Composition palm oil. What is palm oil made from?

We eat a lot of it, but we know little about it, and if we know something, then from horror stories called investigative journalism and designed for a sensation. So, palm oil is the worst enemy, a source of health, or just another type of vegetable fat, around which it is not worth fanning a revealing controversy?

Let's figure it out.

Palm oil: chemical composition, origin and history of use

Palm oil is a vegetable fat that is extracted from the fruits of a special type of palm tree - the oil palm. This is not a discovery of the 21st century and not an invention of scientists: mankind has known it for at least 5 thousand years - this oil was traded in ancient Egypt.

In terms of digestibility, it is between milk fat and almost completely digestible corn and soy oils.

In terms of composition (if we consider the percentage of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), it is close to butter and inferior in use to olive oil.

This oil is used not only for food, but also in the manufacture of cosmetics, soaps, as well as in other areas where vegetable oils are used.

The benefits and harms of palm oil

We will talk about the benefits and harms of natural palm oil in a general aspect. Like any fat, it is a powerful source of energy for our body. However, lipids are divided into saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, which in simple terms can be called harmful, neutral and beneficial, respectively. Palm oil has a ratio of 50:1:40 of these acids, that is, there are more harmful saturated fats that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but the content of healthy fats is also high.

We emphasize that we are talking about natural palm oil, which is in its natural consistency and has not been hydrogenated.

What is the relationship between palm oil and trans fats?

Today, quite often we hear about the dangers of products containing trans fats, and palm oil, due to the information that sounds from the media, is subconsciously associated in our head with these dangerous substances. Let's take a closer look at whether there really is a link and how seriously we are threatened by the presence of palm oil in products containing it as a substitute for milk fat.

What are trans fats? Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat characterized by the presence of hydrocarbon bonds instead of carbon-carbon bonds. These fats are not digested and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. They are found in small amounts in natural foods, but we get them most from hydrogenated fats, including hydrogenated palm oil, which is used to replace milk and other natural fats in a variety of foods.

Thus, we came to the first conclusion - it is necessary to distinguish between palm oil, which is in its natural state, and hydrogenated palm oil, that is, transferred to a solid state by saturating it with carbon.

Hydrogenated palm oil contains a lot of trans fats and is therefore harmful, but the same goes for any other hydrogenated vegetable oil, so you need to remember that not only the oil itself can be harmful (or beneficial), but also its chemical state.

So, hydrogenated palm oil is harmful due to the high content of trans fats. Other hydrogenated oils are just as harmful, so you need to exclude or limit the use of products that contain them as much as possible, and these are margarine, cooking spreads and food products with their additive.

On the other hand, since palm oil has a rather high melting point, it is used as a substitute for other hard fats and without hydrogenation, so if ordinary palm oil is added to foods, then this can be considered a good replacement for really unhealthy margarines.

The question naturally arises, is it possible to find out about the content of palm oil in the product and whether it is hydrogenated? Theoretically, yes. And almost very often you can also find an indication about palm oil on the label. But you may not meet it, but it will be there, for example, hidden behind the word margarine, a mixture of vegetable fats, etc. Even more rarely, in addition to the indication itself, you will find information about the chemical state.

Also, products are falsified - this is when the composition on the label does not correspond to the real composition. (It's safe to say that sweet, crumbly baked goods definitely have hydrogenated palm oil or other hydrogenated oil, since crumbliness is a goal for hard fat, and milk fat is too expensive to add to cheap cookies.)

Also, hydrogenated palm oil can be present in sausages, sausages, dairy products, cheeses, because it is cheap, and hydrogenation not only changes the consistency, but also extends the shelf life (however, pure palm oil also extends the shelf life of products due to its low oxidizing ability ).

Palm oil and cardiovascular disease

The dangers of hydrogenated palm oil have been discussed above. But even in its natural form, this oil is not the most useful, because it contains a lot of saturated fats.

In fact, there is not much clarity on this issue, because palm oil has not been used in the food industry for so long (meaning the industry, not eating in general), but there are already studies indicating an increase in cardiovascular diseases. diseases in groups of people whose diets are rich in palm oil.

