Coconut Oil looks like Worms and White Flakes?

Normal coconut oil, Refined Coconut Oil, Virgin Coconut Oil, All types of coconut oils (except MCT Coconut Oil) start forming snow flakes like particles, white ugly chunks when the temperature drops down below 22 degrees Celsius (71 Fahrenheit). This is the natural property of coconut oil. Though it looks so ugly and unpleasant to the eyes, it is the natural behavior of coconut oil when the climate or room temperature is cold or air condition is on.

Coconut Oil from liquid to solid
White chunks, worm like objects forming in Coconut Oil

In warm countries like Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and similar hot climate countries coconut oil always remains a liquid. When coconut oil travels to the United States, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Russia in the cold winter season, the coconut oil becomes a white hard solid which even a spoon cannot scoop out. It freezes like a rock.

When the solidification process fully completes coconut oil will look like a white ice cream. But when the solidification is happening it looks so ugly with random snow balls, chunks here and there floating like worms.

Solidification process of coconut oil . When it cools or in Winter

Olive Oil, MCT Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Palm Oil remains liquid always. So they are user friendly in a bottle and can be used in winter season as well without difficulty. When the climate is cold or in winter season you will have to put the coconut oil jar into hot water for it to melt or use a tablespoon with muscle power to scoop out the rock hard white Coconut solid.

Sunflower oil remains liquid even in winter
MCT Coconut Oil also remains liquid

So this becomes a simple test to check original coconut oil which has not been adulterated with other oils. You have to put the coconut oil jar in your “deep freezer (not the normal refrigerator)” for one hour. Then the entire oil will reach a cold temperature below 22 Celsius and look like a white solid snow ball. If this does not happen, then the coconut oil has been adulterated.

Coconut Oil in refrigerator
Warming up frozen coconut oil to make it liquid again

But do not be too quick to use this rule of thumb “Coconut Oil becomes a solid in Cold”. Because even if your home is air conditioned , climate is cool or the super market store is cool, the coconut oil takes sufficient time for it to reach the cold temperature. When it hits that specific temperature the process starts to make white solid. It is similar to boiling of water. The entire water needs to hit that special temperature to foam bubbles and start steaming. So the best method to test is to put in the deep freezer and keep for an hour. Just because the outside is cool do not jump into conclusions. Because we do not know whether the entire oil inside the bottle has reached the special temperature.

Virgin coconut oil looks clear as water when it is in liquid state. But when once it gets solidified and gets back into liquid form again, the clarity of the oil disappears a bit and it becomes slightly blur. This is because virgin coconut oil is made by pressing coconut flesh. So in the final product there are non observable tiny coconut particles floating. When it gets solidified first, then the floating particles either deposit at the bottom of the bottle or creates a blurry appearance.

After Solidification and back again to liquid state. White particles deposit and oil becomes a bit blur

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