Palm oil functionality
A natural and versatile ingredient
Palm oil is widely used by food and non-food manufacturers because of its functional benefits, versatility and widespread availability. Palm oil has diverse functional properties. It provides a semi-solid consistency and long-term stability. It also performs well at high cooking temperatures. Its smooth and creamy texture and absence of smell make it a perfect and affordable ingredient in many recipes, supporting flavour and texture.
Processing
Crude palm oil is naturally reddish in colour because of the fruit pulps’ high carotenoid content. Refining purifies, decolorises and deodorises the crude palm oil. The refining process produces a highly versatile oil, with important functional properties. Subsequently palm oil is separated into different fractions, the liquid fraction palm olein and the solid fraction palm stearin, which can then be processed for specific purposes.
On your breakfast table
Palm oil is used a lot in our everyday life. You can find it on your breakfast table in the morning. Palm oil is an ingredient in many products. For example, in your cereals, margarine or croissant.