| Palm
Oil 101 : The Tree of Prosperity
A
Brief History
-
Origins: grew wild in West and Equatorial Africa.
- Palm oil residues were discovered in earthenware jars in Ancient
Egyptian tombs that means it was domesticated more than 3000 years
ago!
- The oil was considered valuable enough to be bartered for salt.
- The lucrative palm oil trade in the 19th century resulted in
the decline of the illegal slave trade.
- In the 19th century palm oil was used for margerine, soap, candles,
lubricant for railways trachs and even lighting gas.
- Henri Fauconnier, French first planted it for commercial use
in Malaya to replace the unsuccessful coffee trade. Started the
first palm oil plantation in 1917.
- Today in the world market, China consumes 2.6 million tonnes,
European union 3.3 million tonnes, and India 3.4 million tonnes
of palm oil and palm oil products.
Palm
Oil in Malaysia
-
Referred to as Malaysia’s Golden Crop
- Malaysia produces almost half of all the palm oil in the world
and has gained worldwide recognition and market acceptance.
- Malaysian palm oil is at the forefront of best practices in
sustainable farming and protection of the environment.
- Malaysia uses a method called zero burn where old palms are
shredded, pulverized or cut into short lengths and neatly stacked
to improve soil productivity.
- Recycling these nutrients adds up to a staggering three quarters
of a million tonnes of nutrients returned to the soil. That saves
a heck of a lot on inorganic fertilizers.
- Palm oil plantations here uses minimal amounts of pesticides.
Rats are controlled using barn owls.
The
Palm Oil Biology
-
Palm oil is a “fruit oil” like olive oil.
- No chemicals or solvents are used in the extraction of palm
oil.
- Refineries in Malaysia use state of the art technology to produce
high quality oil.
- The kernel within the nut produces palm kernel oil.
- Every part of the palm oil plant can be used for instance:
- Fibre from oil palm fruits and shells are effective as boiler
fuels. This is used to generate electricity for processing.
- Palm oil is considered a green fuel, also an excellent feedstock
for producing biodiesel, which can help preserve fossil fuel reserves.
- Empty fruit branches are found to be suitable for making craft
and printing paper.
- The shells are so tough, it can be used to make lightweight
concrete that is strong enough for roads and low rise buildings
Interesting
Uses of Palm Oil
-
Used in Europe to stabilized peanut butter
- Palm oil based cream and confectionary melt quickly in the mouth,
imparting a smooth and cool feeling in the mouth. Also has longer
shelf life.
- Ideal for making shortening to increase moistness.
- Palm oil is an important ingredient in infant formulae for emulating
the fat profile of human breast milk.
- Best oil for frying as it is absorbed at a slow rate by fried
foods and does not contain linolenic acid, which imparts fish
odours on food.
Healthy Benefits of Palm Oil
-
It’s trans fat free.
- It contains high levels of anti oxidants as well anti cancer
and cholesterol lowering properties.
- Consuming palm oil may lower the risk of thrombosis. Works as
effectively as olive oil in this category.
- Palm oil is the richest natural source of tocotrienols, a super
antioxidant. Tocotrienols lower cholesterol levels and protects
the brain.
- Protects against breast and skin cancer
- Red palm oil is one of the richest natural sources of carotenoids,
the safest source of vitamin A.
- People who cannot metabolize fats the normal way use a product
called MCT, medium chain triglycerides, made from palm kernel
oil.
Manufacturing
Benefits of Palm Oil
-
Palm kernel oil is good for oleochemical manufacturing. Detergents
made from palm based oleochemicals are rapidly and fully biodegradable.
- Products such as lipsticks, gels, creams, lotion, and other
cosmetics and personal care products are found to use palm based
oleochemicals. It’s gentle on the skin, human friendly and
green.
- Palm based oleochemicals skincare products are found to allow
the skin to remain moisturized for hours and lotions are quickly
absorbed by the skin.
- Palm based oleochemical products are proven to be more environmental
friendly than the products of petrochemical origin.
Economic Benefits of Palm Oil
.
- When the demand for rubber dropped, palm oil provided rubber
planters with an alternative crop to plant.
- As oil palm bears fruit the whole year round, continuous supply
is guaranteed.
- An average plant has an economic life of 25 to 30 years.
- Oil palm is the most productive vegetable crop. It is 6 to 7
times more productive than soyabean, cottonseed, groundnut, sunflower
or rapeseed.
- It is a good carbon sink, absorbing greenhouse gases therefore
reducing concerns on global warming.
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