NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Palm oil

Palm oil is a form of edible vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the oil palm tree. Previously the second-most widely produced edible oil, after soybean oil, 28 million metric tons were produced worldwide in 2004^[1]. It may have now surpassed soybean oil as the most widely produced vegetable oil in the world.^[2] Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (571x981, 126 KB) Palm oil from Ghana with its natural dark color visible, 2 litres File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (571x981, 126 KB) Palm oil from Ghana with its natural dark color visible, 2 litres File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 131 KB) [edit] Summary [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Palm oil ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 131 KB) [edit] Summary [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Palm oil ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with cooking oil. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... Species Elaeis guineensis Elaeis oleifera The oil palms (Elaeis) coomprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. ... Binomial name Glycine max Merr. ...

The palm fruit is the source of both palm oil (extracted from palm fruit) and palm kernel oil (extracted from the fruit seeds). Palm oil itself is reddish because it contains a high amount of betacarotene. It is used as cooking oil, to make margarine and is a component of many processed foods. Boiling it for a few minutes destroys the carotenoids and the oil becomes white. Carotene is a terpene, an orange photosynthetic pigment, important for photosynthesis. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with vegetable oil. ... Margarine in a tub Margarine (pronunciation: ), as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes. ... The orange ring surrounding Grand Prismatic Spring is due to carotenoid molecules, produced by huge mats of algae and bacteria. ...

Palm oil is one of the few vegetable oils relatively high in saturated fats (such as coconut oil) and thus semi-solid at room temperature. A saturated fat is a fat or fatty acid in which there are no double bonds between the carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain. ... Coconut oil, also known as coconut butter, is a tropical oil extracted from copra (the dried inner flesh of coconuts) with many applications. ...

History

Palm oil (from the African Oil Palm, Elaeis guineensis) was long recognized in West African countries, and among West African peoples it is in widespread use as a cooking oil. European merchants trading with West Africa occasionally purchased palm oil for use in Europe, but as the oil was bulky and cheap, and due to the much higher profits available from slave-trading, palm oil remained rare outside West Africa. During the early nineteenth century, the decline of the Atlantic slave trade and Europe's demand for legitimate commerce (trade in material goods rather than human lives) obliged African and European countries to seek new sources of trade revenue. In the Asante Confederacy, state-owned slaves built large plantations of oil palm trees, while in the neighbouring Kingdom of Dahomey, King Ghezo passed a law in 1856 forbidding his subjects from cutting down oil palms. Palm oil became a highly sought-after commodity by British traders, the oil being used as industrial lubricant for the machines of Britain's ongoing Industrial Revolution, as well as forming the basis for various brands of soap such as Palmolive. By c.1870, palm oil constituted the primary export of some West African countries such as Ghana and Nigeria. By the 1880s, cocoa had become more highly sought-after, leading to the decline of the palm oil industry and trade within these countries. Western Africa (UN subregion) Maghreb[1] West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the Transatlantic slave trade, was the trade of African persons supplied to the colonies of the New World that occurred in and around the Atlantic Ocean. ... A shrunken Ashanti Confederacy near the end of its existence in 1896 The Ashanti Confederacy was a powerful state in West Africa in the years prior to European colonization. ... Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: slave Slave may refer to: Slavery, where people are owned by others, and live to serve their owners without pay Slave (BDSM), a form of sexual and consenual submission Slave clock, in technology, a clock or timer that synchrnonizes to a master clock... Species Elaeis guineensis Elaeis oleifera The oil palms (Elaeis) coomprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. ... Dahomey was a kingdom in Africa, situated in what is now the nation of Benin. ... King Ghezo (right), with his son the future King Glele in 1863 Ghezo was the ninth King of Dahomey (now Benin), considered one of the greatest of the twelve historical kings. ... A lubricant (colloquially, lube) is a substance (often a liquid) introduced between two moving surfaces to reduce the friction and wear between them. ... A Watt steam engine, the steam engine that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the world. ... A collection of decorative soaps used for human hygiene purposes. ... Colgate redirects here. ... For other uses, see Cocoa (disambiguation). ...

