Palm oil

Palm Oil primarily comes from Malaysia and Indonesia and as demand increases globally, palm plantations expand to increase production, primarily by deforestation of the rainforests in the area. In response to this growing concern of non-regulated expansion, producers and users of palm oil formed the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The goal of this group was to develop a strategy, guideline and even an inspection and certification system for palm Plantations throughout the world.

The objective is to be able to show that these certified palm plantations are, in fact, sustainable and are not practicing deforestation to expand their productivity. All the approved suppliers of palm oil of our vendor are members of this RSPO group.

Palm oil is produced from the pulp or flesh of the fruit of the oil palm. Palm oil contains an equal proportion of unsaturated acids, containing about 40% oleic acids (monounsaturated), 44% palmitic acids and oleic acids, which are also the major fatty acids produced by the body. It is a natural source of Vitamin E, the tocopherols, and tocotrienols and is also a very rich source of beta-carotene, an important source of Vitamin A. Palm oil is physically and chemically different from either palm kernel or coconut oil and should not be considered similar to these oils. Palm oil also contains a much higher proportion of palmitic acids than other fats and oils. Palm oil is frequently confused with palm kernel oil, which is highly saturated.

In contrast, palm oil contains a balance of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids. In addition, palm oil contains essential substances such as linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid which the body cannot manufacture), tocopherols and tocotrienols, which act as natural anti-oxidants against damaging free-radicals. Like other vegetable fats, palm oil is free from cholesterol. Because palm oil is solid at room temperature there is no need to use hydrogenation, a technique which hardens liquid oil but also produces damaging trans fatty acids and raises cholesterol levels in the process. Human feeding studies have shown that palm oil does not ordinarily raise blood cholesterol levels and in some cases has been found to lower harmful LDL-cholesterol. Palm oil is extracted and refined through pressing and crushing rather than through using chemical solvents such as hexane. Palm oil can be further refined into palm olein (liquid) and palm stearine (solid). Palm olein is used as a frying oil because it is very stable to heat, while palm stearine is used in biscuits and cakes and in non-hydrogenated margarine. Palm stearine is also used to stop peanut butter from separating.

Palm oil resists oxidation and rancidity, which means products made using palm oil have extended shelf lives. Palm oil makes a nice hard bar when used in combination with other oils such as coconut and olive oil. It is less water soluble and resists melting; it saponifies easily and pulls other oils into saponification quicker. It is also known as vegetable tallow and adds firmness to bar soaps, giving a pale white-yellow color. Palm oil will speed up the soap making process. Because the palm oil mixture is more reactive, you must add the essential oils and the nutrients swiftly or the soap will begin to set prematurely.

SAP value: 199.1. INCI: Elaeis guineensis (Palm) Oil. Country of origin: Malaysia. The suppliers of our Palm oil are members of RSPO and operate under RSPO Principles & Criteria.

If you purchase this oil in plastic jugs and the contents arrive partially solid or completely solid, in order to soften the oil and get it out of the bottle please warm the bottle either in the full sun or in warm/hot water until it liquefies. If the oil arrives in a partial or complete liquid state, this is due to high temperatures experienced by the shipment while in transit. In either scenario and regardless of the size purchased, there’s nothing wrong with the oil and it’s fully useable.

This product is food grade; however, Camden-Grey sells its products only for external use. It is the customer’s responsibility to understand the information contained in a product’s MSDS and to become familiar and well versed in how each product should be used, including a product’s precautions, if any. MSDS’s are posted on our site, look for the MSDS link at the top, right, of all our pages.