So, today we will focus on the manufacture of palm oil. For starters, Malaysia and Indonesia, the main leading palm oil producers (accounting for 85% of world production), have the largest number of both palm plantations and oil palm seed processing plants of all stages.
An important difference in the cultivation of the oil palm in Malaysia and Indonesia is the approach to farming: intensive and extensive, respectively. For example, in Malaysia, dried branches of palm trees are allowed to be processed for compost, waste from pressing seeds is used in the production of composite materials, and in Indonesia all this is simply burned)) As a result of these fires, an unpleasant, dangerous haze for people and animals is formed in the air. This smog envelops not only Indonesia, but also Malaysia. All of this is reminiscent of the terrible year 2010, when Moscow was swallowed up by the smoke from peat fires in the Moscow region.
But back to Malaysia. Let's go to the plantations!
We were warmly greeted by local collective farmers ...
In fact, local collective farms are simply called village communities. One of the largest Malaysian companies, Felda Global, on whose plantations we visited, by the way, attaches great importance to the development of these very agricultural communities and invests a lot in the infrastructure of villages, in housing, etc. There is also a government program to support communities.
This is how the new generation houses look like, which are being built for local plantation workers:
And so the houses of earlier construction look neat and tidy. Please note that the backyards are simply buried in flowers ...
The most popular transport on the plantations is the scooter. Most of the scooters are made in Malaysia.
The seeds of the oil palm were brought to Malaysia by the British in 1875, where exactly it is not known exactly (Polynesia, Nigeria or from somewhere else). The local climate proved to be suitable for this fruit crop. Palm trees were planted along roads and houses for beauty purposes. However, local farmers saw in these palms, in addition to beauty, such important indicators as endurance and high-quality oil obtained from the fruit. In 1917, 40 years after the palm was introduced to Malaysia, the first palm plantation was planted.
The boom in palm oil production in Malaysia came in the 60s. The country gained independence, and the national government began to strongly stimulate the production of palm oil and promote it in Western markets.
How are the fruits of the oil palm harvested? It's very simple: they take and cut off a bunch of seeds. Previously, this was done with a sickle machete. Now collectors use a petrol checker ...
The oil palm is rarely higher than 10-15 meters. The trunk appears only in the fourth year of life, therefore, seeds from a palm tree at the age of 10-15 years are cut directly from the ground. Can you imagine that the oil palm harvest gives out ALL YEAR ROUND! About once every two months, workers come to the plantation and cut the fruit.
The bunch weighs 8-10 kilograms ...
After assembly, the seeds of the oil palm are sent for primary processing: cleaning, sorting, grinding, squeezing of crude oil, and then for cleaning. There are over 1000 squeezing plants in Malaysia.
We ended up at the Sime Darby crude palm oil refinery. There are about 500 such refineries, deodorization and bleaching plants. This plant can process 800 tons of crude palm oil per day at the most (on average, about 500 tons). 40% of the plant's production is exported, 60% remains in Malaysia.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to shoot in the premises of the plant ((
Therefore, I will briefly tell you what is happening here ...
Tank trucks with freshly squeezed oil arrive at the plant. Further, various products are made from the raw pressed palm oil by means of refining. First, there is a separation into fractions with crystallization to obtain separately solid (stearic) and liquid (oleic) parts.
Melting and refining the oil by hydration removes impurities. The oil is then filtered and discolored. Odor and color are physically removed to obtain refined clarified deodorized oil (RODPM) and fatty acids used to make soaps, detergents and other products.
RODPM is the main product sold in the international consumer market, although many companies break it down to produce palm olein, edible oil (for cooking), or other products.
As a result, the consumer receives prepackaged and packaged products ...
Taken from tesey c How palm oil is made
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Palm oil is used in many food products today.... It is added everywhere, it improves the taste and structure of products. Also, this component is actively used for the manufacture of various cosmetics, which are designed to improve the skin and hair. But is this component so useful. Especially this question worries those people who actively monitor the state of their figure. Therefore, before consuming palm oil, the harms and benefits of this product must be fully studied.
What is this product
Palm oil is a type of oil that is made by squeezing special varieties of palm fruits.... It is not obtained from seeds, as, for example, vegetable or linseed oil is obtained, but from the pulp of the fruit. But the oil that is extracted from the seeds is called palm kernel oil.
