– History:
– Oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis)
– Oil from the African oil palm has been recognized in West African and Central African countries.
– European merchants occasionally purchased palm oil for use in Europe.
– Palm kernel oil production figures from USDA:
– 2008–09: 11.75 million tonnes
– 2009–10: 12.22 million tonnes
– 2010–11: 12.55 million tonnes
– 2011–12: 13.28 million tonnes
– Research institutions:
– Oil palm breeding R&D expanded in the 1960s.
– Malaysian government established Kolej Serdang, later UPM, in the 1970s.
– Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (Porim) set up in 1979.
– Porim scientists focus on oil palm tree breeding and palm oil nutrition.
– Porim renamed Malaysian Palm Oil Board in 2000.
– Nutrition:
– Palm kernel oil is high in saturated fats.
– Lauric acid in palm kernel oil raises blood cholesterol levels.
– Palm kernel oil does not contain cholesterol or trans fatty acids.
– Commonly used in commercial cooking due to stability at high temperatures.
– Fatty acid content in palm kernel oil:
– Lauric saturated C12: 48.2%
– Myristic saturated C14: 16.2%
– Palmitic saturated C16: 8.4%
– Capric saturated C10: 3.4%
– Caprylic saturated C8: 3.3%
– Uses:
– Splitting oils yields fatty acids with glycerin as a byproduct.
– Derivatives of palmitic acid were used to produce napalm in WWII.
– See also:
– Palm kernel
– Tropical agriculture
– Food vs. fuel
Palm kernel oil is an edible plant oil derived from the kernel of the oil palm tree Elaeis guineensis. It is related to two other edible oils: palm oil, extracted from the fruit pulp of the oil palm, and coconut oil, extracted from the kernel of the coconut.
Palm kernel oil, palm oil, and coconut oil are three of the few highly saturated vegetable fats; these oils give the name to the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid palmitic acid that they contain.
Palm kernel oil, which is semi-solid at room temperature, is more saturated than palm oil and comparable to coconut oil.