A more healthy alternative is olive, sunflower, soybean oils, in which the content of harmful saturated fats is 3-4 times less than that of palm oil.

And yet, benefit or harm?

The World Health Organization recommends completely eliminating trans fats from the diet, and introducing bans for manufacturers at the level of the leadership of countries and regions. A growing number of countries are taking legislative and other measures to eliminate trans fats from food, with Europe leading the way.

That is, hydrogenated palm oil is definitely harmful.

Non-hydrogenated palm oil cannot be considered as bad, but it is worth reducing its consumption by introducing other vegetable fats into the diet, such as olive, soybean, sunflower oil.

As for the high content of vitamins A and E in palm oil, they are also found in sufficient quantities in other products.

In our conditions, when food quality control raises more questions than trust, you cannot rely on label information and you can protect your body from the harmful effects of hydrogenated fats and excessive consumption of palm oil only by choosing the most natural, unprocessed food and home-cooked food. from natural products.

Palm oil is a product obtained from the fruit of the oil palm.

Fat must be present in the human diet, and vegetable oils, including palm oil, are used in the food industry.

Palmitic acid is a saturated fatty acid, the main component of refined palm oil. In the past few decades, studies have proven that palm oil damage is due to an excess of palmitic acid.

Palm oil is one of the cheapest and most popular oils in the world. It accounts for one third of the world's vegetable oil production.

In the article, we provide comprehensive information on the role of palm oil and palmitic acid in the development of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the nervous system and bones.

Types of palm oil oils

The product is extracted from two types of oil palm fruits: one grows in Africa and the other in South America.

Palm oil is:

• technical. It is extracted from the pulp of fruits for the manufacture of soaps, cosmetics, candles, biofuels and lubricants, for processing and coating metal plates;
• food. It is extracted from seeds for the production of food products: margarine, ice cream, chocolate products, biscuits and bread, as well as pharmaceuticals. The high refractoriness of fat allows it to be used as a lubricant in many units and technical equipment.

Palm oil from the pulp should not be confused with oil from the seeds. The seed oil is high in saturated fat, making it suitable for cooking.

The transparency or white color of palm oil indicates processing. This means that such oil is devoid of most of the nutritional properties.

How palm oil is made

Production includes 4 steps:

1. Pulp section.
2. Pulp softening.
3. Oil extraction.
4. Cleaning.

Palm oil has a bright color due to the presence of carotenes.

The composition and calorie content of palm oil

The benefits of palm oil are that it enhances immune function and promotes healthy bones, eyes, lungs, skin, and liver. Palm oil helps provide energy to the body and improve the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D and E.

For the bones

Vitamin E deficiency is dangerous in old age - when people fall, they break bones. The use of palm oil containing vitamin E compensates for its deficiency.

For the heart and blood vessels

A study was conducted involving 88 people to find out the effect of palm oil on the cardiovascular system. The results showed that partial replacement of vegetable oil with palm oil in cooking does not affect the health of the heart and blood vessels in healthy young people.

The tocotrienols found in palm oil help keep the heart working and prevent heart disease.

Palm oil increases the level of "good" cholesterol and lowers the "level" of bad. For this, it is called the tropical analogue of olive oil.

For the nervous system

The antioxidant properties of palm oil help prevent damage to nerve cells and the brain, protect against the development of dementia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

For skin and hair

Due to its nutritional composition, palm oil is beneficial for skin health. It is added to skin and hair care products. Red palm oil provides protection like a sunscreen with SPF15.

For immunity

The antioxidant properties of the oil help prevent various types of cancer. According to studies, tocotrienols exhibit strong antioxidant properties and help slow the development of skin, stomach, pancreas, lung, liver, breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Vitamin E is a useful nutritional supplement for immunity.

200 mg of alpha-tocopherol will increase the antibody response to vaccination. It is also able to combat weakened immunity in the elderly.

For weight loss

Studies have shown that overweight and obese individuals had significant reductions in triglyceride and cholesterol levels, as well as significant reductions in fat mass.

For diabetics

A study with type 2 diabetics found that eating 15 ml of palm oil 3 times a day for a month had no effect on blood glucose and insulin levels, but reduced the average daily average blood sugar level.

