Palm Oil vs. Palm Kernel Oil

Product Description

They both come from palm trees, but there the similarity ends. Palm oil comes from the palm fruit, while palm kernel oil is extracted from the palm seed. And while over *0 percent of the fat in palm kernel oil is saturated, only *0 percent of palm oil is, making it easier on arteries. Palm oil's reddish or golden color is a clue that it also contains a fair amount of heart-healthy carotenoids. Some research even suggests that the fatty acids in palm oil don't raise cholesterol the way saturated fats traditionally do.

Palm fruit oil comes from the palm fruit, the orange flesh that surrounds the palm seed. About *7 percent of palm fruit oil is monounsaturated fat, *0 percent is saturated fat, and 9 percent is polyunsaturated fat (see below). Unrefined, palm fruit oils reddish or golden color indicates the presence of carotenoids, which the body converts into vitamin A. Most importantly, palm fruit oil is high in tocotreinols, a form of vitamin E. We use palm fruit oil over palm kernel oil because of its monounsaturated fat content and high levels of Vitamin E.

Palm kernel oil is extracted from the palm seed and has a fatty acid composition that is almost identical to coconut oil (see below), high in medium-chain fatty acids (i.e., caprylic, capric, and lauric acids) and with a total saturated fat content of over *0 percent. For MELT Organic spreads, we use palm fruit oil over palm kernel oil for its monounsaturated fat content, which provides a better overall balance to the fatty acid composition of MELT Organic spreads.