Palm oil was introduced in Malaysia (then Malaya) in 1917 when the first plantation was established. Then the oil palms plantation was mostly operated by English landowners. From the 1960's major oil palm plantation scheme was introduced by the government mainly to eradicate poverty. Each settlers are allocated 10 acres of land (about 4 hectares) planted either with oil palm or rubber, and they are given 20 years to pay off the land. An acre is the name of a unit of area in a number of different systems, including Imperial units and United States customary units. ... A hectare (symbol ha) is a unit of area, equal to 10 000 square metres, commonly used for measuring land area. ...

In 2004, Malaysia produces 14 million tons of palm oil from more than 38,000 square kilometres of land, making it the largest exporter of palm oil in the world.

Chemical composition

Palm oil and palm kernel oil are composed of fatty acids, esterified with glycerol just like any ordinary fat. Both are high in saturated fatty acids, about 50% and 80%, respectively. The oil palm gives its name to the 16 carbon saturated fatty acid palmitic acid found in palm oil; monounsaturated oleic acid is also a constituent of palm oil while palm kernel oil contains mainly lauric acid. Palm oil is the largest natural source of tocotrienol, part of the vitamin E family. Palm oil is also high in vitamin K and dietary magnesium. In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid (or organic acid), often with a long aliphatic tail (long chains), either saturated or unsaturated. ... Esterification is the general name for a chemical reaction in which two chemicals (typically an alcohol and an acid) form an ester as the reaction product. ... Glycerine, Glycerin redirects here. ... For other uses, see FAT. Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. ... The term saturation generally means thoroughly full, and can refer to the following: In chemistry, see saturation (chemistry) for a number of meanings. ... Palmitic acid, or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. ... Lauric acid, or dodecanoic acid, is a saturated fatty acid with the structural formula CH3(CH2)10COOH . ... Tocopherol, or Vitamin E, is a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms that is an important antioxidant. ... Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone). ... General Name, symbol, number magnesium, Mg, 12 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, period, block 2, 3, s Appearance silvery white solid at room temp Standard atomic weight 24. ...

Napalm derives its name from naphthenic acid, palmitic acid and pyrotechnics or simply from a recipe using naphtha and palm oil. A simulated Napalm explosion during MCAS Air Show in 2003. ... Naphthenic acid is the name for an unspecific mixture of several cylopentyl and cyclohanexyl carboxylic acids. ... Palmitic acid, or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. ...

The approximate concentration of fatty acids (FAs) in palm oil is as follows:^[3]

Fatty acids are saturated and unsaturated aliphatic carboxylic acids with carbon chain length in the range of C6 up to C24. An example of a fatty acid is palmitic acid Palmitic acid, or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. ... Stearic acid (IUPAC systematic name: octadecanoic acid) is one of the useful types of saturated fatty acids that comes from many animal and vegetable fats and oils. ... Myristic acid, also called Tetradecanoic acid, is a common saturated fatty acid found in dairy products. ... Oleic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid found in various animal and vegetable sources. ... Linoleic acid (LA) is an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. ... Lauric acid, or dodecanoic acid, is a saturated fatty acid with the structural formula CH3(CH2)10COOH . ... Myristic acid, also called Tetradecanoic acid, is a common saturated fatty acid found in dairy products. ... Palmitic acid, or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. ... Decanoic acid is a type of carboxylic acid. ... Caprylic acid is the common name for the eight-carbon straight chain fatty acid known by the systematic name octanoic acid. ... Stearic acid (IUPAC systematic name: octadecanoic acid) is one of the useful types of saturated fatty acids that comes from many animal and vegetable fats and oils. ... Oleic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid found in various animal and vegetable sources. ... Linoleic acid (LA) is an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. ...

