How and from what products produce palm oil?

Public opinion today has developed in such a way that palm oil is considered one of the most harmful vegetable oils that are harmful to human health.Products that include this ingredient are considered to be second-rate and low-quality. Nevertheless, this oil is used for the production of various finished products and semi-finished products, it is used in the cosmetic and technical industry.

By approximate calculations, every second product lying on the shelves of any supermarket contains palm oil. Find out whether it is really as dangerous as they say about it, you can only know its composition and production technology.

Palm oil is a vegetable oil derived from the soft fruits of palm trees. This plant is called "oilseed" and can be found in some Asian countries, in Africa and on islands located in the Indian Ocean. This is due to the fact that the ripening of the fruits of such a palm tree requires high humidity and temperature from +24 degrees and above.

This oil looks like a clear liquid without taste, because of its consistency it is slightly thicker than ordinary water and has a pleasant sweetish aroma. At low temperatures, it solidifies and turns into a white paste. To return this paste to its liquid state, it must be melted in a water bath or in a microwave oven.

Vegetable fat, extracted from palm fruits, is often used in cooking as a preservative, as it can be stored for about 3-4 months without losing its properties. Even at room temperature, this tasteless liquid can persist for several days and does not deteriorate. In addition, this oil is so popular because of its low price, which is significantly lower than the price of other oils. When palm oil is made, nutritional supplements called stearin and olein are obtained, which in turn are used in the production of margarines.

The calorie content of palm oil is quite high - about 900 kcal per 100 g, and all of them fall on vegetable fats, and proteins and carbohydrates are simply absent in this product. Dietary product can not be called, but no one uses vegetable fats in its pure form. Depending on its content in the final product, the caloric content of the latter may be much lower. In addition to vegetable fats, this oil contains several beneficial fatty acids, vitamin E and A. Unfortunately, palm oil contains only small amounts of phosphorus from the beneficial microelements.

The composition of the fruits of oil palm and determines the final composition of the resulting product. If vitamins and minerals are universally considered to be beneficial for the human body, then controversy about saturated fatty acids still does not abate. In fact, all the ingredients that make up the vegetable fat, by themselves, do not cause any harm to a person.

• Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) necessary to protect the body from premature wear and aging of cells. It is useful for the skin of the face and body, allows the hair to maintain its density and natural shine. In addition, vitamins of group E have a positive effect on the work of the hormonal system.
• Vitamin A (Retinol) enters the body from carotene. It is necessary for normal functioning of human immunity, proper metabolism, and also health of teeth and nails.
• Phosphorus important for cell regeneration, especially in muscles. However, even 100 g of natural palm oil in its pure form can hardly close the daily human need for this trace element, therefore it is better to get phosphorus from other products.
• Lauric acid acts as a disinfectant and disinfectant, therefore, is often used to create cosmetic products. It protects the human body from viruses and pathogenic bacteria.
• Palmitoleic acid It is considered one of the most beneficial to the human body, as it is necessary for the growth and regeneration of nerve endings.It reduces cholesterol in the blood and reduces high blood pressure.
• Myristic acid practically useless for humans, as it is not absorbed in the intestines and comes out with secretions. However, it does not cause any harm to a person who consumes palm oil.

Thus, among the beneficial qualities of the oil can be noted some body cleansing, care for vision and external health. Such vegetable fat well satisfies hunger, improves brain function and gives strength, which is why it is often used when the body is very depleted. If a person does not have individual intolerance to the palm product, then his infrequent use in food will not be able to harm his health.

In order to get vegetable fat from palm fruits, it is not enough just to gather ripe fruits. Palm oil is made by exposing the juicy flesh to high temperatures. To do this, the fruit is placed in large metal vats and cooked for a short time. The resulting fat rises, where it is collected for further refining. Such purified (refined) oil is produced by rotating the liquid in a centrifuge.

Due to the high speed of the product is stratified into fat and water with impurities that are removed from the finished product. In addition, palm oil can be done manually and undergo gentle cleaning. In this case, all harmful impurities will be removed, and the useful components will remain in larger quantities.

Depending on the method of cleaning and applications, vegetable oil derived from palm fruits, can be divided into three main types.

• Red oil. It has a pleasant aroma and sweetish taste. This product is made entirely by hand. It has the highest price of all three types. Most often, it can be purchased in a solid pasty form, and during heat treatment, this paste turns into a liquid.
• Normal palm oil. In the food industry, this type of oil is most often used. It was refined in a centrifuge, cleaned of all harmful substances, but, unfortunately, practically does not contain any useful acids and vitamins. This ingredient is purchased as a clear liquid poured into large containers, and is most often used in the manufacture of cheap dairy products, various desserts and snacks.
• Technical palm fat. This fat is cheaper than regular oil several times and is not used for food. Due to the low degree of purification in its composition is too much oxidized fat that is harmful to the human body. It is used in cosmetology and industrial production, but some unscrupulous manufacturers may add it to the composition of milk, bread and other products in order to save. Most of the articles describing the high risk of using palm oil are written about such products.

As mentioned above, the main direction, which uses vegetable palm oil - this is cooking.

• Bakery production, various sweets, fondants, chocolate, cakes and cookies - all this contains palm oil in its composition. It prolongs the shelf life of products and allows them to retain their properties at room temperature.
• Milk and dairy products are made using palm oil. To achieve a certain fat content of milk, which was previously defatted during separation, it is used vegetable fat. This allows you to achieve a longer shelf life of quickly spoiling yoghurts and cream, ice cream and sour cream.
• Cosmetic production. Vegetable fat is added to various creams and lipsticks, based on it make soaps and shower gels. This product, containing vitamins A and E, as well as lauric acid, fights skin impurities well, is good for hair and teeth, and serves as an anti-aging agent.

Palm oil, which grows in Africa and Asia, is used today almost throughout the world. In itself, such an oil, if it is prepared and purified by the correct technology, does not bear any risks to humans. Nevertheless, it is rather caloric, so the use of products that contain it in its composition should be controlled.

How to make palm oil, see the following video.