Products
Refined palm oil is found in countless processed foods, including margarine, biscuits, potato chips, spreads (e.g. Nutella), ice cream and sweets. The palms are grown mainly in Malaysia and Indonesia. Annual production is in the range of over 50 million tons. No other vegetable oil is produced in greater quantities.
Structure and properties
Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the oil palm, a member of the palm family that originated in West Africa. Crude palm oil has an orange to red color (red palm oil) due to the carotenoids it contains. After refining, it becomes yellowish to colorless. It is semi-solid to solid at room temperature and is therefore also known as palm oil. The melting point is above 30°C. The triglycerides of palm oil contain about half saturated and half unsaturated fatty acids. Palm oil has a high content of palmitic acid (Figure, up to 45%). It is solid at room temperature. Other important components are oleic acid (liquid), linoleic acid (liquid) and stearic acid (solid). Palm oil contains natural antioxidants such as the tocopherols, the tocotrienols, coenzyme Q10 and the carotenoids already mentioned. Refining and fractionation of the oil results in various products. Palmolein is the liquid portion and palm stearin is the solid portion.
Effects
Palm oil has several beneficial properties. It has a semi-solid to solid consistency at room temperature (“palm fat”) in our latitudes. Palm oil gives products a soft texture and high product stability. It is odorless and tasteless. Furthermore, it is resistant to heat and oxidation and can therefore be used for cooking, frying, deep-frying and baking.
Areas of application
- In food technology for the production of processed foods.
- For cosmetics, personal care products and medical devices.
- For the kitchen as cooking oil, as a frying fat.
- Technical applications, e.g. for the production of fuel.
Criticism
Palm oil is controversial for ecological reasons and is strongly criticized by environmental groups. It is grown in huge plantations as a monoculture. For the required areas, valuable rainforest is cleared and carbon dioxide is released. This threatens plants and animals and harms the climate. Sustainable palm oil is on the market, but not in the quantities needed.
