Avoiding junk food for better health is common advice. Palm Oil is used in a huge quantum of packed snacks available in the market. The experts in the field need to pay attention to the oil used. The packets mention on the wrapper that the eatables inside are made using Palm Oil.
During discussion with an expert from the field and a researcher Ankit Patil explained the contents of different edible oils. The Live Nagpur brings to you the details. Use of oils which can cause heart disease have also been mentioned by Ankit Patil.
There are two types of fatty acids HDL and LDL. Raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, often referred to as “good” cholesterol. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. However, increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, is often termed “bad” cholesterol because elevated levels are linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
The long-chain saturated fats are also called LDL and medium-chain saturated fats are called HDL. Medium-chain saturated fats, like those found in coconut oil, have shorter carbon chains and may behave differently in the body compared to long-chain saturated fats.
Oil melting point and Digestion:
The normal temperature of the human body is 37 ̊C. Any food with a higher melting point than the body temperature is difficult to digest.
Melting point ( ̊C) :
1 Palm oil 36-39
2 Sunflower oil -17
3 Olive and Sesom -6
4 Peanut oil 3
5 Canola oil -10
6 Goat ghee -30.2
7 Cow ghee -35.8
8 Buffalo ghee -38.8
9 Soyabean oil -16
The melting point of virgin coconut oil is 24 ̊C while hydrogenated coconut oil has 36-40 ̊C melting point. But Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acid / HDL i.e. good cholesterol while palm oil contains LDL i.e. bad cholesterol with a high melting point.
Palm oil is high in saturated fats, with approximately 50% of its total fat content being saturated fat. The predominant saturated fatty acid in palm oil is palmitic acid, a long-chain saturated fatty acid.
Coconut oil is also high in saturated fats, but it has a different fatty acid composition compared to palm oil. Coconut oil contains a significant amount of medium-chain fatty acids, particularly lauric acid. Lauric acid makes up about 40-50% of the total fatty acids in coconut oil. Additionally, coconut oil contains smaller amounts of other saturated fats, including myristic acid and palmitic acid, but in lower proportions compared to lauric acid.
Both palm oil and coconut oil are high in saturated fats, but they differ in their predominant fatty acid types. Palm oil is rich in long-chain saturated fatty acids, particularly palmitic acid. Coconut oil contains a significant amount of medium-chain fatty acids, primarily lauric acid, along with smaller amounts of other saturated fats. Some research suggests that medium-chain fatty acids like lauric acid may have different metabolic effects compared to long-chain saturated fatty acids, but further studies are needed to fully understand their impact on health.
Beneficial edible oils: Groundnut (Peanut) Oil, Mustard Oil, Coconut Oil Other edible oils are – Extra virgin Olive oil, Canola Oil, Avocado Oil, Sunflower Oil, Flaxseed Oil, and walnut Oil.
The palm oil is used in almost every packed snack in India. After knowing bad effects of palm oil, it can be useful to the production of biodiesel to fulfill energy demands.
Indian Toddy palm and Oil palm:
Toddy palm (also known as the Palmyra palm or Borassus flabellifer) and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) are two distinct species of palm trees that are not the same. They belong to different genera and have different characteristics, uses, and geographical distributions.
Toddy Palm (Borassus flabellifer) is a tropical palm species native to South and Southeast Asia, as well as parts of Africa. It is primarily cultivated for its edible fruit, which produces a sweet, jelly-like substance known as toddy palm fruit or palm fruit pulp. Toddy palm trees are also tapped for their sap, which is fermented to produce toddy, an alcoholic beverage.
Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a tropical palm species native to West Africa but widely cultivated in tropical regions around the world, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and parts of Africa and South America. It is primarily cultivated for its fruit, which yields palm oil and palm kernel oil. Palm oil is a versatile vegetable oil used in various food and non-food applications, including cooking oil, processed foods, cosmetics, and biofuels.
Palm oil in India is allowed to be mixed with other edible oils to a limited extent. However, its use fo consumption may cause health problems.