| ≥1 piece |
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 41% saturated, while Palm Kernel oil and
Coconut oil are 81% and 86% 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 (44%, saturated), stearate (5%, saturated), oleate
(39%, monounsaturated), linoleate (10%, 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.