Splitting oils and fats produces the fatty acids. Glycerin is produced as by-product. The split fatty acid is a mixture of fatty acids ranging from C6 to C18 depending on the type of Oil / Fat. The pure fatty acid is used as an important raw material in the manufacture of soaps, washing powder and other personal care products:^[4] . It is important to purify the fatty acid to as high a product as possible.

Environmental, social and cultural impact

As of 2006, the cumulative land area of palm oil plantations is approximately 11 million hectares.^[5] Demand for palm oil has been rising and is expected to climb further, particularly for use in biodiesel (see below). Rising demand may result in more tropical forest being cleared to establish new palm plantations. The is growing concern that this will be harmful to the environment in several ways: Image File history File linksMetadata Palmoilnursery. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Palmoilnursery. ... This article is about transesterified plant and animal oils. ... Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, also known as tropical rain forests, are a tropical and subtropical biome. ...

NGOs have accused the growth of palm oil plantations as being responsible for peat forest destruction in Indonesia and for accelerating global warming. Greenpeace conclude^[9] that many food and cosmetics companies, including ADM, Unilever, Cargill, Proctor & Gamble, Nestle, Kraft and Burger King, are driving the demand for new palm oil supplies, partly for products that contain non-hydrogenated solid vegetable fats, as consumers now demand fewer hydrogenated oils in food products that were previously high in trans fat content.^[10] Friends of the Earth have concluded that the increase in demand comes from biofuel, with producers now looking to use palm as a source^[11]. This article is about the primate. ... Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. ... Trinomial name Panthera tigris sumatrae Pocock, 1929 Distribution map The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. ... For other uses, see Rhinoceros (disambiguation). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Penan are a nomadic aboriginal people living in Sarawak and Brunei. ... Ibans doing the ngajat A Modern Iban Longhouse in Kapit Division IBAN is also an acronym for International Bank Account Number The Ibans were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks and are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. ... For the river, see Sarawak River. ... Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earths near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. ... Hydrogenation is a class of chemical reactions which result an addition of hydrogen (H2) usually to unsaturated organic compounds. ... Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction in which unsaturated bonds between carbon atoms are reduced by attachment of a hydrogen atom to each carbon. ... A trans fatty acid (commonly shortened to trans fat) is an unsaturated fatty acid molecule that contains a trans double bond between carbon atoms, which makes the molecule less kinked compared to cis fat. Research suggests a correlation between diets high in trans fats and diseases like atherosclerosis and coronary... For articles on specific fuels used in vehicles, see Biogas, Bioethanol, Biobutanol, Biodiesel, and Straight vegetable oil. ...

Environmental groups such as Greenpeace claim that the deforestation caused by making way for oil palm plantations is far more damaging for the climate.^[12] The world's centres for oil palm production are Indonesia and Malaysia where rapid deforestation and the drying out of asssociated peatlands are, Greenpeace claim, releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and thereby speeding climate change.^[13] Greenpeace identified Indonesian peatlands, unique tropical forests whose dense soil can be burned to release carbon emissions, that are being destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations. They represent massive carbon sinks, and they claim their destruction already accounts for four percent of annual global emissions. Greenpeace recorded peatland destruction in the Indonesian province of Riau on the island of Sumatra, home to 25 percent of Indonesia's palm oil plantations. There are plans to expand the area under concession by more than 11,000 square miles, which would deforest half of the province. This would have devastating consequences for Riau's peatlands, which have already been degraded by industrial development and store a massive 14.6 billion tons of carbon, roughly one year's greenhouse gas emissions. Greenpeace protest against Esso / Exxon Mobil. ... This article is about the process of deforestation in the environment. ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 450,000 years For current global climate change, see Global warming. ...

Research conducted by Greenpeace through its Forest Defenders Camp in Riau documents how a major Indonesian palm oil producer is engaging in the large-scale, illegal destruction of peatland in flagrant violation of an Indonesian presidential order, as well as national forestry regulations. Palm oil from peatland is fed into the supply chain for global brands. They accuse major multinational companies of turning a blind eye to peatland destruction to supply cheap vegetable oil.