Palm oil is used today in the manufacture of many food products.. It is added everywhere, it improves the taste and structure of products. Also, this component is actively used for the manufacture of various cosmetic products that are designed to improve the skin and hair. But is this component really useful? This issue is especially of concern to those people who actively monitor the state of their figures. Therefore, before consuming palm oil, the harm and benefits of this product should be fully understood.

What is this product

Palm oil is a type of oil that is made by squeezing special varieties of palm fruit.. It is not extracted from seeds, as, for example, vegetable or linseed oil is obtained, but from the pulp of fruits. But the oil that is extracted from the seeds is called palm kernel oil.

The type of palm tree, from the fruits of which this product is extracted, grows in the regions of countries such as Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia. Due to the fact that this raw material has a low cost, it is actively used in the food and cosmetic industries.

Chemical composition

Palm oil is found in food and cosmetic industry products. So why is it actively used? First, it has a fairly low cost, secondly, this product has a very rich composition. The composition of this type of oil contains the following elements:

• carotenoids. These elements take an active part in many vital processes of the body, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the whole organism;
• vitamin E. The composition includes a vitamin, which consists of isomers of tocotrienols and tocopherols;
• vitamin K. This element provides increased security of the body from all sorts of complications - ossification of cartilage, salt deposits on the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe walls of blood vessels, and others;
• polyunsaturated acids, which are classified as omega 3 and omega 6;
• palmitic acids, they account for about 50% of the total. This type of fatty acid is a source of energy for the body and takes part in the process of synthesizing hormones;
• oleic acid belongs to the group of monosaturated fats. This type of acid prevents the formation of cholesterol plaques in the vessels;
• stearic acid;
• vitamin A and B4;
• macro- and microelements, including high content of iron and phosphorus;
• coenzyme Q10.

High quality palm oil is obtained only after several processing procedures. In the manufacture of this product, the pressing and squeezing method is used, after which a technical product unsuitable for food is formed. In order to get real oil, containing all of the above components, the raw material undergoes five stages of processing:

1. Cleansing.
2. Hydration.
3. Neutralization.
4. Deodorization.
5. Lightening.

After five stages of production, the finished product can be used for food production, and it can also be safely consumed in its pure form.

Varieties

In the manufacture of palm oil, several types of it are produced, depending on the quality and constituent components, each type is used in different areas. So, there are three types of oil:

• Red palm oil. This is the most natural look.. For its manufacture, the most gentle technologies are used that allow you to save the maximum amount of nutrients. The red color of this raw material is provided by the increased content of carotenoids. This product has an odor and a sweet taste. It is used for eating raw.
• Refined deodorized. Compared to the red species, this oil has a different structure. It is colorless and odorless. It is produced specifically for use in the food industry. It does not taste in foods, but it does improve the texture and palatability of many food ingredients.
• Technical view. This type is of poor quality and is not suitable for food production. It is used in the production of cosmetics - soaps, cosmetics, shampoos and other components.

Characteristics of properties

Before you understand how palm oil is harmful or beneficial to the human body, you should carefully consider all its properties. Still, this type of raw material has recently been used for the manufacture of many cosmetic and food products, so it is important to know what properties it has.

The main qualities of this raw material:

1. The natural palm oil product has a reddish or red-orange texture, which is why it is also called red. This type of raw material has a nutty flavor and smell;
2. When holding this product at room temperature, it acquires a liquid consistency, if the temperature rises, then it acquires a viscous structure, and at temperatures below zero it begins to harden.
3. Has improved resistance to oxidation, so it can be stored for a long period, while it does not lose its main characteristics.
4. This product has a high fat content. The composition of this raw material is quite extensive, it can be found in a high content of fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the human body and are quickly absorbed by it.
5. Natural red oil has increased antibacterial and wound-healing qualities.. Therefore, when it is used, the development of pathogenic microorganisms is eliminated. In addition, it prevents the occurrence of inflammatory processes.

