly its by-product, Virgin Coconut Oil, as a treatment for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
READ MORE: DOST to Study Potential Use of Virgin Coconut Oil as COVID-19 Treatment
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SOURCE
Philippine Coconut Authority Official Facebook Page
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