Refining techniques including fractionation, bleaching, interesterification (chemical or enzymatic), and hydrogenation, allow palm oil and palm kernel oil to derive a large range of palm oil derivatives, palm specialty fats & oleochemicals. Apart from this much demand for special cuts such as high-iodine value, super and top olein, palm red fractions (high carotene and tocopherol/tocotrienol contents), or solvent-free cocoa butter equivalents (palm mid fractions), this is certainly what the future has in store. These Palm fractions have established a wide role in industries such as food, cosmetics, soap, detergents, surfactants, energy, and textiles.
How are Palm Oil & Palm Kernel Oil different?
Palm oil is the fat that is squeezed out of the fibrous mesocarp of a fruit called Oil Palm, scientifically known as Elaeisguineensis. It is rich in vitamin E. Finding palm oil with red coloring is good, as the coloring comes from the antioxidant beta-carotene. Thanks to its vitamin E and lower saturated fat content, palm oil is the best of a bunch of oils.
Palm kernel oil: As the name suggests, it is derived from the kernel or seed of the fruit in oil palms. It contains more saturated fats than palm oil and is very commonly used in commercial cooking since the higher saturated fat content allows for greater stability at higher temperatures and better shelf life.
Both of these oils, which are mainly made up of triglycerides, are chemically and physically different from each other with palm oil high in palmitic acid (C16 fatty acid) and palm kernel oil high in lauric and myristic acids (C12 and C14 fatty acids respectively)
Some widely used Palm Oil derivatives that have found a niche in the industry are such as-
- The soap and detergent industry has a wide base of raw materials in palm oil fractions, such as stearic acid, lauric acid, sodium palmitate, and palm kernel olein.
- The surfactant industry manufactures its products mainly by using Lauric acid, myristic acid, Crude palm kernel oil, and palmitic acid, among others.
- The biodiesel industry has created a boom using palm oil and palm fatty acid distillate as its raw materials.
- One of the major beneficiaries of palm oil derivatives & palm specialty fats is the food industry. Palm stearin and palm olein oil have major demand in the food industry as well.
- Glycerine is a widely used raw material in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
Various other industrial applications use other Palm oil fractions and palm kernel oil fractions, such as Palm kernel diethanolamine, Palm kernel expeller, Palm kernel Monoethanolamide, oleic acid, super-olean Olein Palm mid fraction, etc. Tradeasia chemical suppliers in India are one of the leading trading companies dealing in palm oil derivatives & their specialty fats.