Health Benefits

Despite the fact that many argue that this raw material is quite harmful and has a large number of harmful elements, it is still actively used for the manufacture of food products, and natural red raw materials are consumed directly in their raw form. If the benefits and harms of palm oil for human health are compared, then there will be much more useful qualities. To understand this, it is worth considering the main useful qualities of this product:

• Due to the fact that red oil contains a high content of carotenoids in its composition, it has an increased level of antioxidant activity. The impact of these substances provides an improvement in the skin, as well as hair.
• The increased content of vitamin E also provides antioxidant properties to this product. This component belongs to the "youth" vitamins. It actively fights skin aging, and also neutralizes the harmful effects of free radicals. This property prevents such a dangerous disease as cancer.
• The triglycides included in the composition are quickly digested when ingested. These components penetrate the liver, while they do not penetrate into the composition of the blood stream. Due to this property, this product is recommended for people who monitor the state of their figure, as well as for those who do not perceive other types of fats well.
• Due to the content of unsaturated fats in the use of this product there is a decrease in the level of cholesterol in the blood which ultimately reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. In addition, these substances are involved in the formation of the skeletal system, enhance joint mobility, and improve the quality of the skin.
• The benefits of provitamin A. This component is necessary for improving vision, especially for children. Therefore, oil is often found in baby food. This element provides an improvement in the work of the analyzer, helps the active production of pigment, which is responsible for visual functions and is located in the retina.

Due to such a large list of useful properties, this product is often included in the list of useful products for the human body. But still, you should not draw final conclusions, you should definitely consider the harmful properties of palm oil.

Harmful properties

Why is palm oil harmful to humans? This question worries many people who carefully monitor the health of their body. Of course, you definitely need to know what harm palm oil does to the body, because the general condition depends on it.

So, the negative impact of palm oil can occur due to several factors:

1. The composition of the component has an increased level of saturated fats. Therefore, its consumption should be limited. What can be the harm from palm oil in food? Excessive consumption of foods containing high levels of this raw material can cause problems with blood vessels and the heart, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease.
2. Reduced content of linoleic acid. The composition of palm oil of this component includes only 5%, but in other types of vegetable oils 71-76%. Therefore, this type of oils has a low value.
3. Due to the fact that this type of oil has a high refractoriness, it hard to get out of the body. If there is an excessive amount of this product in the diet, then undigested residues in the body close up the vessels and impair the functioning of the digestive system. This product has increased carcinogenic properties and is quite difficult to remove.

Therefore, many doctors recommend, when using palm oil, to additionally eat foods that improve intestinal activity and contribute to the active removal of carcinogenic components, toxins. Be sure to visit saunas and baths. It is also recommended to maintain an active lifestyle. When all these recommendations are followed, you can quickly remove harmful substances from the body, as well as conduct a high-quality cleaning of internal organs.

Palm oil content in infant formula

For many parents, the use of palm oil in infant formulas causes terror and fear for their child's health. People often ask the main question of interest - why is palm kernel oil used in baby food? So why is palm oil in infant formula harmful? Many nutritionists and children's doctors argue that if it is natural palm kernel oil that is included in the composition, then parents' concerns are not in vain. This substance can have a negative effect on the digestive system of an infant and in the future can cause the development of many serious diseases.

But modern manufacturers of infant formulas do not use palmonucleic acid, but palmitic acid, which is obtained after the technological processing of the product. Thanks to the use of modern technologies in production, the maximum adapted products based on vegetable fat are created, which can be used without problems for feeding infants.

Usually, whey is used for the production of infant formula, which loses some of the easily digestible proteins and trace elements during processing. But to replenish these beneficial elements, palmitic acid is added. This the component allows you to bring the infant formula as close as possible to the structure of breast milk.

Palm oil has both beneficial and harmful qualities, which must be taken into account when using it. But do not assume that this product is poison and should be completely excluded from your diet. The first thing to do is to reduce the level of its use.. This product can be consumed, but preferably in small quantities.

In addition, when buying some products, you should follow important recommendations:

• Buy and consume ice cream, confectionery and bakery products as little as possible.
• When buying food, be sure to carefully study the description on the packages. If there is a vague phrase "vegetable fat", then this property will indicate the low quality of the product. Conscientious manufacturers always indicate that the product contains palm oil, and do not hide its presence.
• You need to buy products that are made according to GOST and not according to technical regulations.
• If the product is stored for a long period, then it has a high content of palm oil.
• It is necessary to completely abandon fast food.

