Palm oil (also known as dendê oil, from Portuguese) is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms, primarily the African oil palm Elaeis guineensis,[1] and to a lesser extent from the American oil palm Elaeis oleifera and the maripa palm Attalea maripa.
What is Palm Oil?
Palm oil, like all fats, is composed of fatty acids, esterified with glycerol. Palm oil has an especially high concentration of saturated fat, specifically, of the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid palmitic acid, to which it gives its name. Monounsaturated oleic acid is also a major constituent of palm oil. Unrefined palm oil is a large natural source of tocotrienol, part of the vitamin E family
Composition of Palm oil
Palm Oil History
Human use of oil palms may date as far back as 5,000 years; in the late 1800s, archaeologists discovered a substance that they concluded was originally palm oil in a tomb at Abydos dating back to 3,000 BCE.
Palm oil became a highly sought-after commodity by British traders, for use as an industrial lubricant for machinery during Britain's Industrial Revolution.
Palm oil from Elaeis guineensiss has long been recognized in West and Central African countries, and is widely used as a cooking oil. European merchants trading with West Africa occasionally purchased palm oil for use as a cooking oil in Europe.
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Palm oil is refined using well defined processes. After milling, various palm oil products are made using refining processes. First is fractionation, with crystallization and separation processes to obtain solid (stearin), and liquid (olein) fractions. Then melting and degumming removes impurities. Then the oil is filtered and bleached. Physical refining removes smells and coloration to produce refined, bleached and deodorized palm oil and free sheer fatty acids, which are used in the manufacture of soaps, washing powder and other products.
Other uses of palm oil are:
Red palm oil
Antioxidants
Butter and trans fats substitutes
Bio mass and bio energy
Processing and Use
Processing and Use
Production
In 2012, the annual revenue received by Indonesia and Malaysia together, the top two producers of palm oil, was $40 billion.
Indonesia is the largest producer of palm oil, producing more than 20.9 million tonnes.
Malaysia is the world's second largest producer and the largest exporter of palm oil.They produced 18.79 million tonnes of palm oil products in 2011.
Nigeria is the third largest producer of palm oil (as at 2011), with 2.3 million hectares of land under cultivation.
Other producing countries include:
Colombia
Benin
Thailand
Cameroon
Kenya
Ghana
Production
Nutrition and Health
Palm oil, like all fats, is composed of fatty acids, esterified with glycerol. Palm oil has an especially high concentration of saturated fat, specifically, of the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid palmitic acid, to which it gives its name. Monounsaturated oleic acid is also a major constituent of palm oil. Unrefined palm oil is a large natural source of tocotrienol, part of the vitamin E family
Palm oil is also an important source of calories and a food staple in poor communities. However its overall health impacts, particularly in relation to cardiovascular disease, are controversial and subject to ongoing research.
Much of the palm oil that is consumed as food is cooking oil, to some degree oxidized rather than in the fresh state, and this oxidation appears to be responsible for the health risk associated with consuming palm oil.
Nutrition and Health
Social and Environmental Impacts
Palm oil, like all fats, is composed of fatty acids, esterified with glycerol. Palm oil has an especially high concentration of saturated fat, specifically, of the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid palmitic acid, to which it gives its name. Monounsaturated oleic acid is also a major constituent of palm oil. Unrefined palm oil is a large natural source of tocotrienol, part of the vitamin E family
Social
The palm oil industry has had both positive and negative impacts on workers, indigenous peoples and residents of palm oil-producing communities. Palm oil production provides employment opportunities, and has been shown to improve infrastructure, social services and reduce poverty. However, in some cases, oil palm plantations have developed lands without consultation or compensation of the indigenous people occupying the land, resulting in social conflict.
Environmental
Palm oil cultivation has been criticized for impacts on the natural environment, including deforestation, loss of natural habitats, which has threatened critically endangered species such as the orangutan and Sumatran tiger, and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Many palm oil plantations are built on top of existing peat bogs, and clearing the land for palm oil cultivation may contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
Did you know?
- http://www.indexmundi.com/en/commodities/agricultural/oil-palm/
- http://www.journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_SVO-palm.html
- http://www.greenpalm.org/en/about-palm-oil/what-is-palm-oil/
- http://agritrade.cta.int/Agriculture/Commodities/Oil-crops
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Further Research
Palm oil is also an important source of calories and a food staple in poor communities. However its overall health impacts, particularly in relation to cardiovascular disease, are controversial and subject to ongoing research.
Much of the palm oil that is consumed as food is cooking oil, to some degree oxidized rather than in the fresh state, and this oxidation appears to be responsible for the health risk associated with consuming palm oil.
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One oil palm tree produces 40kg of oil a year.
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Palm oil can be used to produce chocolate
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Palm oil is the leading edible oil in the world.
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Global palm oil output was over 50 million tonnes in 2011.
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India and China are the largest importers. They accounted for 35% of global imports, while 14% went to the EU.