The type of palm tree from the fruits of which this product is extracted grows in regions of countries such as Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia. Due to the fact that this raw material has a low cost, it is actively used in the food and cosmetic industries.
Chemical composition
- carotenoids. These elements take an active part in many vital processes of the body, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the entire body;
- vitamin E. The composition includes a vitamin, which consists of isomers of tocotrienols and tocopherols;
- vitamin K. This element provides increased safety of the body from all sorts of complications - ossification of cartilage, salt deposits on the area of \u200b\u200bthe walls of blood vessels and others;
- polyunsaturated acids, which are classified as omega 3 and omega 6;
- palmitic acids, they account for about 50% of the total. This type of fatty acid is a source of energy for the body and takes part in the synthesis of hormones;
- oleic acid belongs to the monounsaturated fat group. This type of acid prevents the formation of cholesterol plaques in the vessels;
- stearic acid;
- vitamin A and B4;
- macro- and microelements, including an increased content of iron and phosphorus;
- coenzyme Q10.
High quality palm oil is obtained only after several processing procedures... In the manufacture of this product, the method of pressing and squeezing is used, after which a technical product is formed that is not suitable for food. In order to obtain real oil containing all of the above components, the raw material is subjected to five processing stages:
- Cleansing.
- Hydration.
- Neutralization.
- Deodorization.
- Clarification.
After five stages of production, the finished product can be used for food production, as well as it can be safely consumed in its pure form.
Varieties
- Red palm oil. This is the most natural look... For its manufacture, the most gentle technologies are used that allow you to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients. The red color of this raw material is provided due to the increased content of carotenoids. This product has a scent and sweet taste. It is used to eat it raw.
- Refined deodorized. Compared to the red species, this oil has a different structure. It is colorless and odorless. It is specially manufactured for use in the food industry. It does not taste in foods, but it does improve the texture and palatability of many food ingredients.
- Technical view. This type is of poor quality and is not suitable for food production. It is used in the production of cosmetics - soaps, cosmetics, shampoos and other components.
Characteristics of properties
Before you understand how harmful or beneficial palm oil is for the human body, you should carefully consider all of its properties. Still, this type of raw material has recently been used for the manufacture of many cosmetic and food products, so it is important to know what properties it has.
The main qualities of this raw material: 
- Natural palm oil product has a reddish or reddish-orange texture, which is why it is also called red. This type of raw material has a nutty taste and smell;
- When this product is kept at room temperature, it acquires a liquid consistency, if the temperature rises, then it acquires a viscous structure, and at temperatures below zero it begins to harden.
- Has increased oxidation stability, therefore, it can be stored for a long period, while it does not lose its main characteristics.
- This product has a high fat content. The composition of this raw material is quite extensive, it is possible to find a high content of fatty acids in it, which have a beneficial effect on the human body and are quickly absorbed by it.
- Natural oil of red color has enhanced antibacterial and wound healing properties... Therefore, when using it, the development of pathogenic microorganisms is eliminated. In addition, it prevents the onset of inflammatory processes.
Health Benefits
Despite the fact that many argue that this raw material is quite harmful and has a large number of harmful elements, it is still actively used for the manufacture of food products, and natural red raw materials are consumed directly in raw form. If the benefits and harms of palm oil for human health are compared, then the beneficial qualities will be much greater. To understand this, it is worth considering the main beneficial qualities of this product: 
- Due to the fact that the red oil contains in its composition a high content of carotenoids, it has an increased level of antioxidant effect. The effect of these substances provides an improvement in the skin and hair.
- The increased vitamin E content also provides antioxidant benefits to this product. This component belongs to the vitamins of "youth". It actively fights skin aging and neutralizes the harmful effects of free radicals. This property prevents such dangerous diseases as cancer.
- The triglycides in the composition are quickly digested when ingested. These components penetrate into the liver, while they do not penetrate into the blood stream. Due to this property, this product is recommended to be used by people who monitor the condition of their figure, as well as those who do not accept other types of fats poorly.
