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Compounds derived from coconut oil have been found to repel some insects better than DEET, a synthetic chemical considered the “gold standard” of repellents, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture bulletin published Wednesday.
The release highlights a study by USDA researchers published on Sept. 19 in the journal Scientific Reports. The study found that fatty acids derived from coconut oil had long-lasting insect-repelling properties against flies, ticks, bed bugs and mosquitoes.
Lead researcher Junwei Zhu notes that compounds extracted from coconut oil – not the oil itself – were found as an effective repellent, according to a USDA release.
“Coconut oil itself is not a repellent,” the release says.
The findings are significant in part because of safety concerns associated with DEET, a chemical used first used as an insect repellent by the military during World War II, the study says.
“DEET is an effective repellent, but it can sometimes come with some serious side effects like rashes, disorientation and even seizures, so our experts say you should avoid products with more than 30 percent DEET,” Consumer Reports’ Theresa Panetta said in a 2015 report.
But Panetta at that time had few alternatives to offer, saying many “natural and herbal repellents were not very effective at all” in testing.
Zhu’s study says many natural repellents quickly lose their effect on insects.
That wasn’t the case for the coconut oil compounds, according to Zhu’s research.
The USDA release says the coconut oil compounds out-preformed DEET at repelling stable flies, with an effective rate greater than 95 percent, compared with DEET’s 50 percent.
The release says the coconut oil compounds repelled bed bugs and ticks for two weeks, as compared with DEET’s three days of effectiveness.
However, the study notes that a much greater concentration of coconut oil acids are required to effectively repel mosquitoes as compared with DEET.
Study authors say they are hopeful the research could result in the development of coconut oil-based insect repellent products to fight diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. The study notes existing commercial applications of coconut oil: “coconut fatty acids are considered non-toxic, and are widely used in the food and cosmetic industries.”
The study also says the results could yield affordable agriculture products for cattle.
A leading manufacturer of DEET did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY request for comment on the study.
Coconut oil has made headlines as some researchers have spoken out against purported health benefits of the oil in weight loss. One Harvard professor went so far as to call the oil “pure poison.”
Contributing: KTHV-TV, Little Rock, Ark.
Copyright 2017 USATODAY.com
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