VCO Production And VCO-Based Products In Indonesia
Since 2005, Center of Research and Development for Agro Based Industry (CABI) in West Java, Indonesia, has been developing number of VCO based new products such as margarine, vegetable ghee, mayonnaise, healthy drinks, aromatherapy products, and cosmetics (sun screen, hand body lotion, night cream, etc) for the local market. Production of VCO in Indonesia involves either Intermediate Moisture Content (IMC) technology or fermentation method. CABI uses the IMC technology to produce high quality VCO and the small quantity of this production has been exported to Japan since 2005. The VCO production technologies used in Indonesia is briefly explained. Likewise, the VCO based products developed by the CABI, Indonesia are elaborated. The details of the processing steps, required equipment and raw materials, and economical analysis of VCO based margarine and mayonnaise products are presented. Basically product diversification of VCO has been established on R & D level for food and non- food products in Indonesia, however a further market research and market promotion is needed. The developed technology is appropriate for home/micro scale and small scale businesses; therefore it can directly improve the farmer’s welfare. VCO based margarine and mayonnaise are two products which could be manufactured commercially in home and micro scales. It is concluded that either raw material prices or its end product prices are sensitive to the payback period, hence it’s recommended that the business location be close to the source of raw materials.