Description

Palm oil is an edible plant oil and is derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). It is naturally reddish in color because of a high beta-carotene content. It is not to be confused with palm kernel oil derived from the kernel of the same fruit, or coconut oil derived from the kernel of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). The differences are in color (raw palm kernel oil lacks carotenoids and is not red), and in saturated fat content: Palm mesocarp oil is *1% saturated, while Palm Kernel oil and Coconut oil are *1% and *6% saturated respectively.

Palm oil, along with coconut oil, is one of the few highly saturated vegetable fats. 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 (*4%, saturated), stearate (5%, saturated), oleate (*9%, monounsaturated), linoleate (*0%, polyunsaturated), and alpha-linolenate (0.3%, polyunsaturated). Like all vegetable oils, palm oil does not contain cholesterol, although saturated fat intake increases both LDL and HDL cholesterol.