- Due to the content of unsaturated fats in the composition of this product there is a decrease in the level of cholesterol in the blood, which ultimately reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke many times. In addition, these substances are involved in the formation of the skeletal system, enhance joint mobility, and improve the quality of the skin.
- Benefits of provitamin A. This component is necessary for improving vision, especially for children. Therefore, oil is often found in baby food. This element provides an improvement in the analyzer's performance, helps the active production of pigment, which is responsible for visual functions and is located in the retina.
Due to such a large list of beneficial properties, this product is often included in the list of useful products for the human body. But still, you should not draw final conclusions, you must definitely consider the harmful properties of palm oil.
Harmful properties
Why is palm oil harmful to humans? This question worries many people who carefully monitor the health of their body. Of course, you definitely need to know what harm palm oil has on the body, because the general condition depends on it.
So, the negative impact of palm oil can arise from several factors:
- The component contains an increased level of saturated fats. Therefore, its consumption should be limited. What can be the harm from palm oil in food? Excessive consumption of foods containing high levels of these raw materials can cause problems with blood vessels and heart, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease.
- Reduced linoleic acid content. Palm oil contains only 5% of this component, while other types of vegetable oils contain 71-76%. Therefore, this type of oil is of low value.
- Due to the fact that this type of oil has increased refractoriness, it difficultly excreted from the body... If there is an excessive amount of this product in the diet, then undigested residues in the body clog up the vessels and impair the functioning of the digestive system. This product has increased carcinogenic properties and is difficult to remove.
Therefore, many doctors recommend using palm oil to additionally consume foods that improve intestinal activity and promote the active elimination of carcinogenic components and toxins. Be sure to visit the saunas and baths. An active lifestyle is also recommended. When all these recommendations are followed, harmful substances can be quickly removed from the body, as well as high-quality cleaning of internal organs.
Palm oil content in infant formula
For many parents, the use of palm oil in infant formula is terrifying and fearful for their child's health. People often ask the main question of interest - why is palm kernel oil used in baby food? So why is palm oil harmful in infant formula? Many nutritionists and pediatricians argue that if it is natural palm kernel oil that is included in the composition, then the fears of parents are not in vain. This substance can have a negative effect on the digestive system of an infant and in the future can cause the development of many serious diseases.
But modern manufacturers of infant formula do not use palm kernel acid, but palmitic acid, which is obtained after the technological processing of the product. Thanks to the use of modern technologies in production, the maximum adapted products based on vegetable fat are created, which can be used without problems for feeding babies.
Usually, for the production of infant formula, whey is used, which in the process of processing loses some of the easily digestible proteins and microelements. But to replenish these useful elements, palmitic acid is added. This the component allows you to bring the infant formula as close as possible to the structure of breast milk.
Palm oil has both beneficial and harmful qualities that must be considered when using it. But do not assume that this product is poison and should be completely excluded from your diet. The first thing to do is to reduce your consumption.... This product can be consumed, but preferably in small quantities.
In addition, when buying some products, it is worth following important recommendations:
- Buy and consume ice cream, confectionery and bakery products as little as possible.
- When buying food, be sure to carefully study the description on the packages. If there is a vague phrase "vegetable fat", then this property will indicate the low quality of the product. Conscientious manufacturers always indicate that the product contains palm oil, and do not hide its presence.
- You need to buy products that are made in accordance with GOST, and not according to technical regulations.
- If the product is stored for a long period, it means that it contains a high content of palm oil.
- It is worth completely abandoning fast food products.
In any case, important recommendations should be followed when using this product. Do not assume that palm oil has a strong negative effect on health; it just needs to be consumed properly. Don't abuse it. And in moderation, instead of harm, this oil, on the contrary, will have a positive effect on health.
In our country, palm oil has become synonymous with poor quality, cheap product. Meanwhile, this is one of the oldest food products of mankind, known back in ancient Egypt.
Palm oil is the most popular vegetable oil on the planet. According to the World Wildlife Fund, it is estimated that 50% of packaged food sold in supermarkets contains palm oil.
Heading to Southeast Asia and see palm oil production
Major palm oil wholesalers are corporations such as Nestlé and Unilever. In addition to food, palm oil is used for the production of biofuels, cosmetics, shampoos and many other biochemistry products. Every day they need more and more oil. Where to get it?
