View source for Palm kernel oil

{{Short description|Edible plant oil}}
{{distinguish|Palm oil|Coconut oil}}

'''Palm kernel oil''' is an edible [[Vegetable fats and oils|plant oil]] derived from the [[Palm kernel|kernel]] of the [[oil palm]] tree ''[[Elaeis guineensis]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter=Origin of oil palm |chapter-url=http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/y4355e/y4355e03.htm |title=Small-Scale Palm Oil Processing in Africa |first=Kwasi |last=Poku |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |series=FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 148 |year=2002 |isbn=92-5-104859-2|page=3}}</ref> It is related to two other edible oils: ''[[palm oil]]'', extracted from the [[fruit pulp]] of the oil palm, and ''[[coconut oil]]'', extracted from the kernel of the coconut.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Reeves |first1=James B. |last2=Weihrauch |first2=John L. |author3=Consumer and Food Economics Institute |title=Composition of foods: fats and oils |series=Agriculture handbook 8-4 |year=1979 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Science and Education Administration |location=Washington, D.C. |oclc=5301713 |page=4}}</ref>

Palm kernel oil, palm oil, and coconut oil are three of the few highly [[saturated fats|saturated]] vegetable fats; these oils give the name to the 16-carbon saturated [[fatty acid]] [[palmitic acid]] that they contain.

Palm kernel oil, which is semi-solid at [[room temperature]], is more saturated than palm oil and comparable to coconut oil.

==History==
[[Image:Elaeis guineensis MS 3467.jpg|thumb|right|[[Oil palm]] tree (''Elaeis guineensis'')]]
{{See also|Elaeis|l1=Oil palm}}

Oil from the African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' has long been recognized in [[West Africa]]n and [[Central Africa|Central African]] countries. European merchants trading with West Africa occasionally purchased palm oil for use in [[Europe]], but palm kernel oil remained rare outside West Africa.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=S. O. Aghalino |title=British Colonial Policies And The Oil Palm Industry In The Niger Delta Region Of Bayelsa, Nigeria, 1900–1960 |journal=African Study Monographs |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=19–33 |year=2000 |url=http://www.africa.kyoto-u.ac.jp/kiroku/asm_normal/abstracts/pdf/21-1/19-33.pdf |access-date=2012-09-09 |archive-date=2013-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116234451/http://www.africa.kyoto-u.ac.jp/kiroku/asm_normal/abstracts/pdf/21-1/19-33.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[USDA]] has published historical production figures for palm kernel oil for years beginning October&nbsp;1 and ending September&nbsp;30:<ref>{{cite book |title=Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade |chapter=Table 01: Major Vegetable Oils: World Supply and Distribution (Commodity View) |chapter-url=https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/circulars/oilseeds.pdf |access-date=2010-05-24 |archive-date=2010-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527142316/http://www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/circulars/oilseeds.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Production,<br>million tonnes
|-
| 2008–09 || 11.75
|-
| 2009–10 || 12.22
|-
| 2010–11 || 12.55
|-
| 2011–12 || 13.28
|}

==Research institutions==
In the 1960s, research and development (R&D) in oil palm breeding began to expand after Malaysia's Department of Agriculture established an exchange program with West African economies and four private plantations formed the Oil Palm Genetics Laboratory.<ref>Hartley, C. W. S. (1988). The Oil Palm, 3rd edn. Longman Scientific and Technical, Harlow, U.K.</ref> The Malaysian government also established Kolej Serdang, which became the Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) in the 1970s to train agricultural and agroindustrial engineers and [[agribusiness]] graduates to conduct research in the field.

In 1979 with support from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) and UPM, the government set up the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (Porim),<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110815111345/http://economics.dstcentre.com/Development%20of%20Palm%20Oil%20and%20Related%20Products%20in%20Malaysia%20and%20Indonesia%20By%20Rajah%20Rasiah%20&%20Azmi%20Shahrin.pdf Development of Palm Oil and Related Products in Malaysia and Indonesia]}}. . Rajah Rasiah & Azmi Shahrin, Universiti Malaya, 2006.</ref> a public-and-private-coordinated institution.{{clarify|what does that mean?|date=September 2012}} [[B. C. Shekhar]] was appointed founder and chairman. Porim's scientists work in oil palm tree breeding, palm oil nutrition and potential [[oleochemical]] use. Porim was renamed [[Malaysian Palm Oil Board]] in 2000.

