Palm Oil Information

Palm oil is a plant oil that is high in saturated fat. The oil comes from the pulp of the fruit of the African oil palm tree. With its strong unique flavor and red-orange color, it is popular in the dishes of Western Africa, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. The highly refined version of palm oil has little color and flavor and is used in commercial baking and other products.

What is Palm Oil?

• Classified as a plant and vegetable oil, palm oil is one of the few oils high in saturated fat. Saturated fats are fats that are solid at room temperature. Although high in saturated fat, because palm oil is plant based it does not raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the body. Palm oil is often confused with palm kernel oil. However, palm kernel oil is extracted from the kernel rather than the fruit of the palm.

History of Palm Oil

• The oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) is native to West Africa. Palm oil was likely part of the food supply of indigenous people long before recorded history. Egypt used palm oil, as witnessed by it being found in a tomb that dates back to 3,000 BC. More recently, oil palm trees were introduced to South East Asia in 1848.

How Palm Oil Is Used

• Palm oil is still used in its unrefined state, a rich red-orange oil, in West Africa. It is used in soups, sauces, stews, for baked dishes, added to dough, and for frying. For much of the rest of the world it is used in its bland highly refined state to make margarine, cooking oil, and commercial baked goods, or snack foods, found on the supermarket shelf.

Nutritional Properties

• Unrefined red palm oil provides energy efficiently, carries fat soluble vitamins A, D, and E, supplies essential linoleic and linolenic acids, and improves the taste of food. Unrefined palm oil is also one of the richest sources of carotonoids, which are antioxidants and a major source of vitamin A. Unfortunately, industrial refining has removed this nutritional benefit.

Health Warning

• Palm oil is a vegetable source of saturated fat. Saturated fats are known to raise the cholesterol level in the blood. While the unrefined version is far superior to the refined version, both are still saturated fat. All oils are 100 percent fat. They are high in calories, about 120 calories per tablespoon, and should be eaten in moderation.