Facts and Myths about Palm Oil

Palm oil can be found in food products such as biscuits, powdered soups and sauces, extended shelf-life baked goods, broth cubes, puddings, crisps, peanut spreads and many other products that are part of our daily diet.

Chemical palm oil derivatives are very popular ingredients in cosmetic products and detergents. Palm oil is used to produce natural fatty alcohols, which, in turn, are used to produce surfactants – surface active agents having different functions and properties. Surfactants cause shampoo to lather and dishwashing liquid to clean and dissolve fats.

The spectrum of uses for palm oil and its derivatives is very wide. Apart from food and cosmetics, it is used to produce biofuels, animal feed and industrial chemicals.

Palm oil and its derivatives can be easily identified in the composition of different types of everyday products due to the fact that they are labelled with different names, such as: CBE and CBS fat, oleyl alcohol and octyldodecanol, cetyl alcohol, emulsifier E471, glycerol stearate, sorbitol oleate and stearate, tocopheryl acetate, isopropyl myristate, stearyl alcohol, palmitic acid, ethylhexyl palmitate, ascorbyl palmitate.

Where does palm oil come from and how is it extracted?

Palm oil is a vegetable fat extracted from the fruit of the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) commonly known as the oil palm. The African oil palm is a plant of the Areca family. It is native to Africa. Today, oil palm plantations can be found throughout the tropical areas, mainly in Southeast Asia. Large scale cultivation takes place in Indonesia (54%) and Malaysia (31%).

There are two types of oil extracted from the African oil plant, which differ in their composition and properties. The first one is palm kernel oil, i.e. from the ground seeds that have undergone a drying process. It resembles coconut oil in appearance due to its white or slightly yellowish colour.

The second oil is produced from the pulp by intense treatment of the fruiting head with steam. This type of palm oil has a distinct orange-red colour.

The difference between palm kernel oil and pulp oil does not only relate to the colour of the two substances. They also differ as far as the content of bioactive compounds and fatty acids is concerned.

Palm kernel oil is based on saturated fatty acids (SFA). These are mainly myristic acid and lauric acid. Their content in the kernel oil is approx. 85%.

The oil produced from the pulp of the fruiting head contains approx. 50% saturated fatty acids. One of them is palmitic acid. In addition to saturated acids, the oil from the pulp contains approx. 40% monounsaturated fatty acids, e.g. oleic acid, and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids – mainly linoleic acid.

Worrying consequences of oil palm cultivation

The enormous industrial demand for palm oil has led to an increase in the surface area for oil palm cultivation, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia. The result is the adaptation for palm plantations of vast areas of tropical forests, the ecosystems of which are characterised by the highest biodiversity in the world.

The logging of tropical forests is leading to tragic changes in the environment. At the moment, the most endangered species are the Sumatran and Indian elephant, the orangutan, the Sumatran tiger and the clouded leopard.

The establishment of new oil palm plantations involves the burning of vast areas of forests and peat bogs. Such activities result in enormous carbon dioxide emissions. It is not only the animals that suffer. Humans also have to deal with the problem of soil and groundwater pollution.

Supplies of drinking water are diminishing as a result of the huge quantities of pesticides used on plantations. Chemical pollution also causes changes in river ecosystems. Many species of fish, which are a key source of food for local communities, are dying.

For the curious ones…

• The establishment of oil palm plantations is considered a major cause of deforestation in Southeast Asia.
• Since the 1970s, as a result of intensive deforestation in Indonesia, the region’s forest cover has fallen from 99% to 49.8% (in 2015).
• Having tragic consequences, the establishment of oil palm plantations at the expense of tropical forests has resulted in the extinction of animal species such as the Sumatran elephant, the clouded leopard and the orangutan for which these forests provided refuge.

How does the world prevent the adverse changes caused by oil palm cultivation?

The negative effects of the intensification of African oil palm cultivation are now being controlled by the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) organisation.

Founded in 2004, the RSPO is a non-governmental organisation that acts for the sustainable production and consumption of palm oil. The organisation brings together participants from every link in the supply chain. Its members include: growers, producers, processors, distributors, traders, investors and NGOs.

The RSPO has developed and issued a set of criteria and standards covering guidelines and requirements for all the actors in the supply chain of the palm oil flow.

The set of guidelines and regulations included in the RSPO standard addresses environmental and social issues, with the primary goal of feasibly reducing the negative impacts that oil palm cultivation and palm oil production have on the environment and local communities.

The fact is that palm oil satisfies more than 40% of global demand for vegetable oils, and oil palm plantations account for approx. 10% of our planet’s area dedicated to oil crops.