It's very simple: thousands of square kilometers of forest and peatlands in Southeast Asia are being destroyed to make way for palm plantations.
Here we just see the barbaric formation of the oil palm plantation. In the foreground - new plantings of oil palms at the site of the destroyed forest, in the back - the destruction of the forest for new plantations is underway.
In the background - endless plantings of oil palms, in front - the destruction of forests for new plantations.
To destroy forests, they are simply set on fire. This is Indonesia.
It should be noted that due to its incredible productivity, the oil palm allows the most economical use of the land for the production of vegetable oil. For the production of one ton of sunflower oil, 2 hectares of land are needed. Palm plantations allow to produce more than 7 tons of vegetable oil from the same plot.
Here they are, the fruit of the oil palm. Since 2015, palm oil has surpassed the production of soybean oil, rapeseed oil and took the first place among the production of vegetable oils, exceeding the production of sunflower oil by 2.5 times.
By the way, palm oil was traded back in the days of the pharaohs, more than 5000 years ago. Actually, palm oil is made from the pulp of the fruit of the palm tree.
This is how the fruits look when cut.
On palm plantations, there are such elephant patrols to protect the territory from wild elephants so that they do not eat expensive products.
Cutting off fruits. By the way, assimilation, that is, the use by the human body, of high-quality palm oil is 97.5%. This is a great result.
In the countries of Asia and Africa, the ancient manual technology of palm oil production, shown in the photographs, has been preserved. The palm fruit is first crushed and then heated to make the palm oil melt and separate from the pulp. A similar process takes place in the industrial production of palm oil at biochemical plants.
Collecting the fruits of the oil palm.
Like vegetable oils, both sunflower and palm oil do not contain cholesterol. However, due to palmitic acid, palm oil can stimulate the generation of cholesterol by the human body itself, becoming comparable in terms of the level of danger from cholesterol to consumption of butter. And palm oil is one of the record holders for vitamins of groups E and A and significantly surpasses other products.
Indonesia, Central Kalimantan. Soon there will be only palm trees instead of forests.
A palm plantation worker in Indonesia carries a crop.
Quality edible palm oil, according to nutritional scientists, is not hazardous to health. But we always have more than one "but":
- it is known that under the guise of edible palm oil, industrial oil is often imported into Russia, as well as oil contaminated due to the fact that tankers are often used for its transportation, which previously transported oil products and other non-food substances;
- palm oil is today used uncontrollably for counterfeiting products, primarily dairy products.
We loaded the truck. This is how millions of tons of palm oil are born, used all over the world.
Currently, palm oil is widespread, the benefits and harms of which are still being studied, and controversy around it does not subside.
The use of palm oil
Due to its interesting chemical and physical properties, palm oil has become one of the most abundant types of vegetable fat in the world. This is also due to the fact that it is readily available and very cheap. Palm oil is highly resistant to oxidation and can therefore be stored for a long time.
Mainly, palm oil is used in the food industry. It is used in the preparation of waffles, biscuit rolls, cakes, creams, semi-finished products are fried on it. Palm oil is a part of processed cheese, condensed milk, combined butter, it is added to cottage cheese desserts and cottage cheese. Many modern recipes are not complete without palm oil. They also partially replace milk fat. In general, it is easier to list those foods that do not contain palm oil than those that do.
Palm oil, which is not limited to the food industry, is also used to make candles and soaps. In cosmetology, it is usually used to care for dry and aging skin, as it nourishes, softens and moisturizes the skin.
Palm oil is useful for treating certain diseases. For example, with vision problems: night blindness, blepharitis, glaucoma, conjunctivitis and others. Due to its medicinal properties, palm oil is recommended for the treatment of various diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
The benefits of palm oil
Many people are interested in the question: "Is palm oil harmful or useful?"
If we talk about its benefits, then first of all it is necessary to emphasize that it contains a large amount of carotenoids, the strongest antioxidants, which are of great value for the human body. Carotenoids have a positive effect on weakened hair and skin. Therefore, it is used by many well-known cosmetic companies.
Palm oil holds the record for vitamin E, which is composed of tocotrienols and tocopherol. Tocotrienols are extremely rare in plants; they fight free radicals that cause cancer.
