There are a number of factors that impact the quality of coconut oils, which results in the wide variety of quality and price available in the market today. The main factors that impact quality of coconut oil is the age, type and variety of the coconuts used, and the process used to make the oil.

Obviously the higher the quality of the coconut oil, the more effective it is. Selecting the highest quality oil will ensure that you and your pet will receive the maximum health benefits from coconut oil. There are two main factors to consider when looking for the high quality coconut oil:

Coconut oil should have the highest Lauric Acid content possible, using organic, non-GMO and non-hybrid coconuts.

Coconut oil should have the lowest possible moisture content. The method used to extract the coconut oil determines how low the moisture content is in the oil.

CocoTherapy® organic coconut oil is superior to other coconut oils in the market.

Usually, coconut oil that is considered "excellent" has a 0.04% - 0.11% moisture content. Higher moisture content not only lessens the oil's shelf life, but also makes the oils more susceptible to oxidation, bacteria, and the breakdown of triglycerides into free fatty acid and glycerol. Since a lower moisture content results in a more stable oil, it is also more able to withstand heat-induced damage when used in cooking, either for yourself of when home-cooking your pet's food. CocoTherapy® Coconut Oil has a moisture content of only 0.02% - 0.08%. Other coconut oil brands contain a much higher moisture content. Samples of CocoTherapy® Coconut Oil have not shown any signs of rancidity, even after 3 years! It contains the highest levels of antioxidants available.

In addition to this, many coconut oil brands contain a Lauric Acid content of 42-48%. The Lauric Acid content in virgin coconut oil is highly dependent on the variety of the coconut and not on the process used for producing it. CocoTherapy® Coconut Oil is guaranteed to contain 50-53% Lauric Acid. Any other brand that claims to have a Lauric Acid content higher than 53% is either exaggerating, or using hybrid or genetically-modified (GMO) coconuts. In addition to this CocoTherapy® Coconut Oil has a high percentage of beneficial Medium Chain Fatty Acids (lauric acid, caprylic acid, and capric acid), containing at least 64%.

We know that there are other coconut oils available in the market. But since there are many different varieties of coconuts and different ways to produce coconut oil, we put a lot of time and effort to make sure that we were getting the best oil possible, manufactured in the absolute highest standard in the industry. CocoTherapy® is human-grade and can be shared and used by the whole family, both human and animal alike.

CocoTherapy® Coconut Oil is human-grade, 100% pure and natural:

non-GMO (genetically modified organism)
no hybrid coconuts
cold pressed
hexane-free
unrefined
non-bleached
raw
NO trans fat
No hydrogenated fat

Most commercial grade coconut oils are made from copra. Copra is coconut meat that has been dried by smoke-drying, sun-drying, or kiln-drying, or a combination of any of these three methods. If coconut oil is extracted from copra, the unrefined oil is not suitable for consumption and must be purified, or refined. Coconut oil extracted from copra is considered RBD coconut oil, which means it has been Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized. Impurities from RBD coconut oil must be removed by filtering the oil through bleaching clays, and high heat is needed to deodorize the oil. Sodium hydroxide is typically used to remove free fatty acids and prolong shelf life. Extracting coconut oil from copra is the most common way to mass-produce coconut oil because it produces more oil. However, this is not the purest way to manufacture virgin coconut oil. Coconut Oil extracted from copra usually has a bland, oily taste.

Dehydrated coconut meat is rich in nutrients and fiber; however it can be difficult to digest for most animals. We produce our CocoTherapy Coconut Chips in a special way to be highly digestible and easily assimilated in the body, while providing all the beneficial nutrients from medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA). Unlike other dehydrated coconut chips or flakes available in your grocery aisles or even health food stores, CocoTherapy coconut chips break down easily and quickly with just water.

The digestive system of some animals can not tolerate the typical raw dehydrated coconut chips found in grocery stores. Feeding your pets typical dehydrated coconut chips may stress their digestive system and often times the undigested coconut chips are passed either in the animal's stool or vomit. However, our CocoTherapy Coconut Chips were uniquely developed to be easily digestible for animals.

To see how quickly CocoTherapy coconut chips break down, we took a leading dehydrated organic coconut chips brand (purchased from a popular health food store) and CocoTherapy Coconut Chips and placed them in a saucer of water.

Here, you can see typical dehydrated organic coconut chips (left) and
CocoTherapy Coconut Chips (right), placed in a saucer full of water.

In just 30 seconds, the CocoTherapy Coconut Chips (right) already began to break down.

In just under a minute, the CocoTherapy Coconut Chips (right) have broken down in the water;
while the other organic coconut chips (left) have no changes at all.

In just three minutes, the CocoTherapy Coconut Chips (right) have completely absorbed the water and
have a smooth, soft texture. The other organic coconut chips (left) have not broken down and
there is still water in the saucer.

CocoTherapy Coconut Chips are perfect for providing highly digestible fiber for animals with digestive disorders, IBD, colitis, while providing all the nutritional benefits of coconut oil. It is easily digested by dogs, cats, birds, and other small mammals.