Replacing palm oil with various substitutes or completely abandoning its production on a global scale would prove uneconomic and extremely difficult. This relates not only to economic but also environmental aspects.

The best solution in this situation is to control the palm oil flow chain and the sustainable production and consumption of this raw material. This is made possible, among others, through RSPO certification.

Today, around 20% of global palm oil production is RSPO certified. This number is steadily increasing thanks to the commitment of more than 2,500 RSPO members representing different links in the supply chain.

RSPO members are required to implement and enforce all principles and criteria of sustainable production, from investors or growers, to crushing plants, refineries, chemical and finished product manufacturers, and distribution companies, wholesalers and retail chains.

Palm oil in numbers

Palm oil has a wide range of industrial applications, mainly in food and cosmetics industries. It is also used in the production of biofuels. The largest producers of this popular raw material are Indonesia and Malaysia. These regions generate over 85% of the world’s production. Other countries where oil palms are grown include: Nigeria, Colombia, Thailand and Ecuador.

• Palm oilaccounts for around 35% of global vegetable oil production.
• Annual global palm oil production already amounts to over 75 million tonnes.
• More than 85% of global palm oil production comes from Indonesia and Malaysia.
• One hectare of cultivation yields: 3.8 tonnes of palm oil, 0.8 tonnes of rapeseed oil, 0.7 tonnes of sunflower oil and 0.5 of soybean oil.
• 69% of palm oil imported to Europe comes from certified oil palm cultivation.

Use of palm oil in food production

Palm oil is a popular ingredient in many food products. Is it really harmful to health?

The question of palm oil and its effects on health has been a rather controversial issue for many years.

This popular fat is an ingredient in many food products such as: margarine, dairy products, chocolate, chips, sauces, broth cubes, bars, biscuits, baked goods, instant soups and many more. Few people know that palm oil is actually red in colour and it only turns white during the refining process.

In further processing steps, the oil can undergo modification processes including hydrogenation, which from a nutritional point of view causes many unfavourable changes in the fats consumed by humans. These processes give the oil a solid consistency. When heated, the oil melts and becomes liquid.

An important advantage cited by palm oil supporters is its versatility, which is linked directly with its physicochemical parameters. Other commonly used vegetable oils do not have such a wide range of applications.

It is very difficult, if not impossible, for a large number of producers to replace palm oil with another type of fat. Furthermore, there is no conclusive scientific research indicating the negative effects of palm oil on human health in comparison to other popular vegetable oils.

A popular argument against the use of palm oil in food production is its high level of bad cholesterol. Nothing could be further from the truth, as cholesterol is only found in animal fat.

Palm oil contains sterols, which can actually resemble cholesterol in their structure. However, sterols are not the cause of atherosclerosis or heart disease. What is more, they have an effect on lowering cholesterol levels.

Fatty acids present in blood clots were also studied. It turned out that as much as 74% of the fats that clog up blood vessels are unsaturated fats. Thus, palm oil is excluded as a food ingredient that leads to the formation of blood vessel blockages. It has been concluded that palm oil as an ingredient reduces the risk of cancer. There is also no institution in the world that recommends a strong reduction or cessation of palm oil consumption.

Researchers conducted analyses that compare palm oil to animal fat. They included two studies conducted in groups of men with normal serum cholesterol levels and who represented Western countries.

This comparison did not reveal a differentiated effect of consumption of the two analysed fat groups on the blood lipid profile. The analysis shows that when assessing the effect of consumption of refined palm oil on the blood lipid profile in humans, it is important which product the palm oil is to be substituted with or which substitute is to be incorporated in the diet instead of palm oil.

Palm fat owes its scarlet colour to its high beta-carotene content. This ingredient has valuable properties. It contains vitamins, antioxidants and carotenoids.

Thanks to its vitamin A content, palm oil supports eyesight, while vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that destroys free radicals caused by stress. Palm fat additionally supports tissue regeneration processes. It contains up to 15 times more retinol than carrots.

Palm fat is a high-calorie product, which is why it is one of the main ingredients in the diet of children living in Indonesia, for instance. Thanks to its properties, it protects against malnutrition and blindness.

Palm oil in the cosmetics industry

Palm oil is a substance rich in fatty acids, which serve as a raw material for the production of surface active agents, or surfactants, used in the manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products. Surfactants based on palm oil derivatives, e.g. fatty alcohols, are characterised by a number of properties essential for the production of cosmetic preparations. They have excellent wetting, emulsifying, dispersing and washing properties. They are also responsible for the production of soft, fluffy foam desired especially in the production of soaps, shampoos, bath gels and lotions as well as many other personal care products.

Palm oil is used in creams, lotions and body oils. It is the main ingredient in soaps because of its high content of carotenoids and lycopene. They have antioxidant and antibacterial properties.