Palm oil is rich in triglycerols, which are digested very quickly, and when they enter the liver, they are used to generate energy without entering the bloodstream. This oil is especially useful for people with poor digestion of other fats, as well as for those who monitor the figure and athletes.
Also, palm oil contains a lot of unsaturated fats: oleic and linoleic acids, which help to lower blood cholesterol levels. These acids are involved in structuring bones, joints and are beneficial for skin health.
Provitamin A ensures the functioning of the vision analyzer, participates in the production of visual pigment in the retina.
The harm of palm oil
The main harm of palm oil is its high saturated fat content. The same fats are found in butter. Many scientists argue that consuming a lot of saturated fat contributes to the appearance of heart and vascular disease.
Linoleic acid in palm oil contains only 5%, it is on this indicator that the quality and price of vegetable oils depends. Vegetable oils contain on average 71 - 75% of this acid, and the more it is, the more valuable the type of oil.
Palm oil is refractory, which means that it is partially processed and removed from the human body, the main part remains in the form of toxins. They close up blood vessels, intestines, and other important organs. It is also carcinogenic and increases the risk of cancer.
Studies have shown that palm oil-based infant formulas cause stool problems in children. Babies are more likely to have colic, and calcium absorption is much worse, which means that bone tissue is formed more slowly.
WWF statistics show that half of all packaged foods contain palm oil. Companies are increasing the production of this oil, and for this purpose, wild tropical forests are cut down, and oil palm plantations are planted in their place. As a result of deforestation, rare species of animals die - also indirect, but harm.
So is palm oil harmful or beneficial? Surprisingly, the benefits and harms of the oil are comparable. For example, the saturated fats of the oil cause heart problems when consumed, but at the same time it contains vitamins A and E, which make palm oil useful in preventing heart and cancer. However, palm oil is a powerful carcinogen and increases the risk of cancer. Palm oil is prized for its linoleic acid content, but at the same time it is much less than other oils. Some strange combination of harmful and beneficial properties turns out - maybe the researchers were British scientists or were they mistaken somewhere? No, everything is much simpler - palm oil comes in several varieties.
Harm of palm oil for baby food
It is not recommended to use palm oil in children's nutrition, since the child's body cannot extract useful substances from it and it is not fully absorbed. And there is no place for carcinogens in the children's diet. The child's body is not yet ready for this kind of stress. Therefore, try not to give your children foods that contain palm oil.
Types of palm oil
The most beneficial and natural is red palm oil. To obtain it, a gentle technology is used, in which most of the nutrients are retained. This oil is red in color due to its high carotene content (it gives orange color to carrots and red to tomatoes).
Red palm oil has a sweetish taste and smell. Researchers have come to the conclusion that in the process of refining palm oil, beneficial substances are released from it. And unprocessed red palm oil contains a huge amount of nutrients. Described benefits of palm oil are mainly related to red palm oil. It has long been consumed by the indigenous people of Central and West Africa, Central America and Brazil. In Africa, red palm oil is popular as an excellent fat raw material. Some scientists argue that this oil does not differ in its beneficial properties from olive oil, which is so popular among Europeans.
Refined and deodorized palm oil is another product. It is odorless and colorless. This is done specifically for use in the food industry. There is GOST R 53776-2010, which specifies the requirements for edible palm oil. This oil has the same health benefits as red palm oil, but in much smaller quantities.
There is another type of palm oil - technical, which is used for the production of cosmetics, soap, and more. This oil is five times cheaper than other types of palm oil. It differs from edible oil in its acid-fat composition. Due to its low degree of purification, technical palm oil contains a lot of harmful oxidized fats. It happens that unscrupulous manufacturers add such oil to other products, when consumed in the human body, free radicals accumulate, provoking cancer. Also, the use of technical palm oil leads to the formation of cholesterol plaques.
Experts are confident that some manufacturers use technical palm oil in food production. But it is very difficult to bring the case to court, since it is very difficult to identify this oil in products, so there have been no precedents yet.
When talking about the dangers of palm oil, they mainly mean industrial oil. But you need to understand that when buying products that contain palm oil, there is a high probability of getting a product that contains technical oil.
