Copha
Encyclopedia
Copha, a registered trademark
of Peerless, is a form of vegetable
fat shortening
made from hydrogenated coconut oil
. It is 100% fat, at least 98% of which is saturated
. It also contains soybean
lecithin
. It is popular in Australia
where it is used in many food
s for children, such as rocky road
, or chocolate crackles
, which are made from Rice Bubbles, copha and cocoa powder.
Copha is produced only in Australia, but there are many suppliers of hydrogenated coconut fat in various forms worldwide. It is a necessary ingredient in traditional Australian sweets such as chocolate crackles and white Christmas
, and a "chocolate coating" on baked goods that amounts to a rather waxy form of compound chocolate. A dramatic decline in the price of chocolate
over the decades is likely to be a significant contribution to the declining popularity of Copha-based confectionery
.
In New Zealand
, it is marketed as Kremelta. Known in Europe
as coconut fat, it is available either in its pure form, or in solid form with lecithin
added as an emulsifier. In France
it is marketed as Végétaline and in Germany
it is marketed as Palmin. In the United States
it is not easily available.
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
of Peerless, is a form of vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
fat shortening
Shortening
Shortening is any fat that is solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry. The reason it is called shortening is because it prevents cross-linkage between gluten molecules. Cross linking is what causes doughs to be sticky. Seeing as cake is not meant to be sticky, shortening is used...
made from hydrogenated coconut oil
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm . Throughout the tropical world, it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry...
. It is 100% fat, at least 98% of which is saturated
Saturated fat
Saturated fat is fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between the individual carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain. That is, the chain of carbon atoms is fully "saturated" with hydrogen atoms...
. It also contains soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
lecithin
Lecithin
Lecithin is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk, composed of phosphoric acid, choline, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, and phospholipids .The word lecithin was originally coined in 1847 by...
. It is popular in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where it is used in many food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
s for children, such as rocky road
Rocky road (dessert)
Rocky Road is a type of dessert made up of milk chocolate and marshmallow which is usually served in individual portions such as a cupcake or in American cuisine, as an ice cream flavor.-Australia:...
, or chocolate crackles
Chocolate crackles
Chocolate crackles are a popular children's confection in Australia and New Zealand, especially for birthday parties and at school fêtes. They are similar to the US Rice Krispies Treats...
, which are made from Rice Bubbles, copha and cocoa powder.
Copha is produced only in Australia, but there are many suppliers of hydrogenated coconut fat in various forms worldwide. It is a necessary ingredient in traditional Australian sweets such as chocolate crackles and white Christmas
White christmas (food)
White Christmas is an Australian dessert.It is a mixture of raisins, glacé cherries, desiccated coconut, icing sugar, milk powder and rice bubbles, with hydrogenated coconut oil as the binding ingredient....
, and a "chocolate coating" on baked goods that amounts to a rather waxy form of compound chocolate. A dramatic decline in the price of chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
over the decades is likely to be a significant contribution to the declining popularity of Copha-based confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
.
In New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, it is marketed as Kremelta. Known in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as coconut fat, it is available either in its pure form, or in solid form with lecithin
Lecithin
Lecithin is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk, composed of phosphoric acid, choline, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, and phospholipids .The word lecithin was originally coined in 1847 by...
added as an emulsifier. In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
it is marketed as Végétaline and in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
it is marketed as Palmin. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
it is not easily available.