Palm oil is used in the production of cosmetic oils for relaxing and care massages thanks to its nourishing, moisturising, toning and smoothing properties. When applied to the skin, it soothes irritated skin, has a normalising and protective effect and is a source of tocopherols.

Important ingredients in many cosmetics are the mentioned surfactants, which are used as components not only in the production of personal care products, but also as ingredients of white and coloured cosmetics. In such products the most important properties are emulsifying, stabilising, dispersing or regulating the density of the formulation. The key, however, is a gentle effect on the skin.

There is a wide variety of oleochemical ingredients derived from palm oil. They include such substances as:  palmitic acid, cetyl alcohol, ascorbyl palmitate, stearyl alcohol, or oleyl alcohol and octyldodecanol.

For the curious ones:

• Oleochemicals of palm origin are used in the personal care and other cosmetic sectors as surface active agents (surfactants) and moisturising agents (emollients).
• The percentage of surfactants is significantly higher in shampoos and other personal care products and in detergents.
• Soap accounts for over 30% of the current global surfactant market.
• Palm oil content in soaps averages up to 55%.
• Surfactant content in shampoos averages between 5 and 25%.

Chemicals and the palm oil industry

Apart from cosmetics and food, palm oil is widely used in the chemical industry. It is used to produce biofuels and a range of chemicals for further processing.

Palm oil derivatives are massively used, for example, in the production of detergents for household use or professional cleaning preparations and institutional and industrial cleaning.

It is important to note that palm oil does not occur in the detergent industry as a direct unprocessed raw material, but in the form of surfactants and emulsifiers produced for example on the basis of ethoxylated fatty alcohols.

The group of detergents containing surface active compounds based on palm oil derivatives includes laundry detergents, washing and fabric softeners, dishwashing liquids, washing and surface cleaning liquids, air fresheners, dishwasher tablets and many others.

Surfactants (surface active agents) based on palm oil derivatives are also used in many other industrial applications.

An example of this is in the construction industry, where C12-C14 alcohol-based products are used as ingredients in concrete and mortar admixtures.

The use of a surfactant here results in increased frost resistance of the concrete. In finished admixtures, such surfactants are compatible with humectants, wetting agents or foam stabilisers.

Surfactants based on raw materials derived from palm oil are also used as components of tanning formulations, in the production of metal treatment preparations, in emulsion polymerisation processes or in the production of car washing and care products.

The spectrum of applications for surface active agents based on natural fatty alcohols is enormous. What is more, industry is constantly finding new and interesting applications for them.

An example of this is the PCC GROUP’s offering of surfactants. The company offers an extremely wide range of compounds based on palm oil derivatives. They are dedicated to various industrial sectors, depending on their parameters and chemical properties.

Palm oil – still controversial

Palm oil still has many opponents. Criticism of the production and use of palm oil in the economy comes both from various environmental organisations and from consumers themselves.

The production of palm oil is supervised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). These are two of the most famous environmental organisations that point out the negative effects of palm oil on the environment.

These organisations continuously support the activities of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

RSPO certification obliges growers to maintain financial liquidity, improve production processes, act responsibly towards the environment and local communities and to sustainably develop plantations.

• Poland is one of the regions with the highest palm oil consumption in Europe.
• Over 100 companies from Poland are members of the RSPO organisation.
• PCC EXOL SA (a PCC GROUP Company), which is a producer and distributor of surfactants based on palm oil derivatives, has developed and implemented an internal Sustainable Production and Consumption Policy. The company has been regularly audited for compliance with the RSPO standard in the Mass Balance model since 2014. Thanks to the RSPO certification, it has the right to sell its products made from palm oil-based raw materials as certified.

 

Sources:

https://biotechnologia.pl/kosmetologia/wplyw-konsumpcji-oleju-palmowego-na-srodowisko-naturalne-i-mozliwosci-zastapienia-go-innymi-w-przemysle-kosmetycznym,19050
https://zywienie.medonet.pl/produkty-spozywcze/oleje-i-tluszcze/tluszcz-palmowy-poznaj-fakty-i-mity-o-oleju-palmowym/3gs2dsk
www.ourworldindata.org, na podstawie Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987-992)
https://www.beauty-forum.com.pl/wiedza/aktualnosc/news/detail/okiem-eksperta-olej-palmowy-tak-czy-nie/
https://olejpalmowy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Olej-palmowy-fakty-WWF-Polska.pdf
https://olejpalmowy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Raport-z-badania-oleju-palmowego-2021.pdf
https://globalna.ceo.org.pl/materialy/olej-palmowy/
https://olejpalmowy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Olej-palmowy-fakty-WWF-Polska.pdf