In any case, when using this product, it is worth following important recommendations. You should not assume that palm oil has a strong negative impact on health, it just needs to be consumed correctly. They don't need to be abused. And in moderation, instead of harm, this oil, on the contrary, will have a positive effect on health.

,
neurologist, top blogger LiveJournal

In social networks, the publication of one journalist is vigorously discussed. She went to Europe on a business trip, returned from there with a suitcase of cheese and butter and told about it on Facebook - they say, marvel, good people, what a hostess I am, in a difficult time for Russia I feed my family with real products. For some reason, readers were not touched and did not begin to praise the thrifty journalist. Someone was ironic, someone was simply surprised. She wrote an angry post in response: they say, yes, I go to Europe for cheese, and you are poisoned by a cheese product with palm oil, and I also buy real village eggs and milk, while you drink an incomprehensible powdered substance and eat dubious cheap eggs from the supermarket . The final argument in favor of her own rightness was that she treats her dogs every day with a piece of dor blue or brie, which means that her four-legged friends eat much better than most of the orphaned and wretched population of our country.

Everyone is not averse to feeling their own superiority over subscribers, and the more of them, the more unbearable the temptation. This is how amazing stories about dogs that win first at exhibitions, and then at children's math olympiads, until they finally receive the Nobel Prize for a revolutionary discovery in neuroscience - all thanks to a piece of excellent dor blue from Europe. Let's leave the veracity of these messages on the conscience of the authors, because they are of no practical value.

A much more interesting question is: is palm oil really the culprit of all health ills?

Remembering Chemistry

Palm oil is a vegetable product that contains predominantly saturated fats. Raw materials from the fruits of the oil palm are subjected to industrial processing. The result is a refined oil that is chemically similar to butter and coconut oil. Palm oil has a higher melting point than coconut oil. And it is also much cheaper and does not have the characteristic sweetish smell of coconut. Other than that, palm oil is not that different from other plant-based saturated fats.

Arguments against palm oil

If you ask any person far from science whether palm oil is healthy, he will answer “no” with confidence. At the same time, the only argument in favor of “guilt” will be that there are many varieties of counterfeit cheese on the shelves of Russian supermarkets, and these are products with the addition of palm oil. And then various speculations begin that palm oil is a carcinogen, and that it contains trans fats, and that heart attacks and strokes occur from it.

In fact, palm oil is "guilty" only in the fact that products with its addition are distinguished by an extremely trashy taste. Also, they are cheap to manufacture. This is a cheese that looks like cheese only in appearance, but tastes like putty. It's a terribly yummy cookie. These are "sports nutrition" bars that contain glucose-fructose syrup, a handful of rancid nuts, and starch. However, not even palm oil is to blame for the disgusting taste, but the manufacturer's desire to reduce the cost of production. The oil itself does not have a strong taste or smell.

What is called cheese is made from milk. And what is prepared from palm oil, feces and branches cannot be called cheese. However, this does not mean that it is palm oil in the composition of such products that is a terrible poison. Much more harmful than this ingredient are allergenic dyes, a huge amount of salt, sugar and God knows what else, which you will never be told on the label.

Arguments in favor of palm oil

Attempts to find out how palm oil can harm health reveal a lot of interesting information. For example, this product contains carotenoids, tocopherols, phospholipids and coenzyme Q10 (most likely unrefined palm oil). Translated into Russian, this means that the oil contains very useful substances that can have a beneficial effect on the resistance of body cells to damage, maintain beauty and youth.

Studies also show that regular consumption of palm oil does not affect the statistics of strokes and heart attacks. However, do not rush to the store to buy some adulterated cheese and a package of sugary chocolate bars: firstly, all the wonderful and healthy ingredients listed above can be found in a handful of sunflower seeds, and secondly, all the benefits of the product are negated by a huge amount of sugar , salt, flavorings and other "good".

