Is Coconut Oil Healthy To Cook Popcorn In?

Unlike the golden-yellow liquids lining the shelves at most grocery stores, coconut oil is typically sold in solid form. Similar to butter and margarine, this soft solid quickly breaks down to a liquid once it is heated. Due to its long shelf life, flavor, texture, ability to withstand relatively high heat and potential immune-boosting properties, coconut oil is great for use in popcorn. However, due to the health risks of cooking with partially hydrogenated coconut oil, these benefits are limited to virgin coconut oil.

Virgin vs. Partially Hydrogenated

Heating partially hydrogenated coconut oil produces trans fats, and this type of coconut oil can be very unhealthy when used to make popcorn. Virgin coconut oil, on the other hand, remains stable with heat. In addition, the majority of the saturated fats in coconut oil are short- or medium-chain fatty acids. Unlike other saturated fats, which collect in your blood vessels or are stored as body fat, these are quickly broken down by your body and used as energy. As such, you should only use virgin coconut oil when making popcorn.

Characteristics and Stability

The melting point of coconut oil is 75°F, meaning that it is solid at room temperature. Coconut oil also has a smoke point of 350°F, making it safe for baking, medium-heat cooking and popcorn-making. High polyunsaturated fat content can lead an oil to change in color, texture and flavor with cooking, but coconut oil's 2 percent polyunsaturated fats makes it one of the most stable edible cooking oils. In addition, its 92 percent saturated fats give it a long shelf life, as oils high in saturated fats are both more stable in cooking and less likely to go rancid than those high in unsaturated fats.

Cardiovascular Health

Due to its high saturated fat content, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations recommends against eating significant amounts of coconut oil. In a study published in the January 2010 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," however, a team led by Patty Siri-Tirano of the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute challenges the negative health effects of saturated fats. Analyzing the results of numerous studies, these researchers conclude that there is no evidence that saturated fats increase your risk for either cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease.

Immune Benefits

Approximately 50 percent of the saturated fats in coconut oil are in the form of lauric acid, which may help to destroy bacteria in your body. In addition to the benefits of lauric acid on its own, your body can produce a compound called monolaurin from this fatty acid. According to Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon in their 2006 book "Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats," monolaurin helps to break down fat-coated viruses, such as HIV, herpes and influenza, harmful bacteria and other disease- and illness-causing agents. As such, virgin coconut oil may be a healthy, flavorful, immune-boosting alternative to other oils when making popcorn.