Palm oil is a vegetable oil produced from the seeds or flesh of Guinea oil, or palm oil. Natural, unrefined palm oil has a thick but liquid consistency, and its color is yellow-brown at room temperature. Refined and hydrogenated palm oil is a hard mass of white or light yellow color. Hardened palm oil is commonly used in the food industry, but the question of its harmfulness is being raised more and more often.
- Unrefined palm oil contains many valuable substances
- Hardened palm oil is the most common in food products
- Sweets, margarines and processed products contain the most palm oil
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Properties of palm oil
Palm oil in its pure, unrefined form is a valuable food product, rich in valuable minerals and vitamins. In the food industry, for economic reasons, however, refined and are used hardened Palm oilwhich has a long shelf-life and is cheap, but contains virtually no valuable nutrients.
The use of palm oil, i.e. where it is most
Palm oil is used primarily in the production of sweets. It is cheap, durable and goes well with, for example, cocoa, so you can find it in most chocolates, chocolate creams, bars and other sweets. It is also added to cakes and pastries, crisps and all kinds of snacks. Refined Palm oil It is also used in the production of ice cream – the cheaper and more processed the product, the more likely it is to contain palm oil.
Palm oil is also an ingredient in margarine and vegetable butter. It gives them a solid consistency and durability – thanks to this, producers can often skip the addition of harmful trans fats to these products, which increase the concentration of LDL cholesterol in the blood, and this is the first step to the development of atherosclerosis.
Palm oil can also be found in cheap, foil-wrapped bread with a long shelf life. Refined, hydrogenated palm oil is an ingredient of cheap hamburger buns and toasted bread, as well as ready-made cakes – for example, pizza dough, as well as ready-made puff pastry, which you only need to put in the oven. In addition to palm oil, there are chemical leavers and flour improvers in cheap bread and ready-made cakes; such a mixture is definitely not good for health.
The general rule is: the cheaper the product and the longer the use-by date, the more likely it is to have palm oil in it.
Is palm oil harmful?
Palm oil is high in saturated fatty acids and should therefore be consumed in moderation. In excess, saturated fatty acids can promote the accumulation of cholesterol, which in the long run leads to atherosclerotic changes and the development of life-threatening diseases. In addition, they disturb the metabolism, which causes overweight and obesity.
Products that contain hydrogenated palm oil should be avoided. Raw palm oil can be a source of vitamins and antioxidants.
It should be remembered that the production of palm oil is also associated with the establishment of huge plantations of oil palms, which involves cutting and clearing natural rainforests. This has an obvious negative impact on the environment – deforestation deprives many animal species, including the endangered orangutans.
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