What is palm oil?

Answer 1

After researching this question on the Web with my six-year-old, I saw this: Modified palm oil was produced by interesterification of palm oil with tung oil at a weight ratio of 1:1, using sodium hydroxide as a catalyst, whereas carboxy-functional acrylic copolymer was prepared by radical copolymerization of n-butyl methacrylate and maleic anhydride We were reading ingredients of Nutella, a chocolaty breakfast spread imported from Canada. After reading the explanation above, we are still a little puzzled as to what Modified palmoil REALLY is! Isn't tung oil used for finishing wood!? Good grief!

Answer 2

Palm oil is an edible plant oil and is derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. It is naturally reddish in color because of a high beta-carotene content.

It is semi-solid at room temperatures and contains several saturated and unsaturated fats in the forms of glyceryl laurate (0.1%, saturated), myristate (1%, saturated), palmitate (44%, saturated), stearate (5%, saturated), oleate (39%, monounsaturated), linoleate (10%, polyunsaturated), and alpha-linolenate (0.3%, polyunsaturated).

Answer 3

Palm oil is produced from the fruit of the Elaeis guineensis palm.

It has been shown to be stable and versatile even without hydrogenation. Margarines and shortenings made from palm oil do not require hydrogenation. It's because palm oil provides the required solid fat content with little or no hydrogenation. Hydrogenation of oils produces saturated fatty acids as well as Trans- fatty acids and modified cis-fatty acids.

Medical Studies from the Harvard University, Department of Nutrition and Epidemiology suggested that more than 30,000 deaths per year in the country where research was done could be due to consumption of partially hydrogenated vegetable fat. Further, the number of attributable cases of non-fatal coronary Heart disease will be even greater.

Chemistry of Hydrogenation

Unsaturated fatty acids contain double bonds in their hydrocarbon chains. They can be converted to the corresponding saturated acid by catalytic hydrogenation. (also called reduction) This is a common industrial and laboratory operation in which hydrogen gas is reacted with the unsaturated hydrocarbon in the presence of metal catalyst (usually nickel or platinum).

In food industry, hydrogenation results in the conversion of liquid vegetable oils to solid or semi-solid fats, such as those present in margarine. During partial hydrogenation, some of the unsaturated fatty acids, which are normally found as the cis- isomer about the double bonds, are changed to a trans- double bond and remain unsaturated.

References:

Trans- Fat Free Palm Oil. Life Chemistry. Retrieved on 1 Sep, 2008 from http://life-chemistry.blogspot.com/2008/08/trans-fat-free-palm-oil.html

Answer 4

Yes.

Answer 5

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