Crude Palm Oil (CPO) and Palm Olein

Palm oil is naturally reddish in color because of a high beta-carotene contents. 

 

The oil palm produces bunches containing a large number of fruits with the fleshy mesocarp enclosing a kernel that is covered by a very hard shell. FAO considers palm oil (coming from the pulp) and palm kernels to be primary products. The oil extraction rate from a bunch varies from 17 to 27% for palm oil, and from 4 to 10% for palm kernels.

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Palm oil, like all fats, is composed of fatty acids, esterified with glycerol.

Palm oil has an especially high concentration of saturated fat, specifically the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid, palmitic acid, to which it gives its name.

 

Fatty acid content of palm oil (present as triglyceride esters)

Type of fatty acidpct

 

Myristic saturated C14                               1.0%

Palmitic saturated C16                             43.5%

Stearic saturated C18                                4.3%

Oleic monounsaturated C18                    36.6%

Linoleic polyunsaturated C18                    9.1%

Other/Unknown                                           5.5%

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black: Saturated; grey: Monounsaturated; blue: Polyunsaturated

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