FoE and Greenpeace both calculate that forests and peatlands that are replaced as palm oil plantations release more carbon dioxide than is saved by burning biofuels in place of diesel.

Environmentalists and conservationists have been called upon to become palm oil farmers themselves, so they can use the profits to invest in their cause. It has been suggested that this a more productive strategy than the current confrontational approach that threatens the livelihoods of millions of smallholders^[14]^[15].

Many of the major companies in the vegetable oil economy participate in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil which is trying to address this problem. // There is a limited amount of fossil fuel in the ground. ...

Palm oil production is a basic source of income for many of the world's rural poor in Central and West Africa, Central America and South East Asia. An estimated 1.5 million small farmers grow the crop in Indonesia, whereas in Malaysia around half a million people make a living from the sector. Many social initiatives utilize profits from palm oil to finance poverty alleviation strategies. Examples include the direct financing of Magbenteh hospital in Makeni, Sierra Leone, through profits made from palm oil grown by small local farmers^[16], the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance's Food Security Program, which draws on a women run cooperative to grow palm oil, the profits of which are reinvested in food security ^[17], or the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's hybrid oil palm project in Western Kenya, which improves incomes and diets of local populations^[18], to name just a few.

Palm oil, biofuels and bioproducts

Palm oil, like other vegetable oils, can be used to create biodiesel for internal combustion engines. A colorized automobile engine The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of fuel and an oxidizer (typically air) occurs in a confined space called a combustion chamber. ...

Biodiesel has been promoted as a form of biomass that can reduce net emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Therefore, biodiesel is seen as a way to decrease the impact of the greenhouse effect and as a way of diversifying energy supplies to assist national energy security plans. For the use of the term in ecology, see Biomass (ecology). ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. ... Wikinews has related news: Scientists warn thawing Siberia may trigger global meltdown A schematic representation of the exchanges of energy between outer space, the Earths atmosphere, and the Earth surface. ... Energy security, or security of supply, is a key component of energy policy in many countries. ...

However, Greenpeace has suggested that first generation biodiesel from palm oil grown on land that was previously forest may not be very effective counter to global warming^[19]. The benefits to be gained from this type of biomass are partly negated when ancient forest is cleared to make room for oil palm^[20]^[21].

Although palm oil has a comparatively high yield, the many problems Greenpeace links to oil palm cultivation have encouraged research into alternative vegetable fuel oil sources with less potential for environmental damage, such as jatropha^[22]. However, Jatropha requires a large amount of manual labor to harvest a given amount of oil, whereas palm oil requires much less of it. This is why some have doubted Jatropha's social benefits. The crop might require cheap labor that has to remain cheap in order to generate a competitive oil. Palm oil offers potentially much higher social benefits. This article is about transesterified plant and animal oils. ... Waste Vegetable Oil which has been filtered. ... Species Approximately 175, see Section Species. ...

Scientists have found that biodiesel made from palm oil grown on non-forest land and from palm oil from established plantations does effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.^[23]

Other scientists and companies are also going beyond merely utilizing the oil from oil palm trees, and are looking into converting the entire stream of biomass that can be harvested from a plantation into renewable electricity^[24], cellulosic ethanol^[25], biogas^[26], biohydrogen^[27] and bioplastic^[28]. Thus, by utilizing both the biomass from the plantation as well as the processing residues from palm oil production (fibers, kernel shells, palm oil mill effluent), bioenergy from palm plantations is expected to have a very big effect on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Many of these production techniques have been registered as projects under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism. Cellulosic ethanol is a type of biofuel produced from lignocellulose, a structural material that comprises much of the mass of plants. ... Biogas-bus in Bern, Switzerland Biogas typically refers to a (biofuel) gas produced by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation of organic matter including manure, sewage sludge, municipal solid waste, biodegradable waste or any other biodegradable feedstock, under anaerobic conditions. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... Bioplastics are a form of plastics derived from plant sources such as hemp oil, soy bean oil and corn starch rather than traditional plastics which are derived from petroleum. ... Kyoto Protocol Opened for signature December 11, 1997 in Kyoto, Japan Entered into force February 16, 2005. ... CDM directs here. ...

