Nutritional Facts about Palm Oil

BALANCED AND FACT BASED

Nutritional facts about Palm oil

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Palm oil is an edible oil from the fruits of the oil palm  One of the edible oils cited by the Codex Alimentarius.1  Pressed from the orange pulp of palm fruits.  Mostly cultivated in Indonesia and Malaysia.

1. Codex Alimentarius Commission, 2001

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Palm oil is used in a wide range of foods stability at high cooking temperatures

smooth and creamy texture

crispiness and crunch

excellent mouth feel

neutral taste and smell

alternative to trans fat

solid or semi-solid at room temperature

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Like all fats and oils, palm oil is a concentrated source of energy for the body  One gram of fat provides 9 kcal  Fats are structural components of cell membranes and hormones, cushion our organs during movement, insulates the body and helps maintain a normal body temperature.  Vitamins A, D, E and K rely of fat for absorption and storage.  The WHO recommends a fat intake between 15-35% of total energy intake.2 2. FAO/WHO, 2010

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Palm oil has a balanced composition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids 5% 10%

44% 40%

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Palm oil alternatives are not necessarily healthier  The proportion of saturated fats in palm oil is lower than the saturated fat content of other fats of similar application.

Similar food application

TFA PUFA

MUFA SAFA

Coconut oil

Dairy butter

Cocoa butter

Tallow

Palm oil

Lard

Olive oil

Sunflower Rapeseed oil oil

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Palm oil has been a successful alternative to replace trans fatty acids  Palm oil has emerged as a versatile, cost-effective solution for replacing trans fats in products that require a solid fat for functionality.  Today the average intake of trans fats in many European countries is below recommended thresholds and no longer a public health concern.

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Palm oil is rich in antioxidant vitamin E  Crude or unrefined palm oil contains 60 to 100 mg vitamin E per 100 g. An average of 50-65% remains after refining.  70% of the vitamin E in palm oil occurs as tocotrienols.  Current research suggests unique biological properties of tocotrienols.3,4

3. Imoisi OB et al, JASEM, 2015 4. Meganathan P et al. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2016.

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Crude, or unrefined palm oil is rich in vitamin A carotenoids  Carotenoids are natural pigment responsible for the red-orange colour of crude palm oil.  Carotenoids act as precursors of vitamin A, which plays an important role in good vision, a healthy immune system and cell growth.  100 gram of crude palm oil contains 5070 mg carotenoids. Standard oil refining removes all carotenoids.

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Palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil in the world  Global production of palm oil rose from 14.6 million tons in 1995 to 61.1 million tons in 2015.  On average, the French (3 yr. and older) consume 2.8 gram of palm oil per day, which corresponds to approximately 4% of the overall saturated fat intake in adults.5

5. Lecerf et al, Nutripratique, 2016.

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Palm oil has a long history of dietary use  The oil palm is an ancient tropical plant from the West African tropical rainforest region.  In the late 1800s, archaeologists discovered a substance that they concluded was palm oil in a tomb at Abydos dating back to 3000BCE.  Palm oil is traditionally used as a cooking ingredient in the tropical belt of West Africa South East Asia and Brazil.

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Palm oil fits in a healthy diet

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In summary (1)  Palm oil is an edible oil from the fruits of the oil palm.  Palm oil is used in a wide range of foods.  Like all fats and oils, palm oil is a concentrated source of energy for the body.  Palm oil has a balanced composition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.  Palm oil has been a successful alternative to replace trans fatty acids.

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In summary (2)  Palm oil is rich in antioxidant vitamin E.  Crude or unrefined palm oil is rich in vitamin A carotenoids.  Palm fruit oil is the most widely-consumed vegetable oil in the world.  Palm oil has a long history of dietary use.  Palm oil fits in a healthy diet.

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For more information

Please visit our website http://www.palmoilandfood.eu

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Thank you

BALANCED AND FACT BASED

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