On March 15, 2023, from 10:00 AM to 11:20 AM, Assistant Professor Dr. Nirattisai Rakmak, a member of the School of Engineering and Technology, Walailak University, along with professors from Rajabhat Nakhon Si Thammarat University, collaborated on a project in Pak Phanang Municipality, Nakhon Si Thammarat. The project involved working with a group of coconut farmers in the Pak Phanang Sub-district and a group of community entrepreneurs at the Learning Center for Coconut Sugar Production in Mae Thongpring Garden. The initiative was carried out in cooperation with Pak Phanang Municipality and aimed to utilize technology and research for the benefit of the community. The project focused on studying, developing, and enhancing the cold-pressed coconut oil production process, utilizing existing knowledge and research, and providing free practical training sessions. The project was conducted between October 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023.
Funding for the project was secured through the Technology Transfer to Community Program, supported by the Division of Promotion and Coordination for the Benefit of Science, Research, and Innovation, Office of the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation.
The project successfully facilitated the development of equipment and tools for the proper extraction of cold-pressed coconut oil, aligning with principles of food hygiene and safety, at the Learning Center for Coconut Sugar Production in Mae Thongpring Garden. Through the implementation of the cold-pressed coconut oil fermentation process, the community entrepreneurs were able to reduce the production time from 48 hours to 36 hours, while the filtering time to achieve clarity in the coconut oil was reduced from 12 hours to 2 hours per production cycle. This allowed the community entrepreneurs to increase their production capacity. Moreover, the process resulted in a 40-50% increase in the production yield of cold-pressed coconut oil per cycle. Furthermore, the cold-pressed coconut oil products obtained through this process exhibited improved nutritional value, aroma, and quality, with peroxide and iodine values conforming to the standards outlined in Announcement No. 57 (B.E. 2524) by the Ministry of Public Health regarding cold-pressed coconut oil.