By utilizing all the biomass residues from palm oil processing for renewable energy, fuels and biodegradable products, both the energy balance and the greenhouse gas emissions balance for biodiesel from palm oil is greatly improved. Greenpeace has, however, never taken this into account. Biodegradation is the decomposition of material by microorganisms. ... Energy balance has the following meanings in several fields: In physics, energy balance is a systematic presentation of energy flows and transformations in a system. ...

For each tonne of crude palm oil (CPO) produced from fresh fruit bunches, the following residues, which can all be utilized for the manufacture of biofuels, bioenergy and bioproducts, become available: around 6 tonnes of waste palm fronds, 1 ton of palm trunks, 5 tons of empty fruit bunches (EFB), 1 ton of press fiber (from the mesocarp of the fruit), half a ton of palm kernel endocarp, 250kg of palm kernel press cake, and 100 tonnes of palm oil mill effluent (POME). In short, a palm plantation yields a very large amount of biomass that can be used for the production of renewable products.

However, regardless of these new innovations, first generation biodiesel production from palm oil is still in demand globally and will continue to increase. As such, new developments have been started in a number of countries around the world:

Malaysia

As a major producer of palm oil, the Malaysian government is also encouraging the production of biodiesel and the building of biodiesel plants that use palm oil. The plants will start operating from the middle of 2008 with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes of biodiesel annually. Strong demand for biodiesel from Europe, Colombia, India, South Korea and Turkey has fueled the industry's growth as more countries seek to augment their reliance on fossil fuels with 'greener' biofuel. This article is about transesterified plant and animal oils. ... For articles on specific fuels used in vehicles, see Biogas, Bioethanol, Biobutanol, Biodiesel, and Straight vegetable oil. ...

Malaysia has already begun preparations to change from diesel to bio-fuels by 2008, including drafting legislation that will make the switch mandatory. From 2007, all diesel sold in Malaysia must contain 5% palm oil. Being the world's largest producer of crude palm oil, Malaysia intends to take advantage of the rush to find cleaner fuels.

Indonesia

Growers in Indonesia are also increasing production of palm oil to meet the global demand spurred by biofuels, with the government looking for it to become the world's top producer of palm oil. However, fresh land clearances, especially in Borneo, are contentious for their environmental impact^[29]. NGOs are now warning that, despite thousands of square kilometres of land standing unplanted in Indonesia, tropical hardwood forest are being cleared for palm oil plantations. Furthermore, as the remaining unprotected lowland forest dwindles, developers are looking to plant peat swamp land, using drainage that unlocks the carbon held in their trees and begins an oxidation process of the peat which can release 5,000 to 10,000 years worth of stored carbon. Drained peat is also at very high risk of forest fire, and there is a clear record of fire being used to clear vegetation for palm oil development in Indonesia. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. ... NGO redirects here. ... Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. ... The most fundamental reactions in chemistry are the redox processes. ...

Australia

On 23 Nov 2006 Australia's first palm oil based biodiesel plant was opened in Darwin. When fully operational in 2007 this plant should produce 140 million litres of biodiesel annually.^[30] This article is about transesterified plant and animal oils. ...

Health

Palm oil, despite being the most used vegetable oil for cooking ^[31] (primarily because of its huge use in industrial food preparations), is one of the most unhealthy cooking oils available (after Coconut oil) ^[32]^[33]^[34]. Besides via the references, this information can also be derived from the table found at the cooking oil article, which gives the percentage of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with vegetable oil. ...

