Recently, in our diet more and more often come across products that are of very dubious quality. So, many of us are suspicious of such a substance as palm olein, which is found even in baby food. What is this product and how to relate to it? Palm olein, the harm and benefits of which are equally disputed by many experts, is produced by separating the liquid fractions from palm oil, which, in turn, is obtained from the fruits of the
oil palm. Most often crystallization is used to obtain it. It can be refined, deodorized, bleached. A quality product at room temperature is a light yellow liquid.
The properties
By its quality characteristics, palm olein is a substance similar to super-olein. It has a narrow triglyceride composition and does not require additional processing. That is why it is most often used as an excellent alternative to soybean or sunflower oil. Palm olein has another significant property - it does not oxidize for a long time. This is because it contains a negligible amount of
linoleic acid, but it contains a lot of tocopherols that prevent oxidation of the product.
Palm olein is widespread because it allows you to protect products from soot, reduces the cost of frying oils, eliminates extraneous tastes in the finished product. Thanks to this substance, manufacturers achieve a very attractive appearance of food products, reduce foaming, and avoid the problems that arise when mixing with other types of oils.
Scope of application
Most often, palm olein is used as
cooking oil and oil for frying various foods. This is due to its resistance to oxidation. When heated, harmful
carcinogens do not appear in palm olein
. Since this product is 40% cheaper than sunflower oil and stored much longer than any other types of
vegetable fats, it is increasingly used for cooking in our country. Although many doubt the usefulness of palm olein, scientists talk about its effects on human health. It, according to many, is similar to the influence of olive oil.
Palm olein in baby food
Despite all the useful properties of this product, as a rule, people prefer to avoid it as part of baby food. This is due to the fact that children are much more sensitive than adults to the chemical composition of food. Experts confirm the view that palm olein reduces the absorption of calcium from infant formula containing it. This substance also enhances appetite, which often leads to overeating, which over time contributes to the occurrence of early obesity. In this case, it is often indicated on boxes with similar products that they contain palm oil, although in fact they contain palm olein.