Four myths about palm oil
Palm oil is not digestible because it melts at temperatures higher than the temperature of the human body. This is not the case, fats are not digested in the human body under the influence of temperatures.
In developed countries, palm oil is prohibited. This is not true, for example, the USA consumes 10% of the palm oil produced.
Palm oil can only be used in the metallurgical and soap industries. In fact, palm oil has a wider range of uses. It is known to have even been used during World War II to produce napalm. But this does not mean that it absolutely cannot be used for food.
Palm oil is produced from the trunk of a palm tree. This is not true, it is made from the fleshy part of the oil palm fruit.
The benefits and harms of palm oil are known to many. Palm oil has a number of beneficial properties, some of which are even unique, but this only applies to red palm oil. Technical oil is very harmful and even dangerous. But, unfortunately, due to its low cost, it is now being added to products more and more often. It is impossible to say with certainty that edible or industrial oil is contained in this or that product that you brought home from the store.
Especially technical palm oil is dangerous for children's health, therefore it is necessary to remove foods containing palm oil from the child's diet, if possible. Eating palm oil or not, everyone decides for himself. We tried to give you some information.
The appearance of refined palm oil
Since 2015, palm oil has taken the 1st place in the production of vegetable oils, ahead of all types of vegetable oils, for example, sunflower oil by 2.5 times. Everyone knows that palm oil is very often used in the preparation of various food products. Let's see what palm oil is made of, and palm oil is harmful or beneficial.
What is palm oil made from?
Palm oil is produced from the fleshy part of the oil palm fruit. The seeds of this type of palm are used to obtain palm kernel oil.
Oil palm plantation
Untreated palm oil is red-orange in color, semi-solid in consistency and has a melting point of 33 to 39 ° C.
The industry often uses not "raw", but refined palm oil, which undergoes refining, deodorization and discoloration. After cleansing, the health benefits of palm oil are drastically reduced.
The manual technique for producing palm oil is a fairly simple process: the harvested palm is crushed and then heated to separate the molten palm oil from the pulp.
In the industrial production of palm oil, the same processes occur, only on a larger scale and with the use of machine labor.
Palm oil harm and benefit
For many years, there has been a debate about the dangers and benefits of palm oil. Like any other food product, palm oil has its own useful and harmful properties that it has on the human body.
The benefits of palm oil
Untreated palm oil (red) is rich in vitamin E and surpasses sunflower oil in its quantity. It ranks first among products in terms of the number of carotenoids, even overtaking fish oil! Red palm oil is recognized as the richest plant source of vitamin A.
The industry uses refined palm oil, which does not contain carotene, and the vitamin E content is no more than 16 mg per 100 grams.
Red Palm Oil Packaged
Palm oil, like sunflower oil, does not contain cholesterol. Some opponents of palm oil have tried to convince the public that the palmitic acid content of palm oil increases the natural production of cholesterol in the human body. Recent studies have shown that the effect of palm oil on the generation of cholesterol in the body can be compared to that of olive oil.
The digestibility of palm oil is 97.5%.
The calorie content of palm oil is 884 kcal per 100 grams.
The harm of palm oil
Many parents are concerned about the harm of palm oil to newborns in baby food. Indeed, scientists have shown that palm oil in infant formula reduces the absorption of calcium by the infant's body.
Impaired absorption of calcium by the child's body is due to the fact that palmitic acid is easily separated from palm olein in the children's intestine, after which it binds calcium, which is very abundant in baby food, forming calcium palmitate (insoluble salts, which are insoluble soap).
Calcium palmitate is not absorbed by the child's body and comes out with the stool, but the frequency of the stool decreases and its density increases, which can cause pain in the child.
When using structured palm oil in baby food, there are no problems with stool in children, but the cost of a mixture with the use of such oil is higher!
Many opponents of using palm oil also talk about a large amount of saturated fatty acids in its composition, but, for comparison, their content in butter is 2 times higher!
As you can see, palm oil cannot be said to be harmful or healthy, as it contains both beneficial and harmful properties.
The use of palm oil
One of the main uses of palm oil is in food production. In addition to food, oil is used in the manufacture of cosmetics and creams.
This article does not call for avoiding foods containing palm oil, but it is up to you to decide whether to consume foods containing palm oil. It's not a problem for me!