The impressionable journalist was partly right in buying fatty village cottage cheese and eating village eggs for breakfast. Saturated fats have been rehabilitated by scientific research, and doctors no longer recommend completely "fat-free" diets. Therefore, dairy products, and eggs, and a variety of oils, and even a little fatty meat are quite suitable foods for a balanced diet. However, the devil is in the details.

About the benefits of balance

If you have cheese for breakfast, eggs for lunch, and pork for dinner, you're in trouble. Even if it is cheese from Europe, eggs from a chicken you personally know and pork, which was delivered an hour ago directly from an ecologically clean region of Abkhazia. Because “organic” products or the absence of palm oil are far from the only condition for a balanced diet, which the respected journalist “with a suitcase of cheese from Europe” forgot about. A person needs fiber - vegetables and fruits. And other products: for example, cereals, legumes, fish.

Palm oil and trans fats: is there a link?

Palm oil does not contain, which are mentioned in a negative way by the World Health Organization and the FDA (the latter even obliged American manufacturers to indicate on the packaging of products that they contain trans fats). In general, trans fats are such a thing that almost never occurs in nature in their natural form: they are obtained by hydrogenating various oils in industrial conditions, and are also found in small amounts in lamb fat (at the same time, researchers always focus consumers' attention on the fact that only "artificial" trans fats are dangerous ). In other words, trans fats can be found in chips, candy, pastries, burgers, and other fast food. But palm oil does not.

In the hysterical search for fakes wherever possible, the problem of trans fats is somehow forgotten. But palm oil was originally proposed as a healthier alternative to trans fats, the regular use of which has been proven to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, strokes and heart attacks. But for some reason, journalists are worried about the problem of falsification of cheeses, and the problem of ignorance of a huge number of people that chocolate bars, crackers, chips or their favorite fast food pie daily delivers a portion of “bad” fat to their body and brings them closer to diseases is ignored .

Trans fats lengthen the shelf life of foods almost indefinitely. So if you see a cake on the supermarket shelf that doesn’t need to be refrigerated, or a beer snack that has been sitting on the kitchen cabinet shelf for years and still looks edible, you can be sure that there are trans fats.

WHO and the FDA recommend removing them from the diet altogether (for comparison: the daily intake of added sugar, according to WHO, is about 5-6 teaspoons; saturated fats are not limited at all, but with an explanation that unsaturated fats are still preferable), because they are “not part of a healthy diet” and it is assumed that there is no safe amount of trans fats for the body.

Truth, lies and some marketing

The popularity of coconut oil and the general love of healthy lifestyle supporters for this product look somewhat curious, given that the chemical structure of coconut oil is very close to palm oil. This seems to be a very revealing story about marketing opportunities: coconut oil is several times more expensive than palm oil and is positioned as a unique cosmetic and dietary product, while palm oil is synonymous with poverty, health ignorance and greed in the food industry.

In fact, unrefined coconut oil just tastes better. And it has a stronger flavor.

What are the conclusions?

Your body needs fat. It can be unrefined vegetable oil or butter, a piece of lamb, an egg, a couple of tablespoons of sour cream or a serving of cottage cheese. Unsaturated fats (sesame, canola, olive oils) are preferred over saturated fats (fatty meat, butter, ghee, palm and coconut oils). But trans fats, which are found in almost any food produced by an industrial method, are dangerous to health.

Everything needs a reasonable balance. As optimistic as the research on the benefits of saturated fat may be, it must be understood that a diet consisting only of butter, eggs, and cottage cheese is not the most balanced. Therefore, you need to dilute the "village" diet with fruits and vegetables.

Healthy food is not only in Europe. A balanced diet can be organized by visiting a nearby supermarket. The secret is to use as little processed food as possible and cook on your own. Semi-finished products, "store" desserts and ready-made salads contain an abyss of sugar, salt and trans fats. A homemade vegetable salad and a piece of fish, or homemade cheesecakes, or banana and strawberry ice cream - all this is quite affordable, easy to prepare and healthy. Preservatives and antiseptics that are used to process fruits for transportation to Russia, as well as the possible presence of palm oil in cottage cheese or, for example, terribly harmful manganese in sea fish, can be neglected.

