Philippines Develops Ethyl Alcohol from Coconut Nectar

The Philippines now has a new source of ethyl alcohol as recently FDA-approved ALCOCO hand sanitizers, which are anti-bacterial gels that contain 70% ethyl alcohol solution sourced from coconut nectar, have been released to the market.

A bunch of coconuts are hanging from the tree in this illustration taken July 22, 2018. Source: NipananLifestyle.com/Pexels

The ALCOCO disinfectant products, developed by the Philippine Craft Distillers, Inc. (PCDI) and manufactured into hand sanitizers by Greenplus Corporation, contain ingredients obtained from the distilled liquid nectar of the flowering buds of coconut trees. Anthony C. Manguiat, Chief Executive Officer of PCDI, reported that the ALCOCO products were produced from locally grown coconut trees endorsed by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).

“We harvest coconut nectar with farmers from the CALABARZON region. We then distill and compound it in FDA-approved facilities,” said Manguiat.

Benjamin R. Madrigal, Jr., Administrator of the PCA, also added that with this innovative development of producing ethyl alcohol from coconut trees, the PCA plans to spearhead projects for 3.5 million farmers who are dependent on the coconut industry to have an additional source of livelihood, given the abundance of about 300 million coconut trees in the country.

“This local source will make the Philippines less dependent on imported ethyl alcohol from other countries,” said Madrigal.

After the seven-month long period of product research and development since January 2020, the ALCOCO hand sanitizers have been found to have a 99.9% germ kill rate after undergoing laboratory tests by the Intertek Testing Services Philippines, Inc. and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) facilities.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Philippines eventually approved the disinfectant products prior to its official release to the market last July 15, 2020.

“Ethyl alcohol from coconuts is a welcome development in the industry, especially now that we are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic,” Madrigal added.

Shortage of alcohol-based disinfectants, hand rubs due to COVID-19 pandemic

The global emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the depletion of supply and immediate demand for more disinfectants and alcohol-based hand rubs.

It has been reported that there is a substantial shortage of commercially produced hand rubs in more healthcare facilities despite its extensive increase in production by many manufacturers. Thus, the protection of healthcare workers and the general public from the disease has also been increasingly put at risk.

The development of ethyl alcohol from coconut trees in the Philippines has become significantly helpful in the provision of new sources for disinfectants given the current situation of scarcity in alcohol-based hand rubs.

DOST look upon virgin coconut oil (VCO) as possible COVID-19 treatment

The coconut tree has once again proved to be the “tree of life” in addition to the currently developed research by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on the possibility of virgin coconut oil (VCO), a by-product from coconut meat, as a treatment for COVID-19. Promising effects have been found among COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms after incorporating VCO in their food regimen as part of the clinical trials being conducted by DOST at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

However, no comprehensive conclusion has been found yet to support the use of VCO in the adjunctive treatment of COVID-19. To date, there are still no medications around the world that have been approved to combat COVID-19.