Distilled coconut nectar from the Philippines has been successfully developed into a 70% ethyl alcohol solution used for ALCOCO disinfectant products that are being released in the market on Wednesday.
The anti-bacterial gel sourced from local coconuts has been tested to have a 99.9% germ kill rate.
Coconut nectar was developed into disinfectant alcohol by the Philippine Craft Distillers of the CALABARZON region, makers of the first Philippine lambanog liquor brand to be awarded a Gold Medal certification by Monde Selection.
The ALCOCO Hand Sanitizers are scheduled for market release on July 15, 2020, a month after it received certification from the Food and Drug Administration, and seven months after product research and development started in January.
The ethyl alcohol from coconut water was developed by Atty. Anthony C. Manguiat, Chief Executive Officer of Philippine Craft Distillers, and manufactured into hand sanitizers by Greenplus Corporation.
Manguiat shared with GoodNewsPilipinas.com that the ALCOCO Hand Sanitizer ingredients have already been tested by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Intertek Testing Services Phils Inc.
The coconut trees were provided 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,” Manguiat said.
The coco-based business is based on a 10-hectare farm planted with high yielding dwarf varieties (Tacunan) provided by the PCA.
PCA Administrator Benjamin R. Madrigal, Jr. said the local development of the coconut product is good for the general economy and the coconut industry.
“Ethyl alcohol from coconuts is a welcome development in the industry especially now that we are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic,” Madrigal said.
“This local source will make the Philippines less dependent on imported ethyl alcohol from other countries,” the PCA official added.
Madrigal also said that PCA is poised to make the production of ethyl alcohol from coconuts as an additional source of livelihood for the 3.5 million farmers dependent on the coconut industry.
San Miguel Corporation’s Ginebra gin brand factory also produced disinfectant alcohol during the lockdown for donation to frontliners.
The University of the Philippines Visayas also developed alcohol from sugar byproduct to donate to hospitals and frontliners.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to the team behind ALCOCO disinfectant for developing local coconut nectar into ethyl alcohol.
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