We live in a country with poor ecology and poor economy, we often have to be passive smokers, we do not always find time for regular sports. In light of these sad facts, trace amounts of manganese in fish do not have a significant effect on health.

So the smartest thing to do is to pay attention to the amount of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains in your diet. That is, simply choosing between an orange and an orange muffin from the nearest supermarket with a shelf life of five years in favor of the first, instead of raising your level of anxiety by looking for palm oil and fakes on store shelves. Or bake your own orange cake with as much sugar as you like.

Shrouded in many rumors.

Due to its cheapness, as well as the influence of the media, most believe that it is very harmful and diligently avoids it.

In reality, things are far from being so clear cut. How is it made?

Below are the different types extracted from the palm tree, a brief the process of getting them And .

What types are there?

By processing the fruits of the palm tree, called oilseed, two types of oils are extracted: palm kernel and raw palm. Crude butter is made from the pulp of the fruit, which contains fats up to 70%.

Palm kernel oil is extracted from the kernels inside the fruit. These kernels or seeds contain 10 to 30% fat, which is considered more valuable and similar in composition to coconut oil.

How are they mined?

How it's done? Palm oil is obtained through fruit pulp pressing, pre-sterilized. Further obtained crude oil processed in a centrifuge for separating and other extra inclusions.

Before this, the oil must be preliminarily warmed up to 100 degrees. Palm kernel oil - by pressing kernels from seeds or by extraction.

Resources Used

The oil palm is native to Western Guinea. Today the tree introduced and growing throughout West Africa, Southeast Asia, South America, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Most major manufacturers palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia.

In these countries, oil palm is grown plantations.

On the plantations, fruits are harvested, and then transported to factory where the oil itself is obtained directly.

The fruits hang in the form of clusters, each 3-4 cm. dry hot steam treatment, in order to separate the fruits from the bunch. Next, they are subjected to pressing to get oil.

Further processing

The oil obtained after pressing is considered technical. For food applications, more than deep processing.

The oil goes through five stages refining:

1. Getting rid of mechanical impurities.
2. Stage hydration. This process extracts phospholipids.
3. Getting rid of free fatty acids, the process neutralization.
4. Whitening.
5. Deodorization.

The result is a finished refined palm oil used throughout the world.

Chemical constituents

Main component palm oil are palmitic and stearic acids. They are saturated fatty acids and are 50% composition. are considered harmful for the body in large quantities.

Up to 40% palm oil - monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic).

They are useful acids that help cleanse excess cholesterol and increase vascular tone.

Up to 10% are polyunsaturated acids (linoleic).

Such fats improve metabolism, and are considered very important for normal human life.

Palm oil is rich in tocotrienols- one of the modifications of vitamin E.

Moreover, it is the source vitamin A. But during processing, a significant part of these vitamins is lost. There are more gentle technologies that allow save useful items in composition. The oil extracted in this way is called red palm.

Palm kernel oil is similar in composition to coconut. The main composition includes saturated lauric and myristic acids. Unsaturated oleic and linoleic acids are present up to 33%, due to them, palm kernel oil has a higher iodine number.

Myths about prey

The most common myth about palm oil extraction is that it is made from palm tree trunks. In fact, such suspicions are absolutely groundless The fruits are the source of the oil. Moreover, both the pulp and the core.

This product has found such popularity due to its ease of extraction. The locals even today get it manually and are used for food. They drop the fruits into boiling water and collect the oil that floats, and then squeeze out the pulp extracted from the water. But the oil thus obtained edible for a short time, but the one obtained in production differs in the length of storage.

Thus, it turns out that palm oil not so bad. In any case, no more harmful than usual creamy. Cheapness is determined by the ease of its production, and popularity among manufacturers - at the price and the possibility of long-term storage.

There are very useful components, especially in red palm and palm kernel oils.

However, it cannot be called harmless either, the presence of saturated fatty acids in a large volume harm the body.

Don't be afraid, if palm oil is found in the composition, you just need to be smart about the amount of its consumption.

About how and where produce palm oil you can find out by watching the video: