Asst. Prof. Fahri Yemişçioğlu, the Departmant of Food Engineering at Ege University, on the latest palm oil news…
Asst. Prof. Fahri Yemişçioğlu, the Departmant of Food Engineering at Ege University, on the latest palm oil news…
Palm, is a fruit from which different types of palm oil derived. It is originated from Africa but mainly produced in Malaysia and Endonesia. It is what olive oil is for us in our region. It has been consumed for centuries. But it has gained popularity in the last few decades because of commercial reasons.
There is a confusion and possibly manipulation about palm oil and palm kernel oil which is a different derivation.
When people hear “oil”, they think about butter, margarine or bottled oils. However different types of oils are used in many products with for various purposes. The oils that give crispiness to a cracker, crunchiness to fries or texture to soap are called industrial oils. With palm oil you can gain all these different features. That’s the reason why palm oil is used so commonly, not because it is cheap as it is claimed.
Palm oil is in %50 liquid and %50 solid form. With the help of fractioning, you can get stearin from the solid part; olein from the liquid part. While stearin is mainly used in oleochemicals, olein is perfect for frying. Mid-fractions are used in creams. Because it gives out various derivations, it is preferred in many industries.
50 years ago, liquid oils went through a process called hydrogenation where hydrogen is added to make the oil solid. During hydrogenation trans fatty acids are produced. When researches showed that trans fats pose a risk to cardiovascular diseases and cancer, the world of industrial oils dramatically changed. Soybean oil produced in America dominated the world market once, but after the trans fats facts, everything changed in the industry. The solution to the trans fats problem is palm oil and its derivatives.
The disputed EFSA report says the amount of the contaminant 3-MCPD must be under a certain limit. Since palm oil is a widely used oil, it is only natural that it is mentioned in the report. But when people with no expertise comment on the issue they conclude that palm oil is carcinogenic. However, with its high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, palm oil does not require hydrogenation. Therefore it does not contain trans fatty acids or cause cancer.
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