Coconut Nectar Now Source of Ethyl Alcohol

Lawyer Anthony C. Manguiat, President of Philippine Craft Distillers, Inc. (PCDI), presented to Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Administrator Benjamin R. Madrigal, Jr. on June 26, the company’s newest product – the ALCOCO hand sanitizers.  The product is sourced from the liquid that is extracted from the inflorescence of coconut trees. 

ALCOCO is a 70% ethyl alcohol solution from distilled coconut nectar recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines.  This anti-bacterial gel sourced from local coconuts has a 99.9% germ kill rate as certified by Intertek Testing Services Philippines, Inc., an international testing laboratory with locations in over 100 countries worldwide. 

“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.”  He added that with more than 300 million coconut trees in the country, the PCA is now coming up with programs to make ethyl alcohol from coconuts as an additional source of livelihood for the 3.5 million farmers dependent on the coconut industry.