==Nutrition==

Palm kernel oil, similar to [[coconut oil]], is high in [[saturated fats]] and is more saturated than [[palm oil]].<ref name="Chow">{{cite book |title=Fatty Acids in Foods and their Health Implications, Third Edition |last=Chow |first=Ching Kuang |year=2007 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn= 9781420006902|page=241 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hcl0fkcrfbEC&pg=PA241 |access-date=2 October 2012}}</ref> Palm kernel oil is high in [[lauric acid]], which has been shown to raise blood cholesterol levels, both as LDL-C (cholesterol contained in [[low-density lipoprotein]]), which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and HDL-C (cholesterol contained in [[high-density lipoprotein]]),<ref name="Rakel">{{cite book |title=Integrative Medicine |last=Rakel |first=David |year=2012 |publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences |isbn= 978-1437717938|page=381 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jlVtJzBwAcEC&pg=PA381 |access-date=2 October 2012}}</ref> which has been shown to lower it. However, the raise in total cholesterol concentration is partly due to more HDL-C than LDL-C.<ref>{{Cite journal |year=1996 |title=Comparison of the effects of diets enriched in lauric, palmitic, or oleic acids on serum lipids and lipoproteins in healthy women and men |journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition |volume=63 |issue=6 |pages=897–903 |doi=10.1093/ajcn/63.6.897 |pmid=8644684|last1=Temme |first1=E. H. |last2=Mensink |first2=R. P. |last3=Hornstra |first3=G. |doi-access=free }}</ref>  Palm kernel oil does not contain cholesterol or [[trans fat|trans fatty acids]].<ref name="H&K">{{cite web |url=http://www.hudsonandknight.co.za/index.php?page=palm_kernel_oil |title=Palm Kernel oil |work=hudsonandknight.co.za |publisher=Hudson & Knight |access-date=12 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017090403/http://www.hudsonandknight.co.za/index.php?page=palm_kernel_oil |archive-date=17 October 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Palm kernel oil is commonly used in commercial cooking because it is lower in cost than other oils, remains stable at high cooking temperature, and can be stored longer than other vegetable oils.<ref name="H&K"/><ref name="Bjorklund">{{cite web |url=http://www.livestrong.com/article/314809-what-are-the-benefits-of-palm-kernel-oil/ |title=What are the benefits of palm kernel oil? |last1=Bjorklund |first1=Chad |date=22 November 2010 |work=livestrong.com |publisher=The Lance Armstrong Foundation |access-date=12 September 2012}}</ref>

The approximate concentration of fatty acids (FAs) in palm kernel oil is as follows:<ref>Ang, Catharina Y. W., KeShun Liu, and Yao-Wen Huang, eds. (1999). ''Asian Foods''{{Page needed|date=September 2010}}.</ref>

{{bar box
|title=Fatty acid content of palm kernel oil
|titlebar=#DDD
|left1=Type of fatty acid
|right1=Fraction
|width=400px
|barwidth=100px
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[lauric acid|Lauric]] saturated C12|red|48.2}}
{{bar percent|[[myristic acid|Myristic]] saturated C14|red|16.2}}
{{bar percent|[[palmitic acid|Palmitic]] saturated C16|red|8.4}}
{{bar percent|[[decanoic acid|Capric]] saturated C10|red|3.4}}
{{bar percent|[[caprylic acid|Caprylic]] saturated C8|red|3.3}}
{{bar percent|[[stearic acid|Stearic]] saturated C18|red|2.5}}
{{bar percent|[[oleic acid|Oleic]] monounsaturated C18:1|orange|15.3}}
{{bar percent|[[linoleic acid|Linoleic]] polyunsaturated C18:2|blue|2.3}}
{{bar percent|Other/Unknown|green|0.4}}
|caption=''red'': saturated<br> ''orange'': monounsaturated<br> ''blue'': polyunsaturated
}}

==Uses==
{{expand section |more cited content on uses in food production, soap, and cosmetics |date=June 2024}}

Splitting of oils and fats by [[hydrolysis]], or under basic conditions [[saponification]], yields fatty acids, with glycerin (glycerol) as a byproduct. The split-off fatty acids are a mixture ranging from C4 to C18, depending on the type of oil or fat.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1002/apj.25 |title=Advanced fractionation technology for the oleochemical industry |year=2007 |last1=Faessler |first1=Peter |last2=Kolmetz |last3=Seang |last4=Lee |journal=Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=315–321 |first2=Karl |first3=Kek Wan |first4=Siang Hua|s2cid=97657291 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webexhibits.org/butter/compounds-fatty.html|title=Free Fatty Acids : Butter|website=WebExhibits |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529182716/https://www.webexhibits.org/butter/compounds-fatty.html |archive-date= May 29, 2023 }}</ref>

Derivatives of palmitic acid were used in combination with [[naphtha]] during [[World War II]] to produce [[napalm]] (aluminum '''''na'''''phthenate and aluminum '''''palm'''''itate).<ref name="GS Napalm">{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/napalm.htm|title=Napalm|first=John|last=Pike|website=globalsecurity.org |date=July 7, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829200707/https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/napalm.htm |archive-date= Aug 29, 2023 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Palm kernel]]
*[[Tropical agriculture]]
*[[Food vs. fuel]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.indexmundi.com/en/commodities/agricultural/oil-palm/ Palm Oil – Production, Consumption, Exports, and Imports Statistics by Country]
*[http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2007/0707bacon.html Blood on the Palms: Afro-Colombians fight new plantations] by [[David Bacon (photojournalist)|David Bacon]], July/August 2007 [[Dollars & Sense]]

{{fatsandoils|EXTERNAL LINK=http://eduauthor.com/palm-kernel-oil-production-business-plan/}}
{{Palm oil}}

[[Category:Cooking oils]]
[[Category:Vegetable oils]]
[[Category:Biofuels]]
[[Category:Oil palm]]