Why is palm oil harmful? What products does it contain?

Health

Palm oil is everywhere. Here's what you need to know about it and the most common products containing palm oil.

Palm oil is not a new product on the global market, but there is still insufficient data on whether it is harmful or beneficial.

A recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO) found that the palm oil industry was influencing studies on the health effects of palm oil, much like the alcohol and tobacco industries did, to make their products appear more healthful. harmless.

See also: What are the harms and benefits of palm oil, and what products contain it? - Video

Since some studies insisting that palm oil does not cause any harm may be biased, it is possible that its consumption has health consequences that consumers are not aware of.

Composition of palm oil

Palm oil refers to vegetable or edible oils that are produced from the fruit of the oil palm. It is edible and is one of the most widely used vegetable oils in the world.

It is obtained either by squeezing the oil palm fruit or grinding the kernel of the fruit. Palm oil may also be listed under 200 other names.

One tablespoon of palm oil contains:

• 114 calories
• 14 grams fat:
• 7 grams saturated fat
• 5 grams monounsaturated fat
• 1.5 grams polyunsaturated fat
• Vitamin E: 11% percent of recommended daily value

According to the recommendations of cardiologists, 25-35 percent of daily calories should be unsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts, avocados), and about 7 percent of calories should be saturated fats (butter, meat, dairy products).

The main type of saturated fat in palm oil is palmitic acid, which makes up 44 percent of its calories. It also contains vitamin E, and red palm oil is rich in carotenoids, which our body converts into vitamin A.

Like coconut oil, palm oil is semi-solid at room temperature. However, its melting point is 35 °C. It is often used in frying due to its high smoke threshold of 232°C and remains stable over high heat.

Why is it added?

Palm oil has a wide range of applications in the food industry. Due to its low price and features, it is added to products for various purposes:

• milk fat surrogate;
• cocoa butter surrogate;
• to extend the shelf life of various products;
• for the production of various special fats;
• in its pure form as frying oil.

The main advantage of palm oil for the food industry is its low cost compared to analogues: vegetable and milk fats. It is thanks to its low price that it has conquered the world food market, including in Russia.

What is the harm of the E330 food additive? Find out about this from our article.

Benefits of palm oil

Palm oil is often touted as a healthier alternative to trans fats, which the World Health Organization plans to ban globally by 2023.

Palm oil itself contains no trans fats, although more than half the fat in palm oil is saturated fat, which can raise levels of unhealthy cholesterol and triglycerides, increasing the risk of heart disease.

And while palm oil is 52 percent saturated fat, the rest is 40 percent monounsaturated fatty acids and 10 percent polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The content of beta-carotene and lycopene prevents vitamin A deficiency. The product contains 20 other carotenes, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E and vitamin K.

Phytostyrol in palm oil may prevent the absorption of dietary cholesterol, and flavonoids may help fight inflammatory diseases.

We can say that palm oil is a little healthier than some dietary fats and oils, but it is not as healthy as vegetable oils, for example, olive oil.

Is there any benefit?

Despite its bad reputation, palm oil still has benefits for the human body; in many ways, it is healthier than milk fats, which it is used to replace.

The beneficial properties of palm oil include:

1. Record content of vitamin E , which is extremely rare in vegetation. It is also extremely high in vitamin A. As a result, oil palm products help fight skin aging, skin diseases and free radicals that cause cancer. The oil is beneficial for the muscular system, vision and sexual function.
2. According to some health organizations, palm oil does not contain cholesterol , which has a positive effect on the human cardiovascular system.
3. Palm oil contains ubiquinone and plastoquinone, again beneficial for the cardiovascular system .
4. If we ignore the food industry, we can note that palm oil is widely used in cosmetology and medicine due to its beneficial properties: it is good for skin and hair and promotes wound healing .

The harm of palm oil

Some studies say palm oil is part of a healthy, balanced diet and does not increase the risk of heart disease, while others find a link to an increased risk of death from heart disease.

Oxidized oil poses a greater health risk. Oxidation occurs during processing during cooking, which produces toxins that negatively affect the heart, liver, kidneys and lungs.

1. Risk of Atherosclerosis
Raw and unprocessed palm oil does not have such negative effects. However, studies have found an increase in the development of atherosclerosis just six months after using reheated palm oil.

According to WHO, more research is needed on this topic.

2. Carcinogen in palm oil

One study involving the processing of palm oil for use in processed foods found a link between the oil and a potentially carcinogenic contaminant.

, but only if the oil was heated to 200 degrees Celsius.

In 2021, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) expressed concern that high levels of 3-MCPD, a substance considered a carcinogen found in refined palm oil, may pose a risk to the kidneys and male reproductive system.

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3. Hydrogenated palm oil

It is also worth mentioning that palm oil is used in food in both raw and hydrogenated forms.
It is in this form that it is added to food products, including dairy and confectionery products, and is certainly harmful .
During hydrogenation, hydrogen is forced through heated oil under pressure, causing its molecular structure to change.

After the hydrogenation process, palm oil turns into trans fats, which interfere with the proper nutrition of cells and negatively affect the condition of many body systems. This causes many violations, such as:

• increased cholesterol levels
• risk of developing atherosclerosis
• cardiovascular diseases
• disruption of metabolic processes in tissues
• chronic inflammation
• obesity

Application in the food industry

Palm oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the palm tree Elaeis gineensis.

In the food industry, it is used in the production of confectionery products (cakes, waffles, biscuits, rolls, cookies, creams) and fermented milk products (kefir, yogurt, milk, condensed milk, cottage cheese, cheese, sour cream), and semi-finished products are also fried .

