Palm Oil Uses: Facts That You Didn’t Know About

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Palm oil uses are numerous as it has benefits and fits many different purposes. Being considerably cheap, this oil can be used in such different spheres of our life as cooking, health and beauty product and even gasoline. So what is palm oil used for?

Palm oil uses

Due to its nutrition value and composition, palm oil is suitable and good for a variety of things.

• Cooking

Palm oil is widely spread in Africa as the most commonly used cooking oil. Now it is becoming more and more popular all over the world, but it is red palm oil that would be your choice. In his video, Bruce Wylde gives a perfect example on how to use palm oil in your daily diet.The concentration of saturated fats in red palm oil is less than in palm kernel oil, therefore, it is more beneficial for health. Due to high melting point, palm oil does not burn and is more preferable for frying. It especially concerns meat and fish as during frying process, the oil gives meat pleasant crust and color without burning it. As well this oil can be used in seasoning and marinating.

• Food industry

Because of high melting point, palm oil is also widely used in food manufacturing. The oil gets fractionated and more solid, being used afterwards for coating chocolate and energy bars as well as in margarine, butter and pastries. As well food manufacturers use hydrogenated kernel oil for same purposes. However, the concentration of saturated fats in such oils increases and thus they are not very much recommended for consumption.

SEE ALSO: Palm Oil Products You May Find in a Supermarket

• Biodiesel

Wikipedia names biodiesel production as one of the palm oil uses. This diesel, known as palm oil methyl ester can also be blended with other fuels. The advantage of palm oil here is that the waste mass produced, like branches and shells, can also be used for energy production.

Question Answered: Is Palm Oil Good for You? 

Red palm oil uses

The uses of red palm oil slightly differ from the general palm oil uses since fruit palm oil is healthier and beneficial for health.

• Medical uses

Firstly, red palm oil can serve as a nutritious supplement as it contains huge amount of “good” fats and vitamins alongside with carotene, which is discussed in detail on WebMD. Such composition allows using red palm oil for lowering cholesterol level, preventing vitamin A deficiency, cardiac diseases and also providing your body with essential substances. Another important feature of red palm oil is its antioxidant activity which plays tremendous role in keeping our body healthy.

• Cosmetic uses

Due to the vitamins E and L present, this oil gives our body a treatment on a cellular level, regenerating cells and improving the overall state of the body. Red palm oil serves as great moisturizer for both hair and skin, and, what is extremely important, it does not clog pores while nourishing the skin. Red palm oil also has antibacterial features, so when applied on skin or hair, it eliminates parasites and bacteria.