Their heavy use nonetheless in the commercial food industry can thus only be explained by its comparatively low price, being one of the cheapest vegetable or cooking oils on the market. Given the unhealthiness as a cooking oil, consumers are best to avoid it and use an alternative, more healthy, cooking oil as canola oil, soy oil, ... (see also: Cooking_oil). This should be done when they either prepare the food themselves or when they buy prepared foods. The latter however may not be simple as palm oil is described on food labels simply as "vegetable oil", instead of "palm oil". So it is advised that if the oil type is not specified, foods low (<5% of RDA per serving) in saturated fat should be purchased. For the figure in Celtic mythology see agriculture, canola are certain varieties of plants from which we get rapeseed oil, or the oil produced from those varieties. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with vegetable oil. ...

Red palm oil, when compared to regular palm oil however, has been found to be more healthy. This is a result of several mitigating substances found in the red palm oil which slightly mitigate the burden of its saturated fats; also found in the red palm oil. These compounds are:

Î²-Carotene represented by a 3-dimensional stick diagram Carotene is responsible for the orange colour of the carrots and many other fruits and vegetables. ... Chemical structure of Tocotrienol Tocotrienols â€“ together with tocopherols â€“ compose the vitamin E family. ... Coenzyme Q (CoQ), also known as ubiquinone or ubiquinol, is a biologically active quinone with an isoprenoid side chain, related in structure to vitamin K and vitamin E. // History Coenzyme Q was first discovered in 1957 by professor F. L. Crane and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Enzyme Institute. ... Squalene is a natural organic compound originally obtained for commercial purposes primarily from shark liver oil, though there are botanic sources as well, including amaranth seed, rice bran, wheat germ, and olives. ... Coenzyme Q (CoQ), also known as ubiquinone or ubiquinol, is a biologically active quinone with an isoprenoid side chain, related in structure to vitamin K and vitamin E. The oxidized structure of CoQ, or Q, is given here: The various kinds of Coenzyme Q can be distinguished by the number... The structure of retinol, the most common dietary form of vitamin A Vitamin A is an essential human nutrient. ... Tocopherol, or Vitamin E, is a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms that is an important antioxidant. ...

Palm oil and the blood cholesterol controversy

For many years now, it has been established that the primary cholesterol-elevating fatty acids are the saturated fatty acids with 12 (lauric acid), 14 (myristic acid) and 16 (palmitic acid) carbon atoms with a concomitant increase in the risk of coronary heart disease. Monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid is as effective in reducing serum total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels as polyunsaturated fatty acids such as alpha-linoleic acid.^[39] The World Health Organization in its report^[40] states there is convincing evidence that palmitic oil consumption contributes to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Research in the US and Europe support the WHO report. Saturated fat is fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acids. ... Lauric acid, or dodecanoic acid, is a saturated fatty acid with the structural formula CH3(CH2)10COOH . ... Myristic acid, also called Tetradecanoic acid, is a common saturated fatty acid found in dairy products. ... Palmitic acid, or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. ... Oleic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid found in various animal and vegetable sources. ... Linoleic acid (C18H32O2 or CH3(CH2)4CH=CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)7COOH) is a colourless liquid. ... WHO redirects here. ...

In a response to the report, the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council cited a study in China comparing palm, soybean, peanut oils and lard (all of which contain saturated fat) showing that palm oil increased the levels of good cholesterol and reduced the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood (Dr. Koh Chu-Sing, Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council, citing Zhang, et al, 1995, 1997, 2006).^[41]

An older study by Hornstra in 1990 also supported the claims of the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council.^[42]

A study by the Departments of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science and Medicine, University of Alberta showed palmitic acid to have no hypercholesterolaemic effect if intake of linoleic acid was greater than 4.5% of energy, but that if the diet contained trans fatty acids, LDL cholesterol increases and HDL cholesterol decreases. ^[43]

The studies supporting the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council only addressed the issue of the effect of palm oil on blood cholesterol levels and not its total effect regarding cardiovascular diseases.

References

USDA redirects here. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Greenpeace protest against Esso / Exxon Mobil. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Social and environmental palm oil links

Dollars & Sense is a magazine dedicated to providing left-wing perspectives on economics. ...

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