Our premium grade coconut oil is manufactured in the highest standards, combining generations-old traditional methods with state-of-the-art processes. Our organic coconut oil comes from coconuts that are grown without the use of any chemical fertilizers and pesticides, harvested fresh from USDA Organic coconut plantations. Our coconuts come from the traditional coconut palm tree, and unlike some other brands, we never use hybrid or genetically modified (GMO) varieties of coconuts. In fact, our entire process of manufacturing does not involve the use of any chemicals whatsoever. Our processing plant is also inspected and uses only stainless steel food grade equipment. CocoTherapy® is certified organic every year by Global Organic Alliance, Inc, a USDA Accredited Certifying Agent, and bears the USDA Organic seal on its labels.

The coconuts are harvested fresh and are opened between four to eight hours of harvesting. The fresh coconut meat is immediately stored in a cold dry environment, and cold-pressed to express the healthy and pure coconut milk. The coconut milk is stored in a cold dry environment for several hours, until the oil naturally separates from the liquid. The oil is then separated and filtered from the liquid and moisture is removed in a process called vacuum drying, with low processing temperatures that are approximately 100 degrees F. No chemicals or high temperatures are ever used. Mild, low temperature heat is necessary to insure that the film of water on the surface of the oil is completely removed. Water or excess moisture will cause the oil to get rancid. It is possible to produce virgin coconut oil without any heat whatsoever, however, it will contain a higher moisture content, which is not desirable in coconut oil. If purchasing a brand that does not use any heat during processing, the oil will be more susceptible to oxidation, bacteria, and the triglycerides will break down into free fatty acid and glycerol.

CocoTherapy® Coconut Oil is bottled in glass jars, never plastic. The chemicals which comprise PVC, have been known to leach into water and food products. There is concern with the plastic chemicals leaching into the oil. Oils can swell polyethylene, and therefore some of this substance may leach into the oil. It is always safest to store coconut oil in glass jars. In addition to this, you will always be able to see our oil - pure white in color when solid, or crystal clear when melted.

The purest, virgin coconut oil should be water clear when completely melted, or pure white in color when solid. It contains natural Vitamin E and has a mild fresh coconut aroma. The intensity of the scent depends on the process used for producing the oil. It should taste fresh, light, and not "greasy". Any coconut oil that is considered "odorless" has been refined, bleached, or deodorized. It will be odorless and tasteless. It will be slightly yellow or "off-white" in color and will not contain natural Vitamin E as it would have been removed during processing. Other causes of the "yellowish" or off-white color in some coconut oils are bacterial contamination of the coconut meat before oil extraction, or high-heat temperature used during processing. High temperatures used in processing will remove the natural Vitamin E or tocopherol content in the coconut oil.

CocoTherapy® Coconut Oil is guaranteed to be one of the highest quality coconut oil available on the market today. From the careful selection of the coconuts used, to the methods used in creating the final product, it is the purest, freshest, premium quality human-grade oil available. It is raw, cold-pressed, hexane-free, unrefined, non-bleached, and contains no trans fat or hydrogenated fat.

Like our coconut oil, our coconut chips are processed to ensure that they have a lower moisture content and higher Lauric acid content than any of the dehydrated coconut flakes available in health food stores.

CocoTherapy® Coconut Chips are made from USDA-certified organic coconuts and dehydrated in low temperatures. The organic coconut meat is removed from the shells and washed in pure, filtered un-chlorinated water. To ensure that the nutrients are kept intact, the shredded coconut is slowly dehydrated at temperatures no higher than 98.6° F (37° C), creating great tasting coconut chips that is considered "raw". Dehydrating slowly at low temperatures ensures that our shredded, raw coconut tastes fresh, has a wonderful texture, and contains all the rich nutrients found in fresh coconuts.

Other dried or desiccated coconut flakes available online and in health food stores may use conventional, less-expensive methods of producing dried coconuts flakes, which typically includes extracting some of the coconut milk moisture from the coconut meat and drying it in large ovens at higher temperatures between 170°-180° F (76°-82° C). We do not recommend giving your pets dried coconut flakes from grocery stores if you are not sure of the product's manufacturing methods.

And because our coconut chips are raw, it is vacuum-sealed immediately after processing to maintain freshness and reduce oxidation and the breakdown of triglycerides. It is then repacked in a re-sealable foil pouch to further reduce environmental damage. Our air-tight, double-packaged process helps to ensure that all the nutrients are preserved. There is no other brand available that is processed and double-packaged in this way.

We take the time to produce and package our coconut chips by following the highest quality standards set in the industry, because we want to make sure that our coconut chips contain the most flavor and nutritional value possible for our pets and ourselves.

Our process enables vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and nutritional benefits to be preserved, resulting in a raw coconut meat and oil that tastes fresh, has wonderful texture and smell, and contains all the health benefits of fresh raw coconuts. We encourage you to compare CocoTherapy® Coconut Oil and Coconut Chips to other brands. You can see, smell and taste the difference!

CocoTherapy® products are certified organic by the Global Organic Alliance, Inc, a USDA accredited certifying agent. Look for the USDA Organic seal on our package.

IMPORTANT! CocoTherapy products are NEVER manufactured or processed in facilities that process and uses dairy, eggs, fish, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.

Read an article on coconut oil and CocoTherapy® in BellaDOG Magazine.

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Click here to download the BellaDOG article on coconut oil and CocoTherapy.

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