Thanks to its low cost , this substitute has become firmly established in many production technologies and culinary recipes.

A type of palm tree is red palm oil. It got this color due to its high carotene (carrots and rose hips have the same pigment). Since its production uses less stringent technology, red palm oil is considered the healthiest of this group of vegetable fats.

When people talk about the benefits of palm oil, they usually mean red oil. It is traditionally used for cooking by residents of Central America, Brazil, Central and West Africa.

Beneficial properties of palm oil:

1. It is rich in vitamins (A, E, K) and contains coenzyme Q10 . In this regard, only olive oil is healthier.
2. Antioxidants contained in red palm oil effectively fight aging and chronic diseases.
3. When used correctly, the likelihood of a heart attack is reduced and blood pressure is lowered.

It is worth noting that palm oil has a fairly harmonious composition of fatty acids: 50 percent saturated, 40 percent monosaturated and 10 percent polyunsaturated. Saturated fatty acids participate in the structure of body cells and charge them with energy .

For this reason, abuse leads to weight gain and an increase in the level of bad cholesterol. Monosaturated acids are Omega-9 acids; they help maintain a stable level of blood cholesterol and improve the condition of cell membranes .

Polyunsaturated fatty acids include linoleate or Omega-6 and alpha-linoleate or Omega-3, which protect the heart and blood vessels from obesity and remove bad cholesterol from the body.

How it can harm :

1. Excessive consumption of oil leads to the formation of toxins and blockage of blood vessels .
2. especially harmful after the hydrogenation process, during which unsaturated fats are converted into saturated fats, but with a higher melting point and increased oil consistency. This product leads to an increase in cholesterol levels and disrupts the functioning of cell membranes.
3. Palm oil, by enhancing the taste of products, leads to addiction . Fast food establishments take advantage of this.

Read more about what palm oil is, what its composition and melting point are, and how it differs from coconut oil and butter in a separate article.

The harm of palm oil in infant formula

Palm oil is one of the ingredients often found in infant formula.

The fact is that any mixture must contain fat. Formula manufacturers add palm oil in an attempt to recreate the palmitic acid in breast milk.

However, palm oil is poorly absorbed by children's bodies, which leads to low bone density. This is due to the fact that the structure of palmitic acid and palm oil in the mixture is different.

When palmitic acid is not absorbed by the body, it reacts with calcium and makes it insoluble. As a result, the child's body releases insoluble fat and calcium.

With regular consumption of palm oil in the mixture, the child not only does not receive the fats he needs, but also calcium, which is necessary for full development.

How to determine and find out its presence?

The presence of fat is difficult to recognize, since many manufacturers hide it under numerous other names. Often referred to as : “palm olein”, “stearin”, “olein”, “oleic acid”, “palmitic acid”, “stearic acid”, “fatty acid esters”.

It is necessary to focus on the composition . Manufacturers are required to indicate the composition of the product. It must be readable and located in a visible place on the packaging.

It is worth noting that the palm oil content reduces the cost of the product several times.

Which countries ban palm oil?

Although the harm of palm oil is still a topic of debate, there is another issue related to the impact of palm oil on the environment

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Most of the world's palm oil supply is produced in Indonesia or Malaysia, and palm oil plantations are a leading cause of deforestation. The palm oil industry is leading to the destruction of tropical forests, particularly habitats for endangered species.

Its production has also been linked to increased carbohydrate emissions, displacement of indigenous populations and labor exploitation.

Where is it kept?

What products are they added to?

Now on the Russian market, palm oil can be found in a huge number of different food products.

In one form or another it is used in:

• various types of dairy products (butter, margarines, spreads, cheese, cottage cheese and curd products, condensed milk, etc.);
• chocolate and confectionery;
• mayonnaise and mayonnaise sauces;
• ice cream;
• chips;
• inexpensive instant foods (porridge, noodles, purees, etc.);
• bakery products;
• sausages;
• frozen products.

Almost any product that uses milk fats or is fried may contain traces of palm oil as a cheap substitute for more expensive types of fats: milk and vegetable.

What foods contain palm oil?

Palm oil is found almost everywhere. It can be found in food, as well as cosmetics, hygiene products and many other products.

Many of them don't say they contain palm oil, but they do list it under one of many names. If you see some of the names below, you should be aware that the product contains palm oil.

• Vegetable Oil
• Vegetable Fat
• Palm Kernel
• Palm Kernel Oil
• Palm Fruit Oil
• Palmate
• Palmitate
• Palmolein
• Glyceryl
• Stearate
• Stearic Acid
• Elaeis Guineensis
• Palmitic Acid
• Palm Stearine
• Palmitoyl Oxostearamide
• Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• Sodium Palm Kernelate
• Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate
• Hydrated Palm Glycerides
• Ethyl Palmitate
• Octyl Palmitate
• Palmityl Alcohol

The most common products that use palm oil are:

Chocolate

Palm oil is used in the production of processed chocolate as it gives it a glossy shine and helps stabilize it at higher temperatures.

Bread

Regular bread is made using palm oil because it is stable at room temperature, inexpensive, and easy to cook with.

Ready-to-eat products

As with most products, this oil is used to prevent the product from sticking or to improve its texture and creaminess. Palm oil is a cheaper alternative to sunflower or olive oil.

Prepared baked goods, cookies and ice cream

Palm oil is a stabilizing agent that improves the texture of these products.

Margarine

It's no secret that margarine has fallen out of favor with consumers in recent years. However, if you still buy margarine or eat foods containing margarine, then most likely palm oil is used to make it for its stabilizing qualities. In this case, it is better to give preference to real butter.

Chips and nuts

Nut packs and chips sell at good prices for one reason - palm oil. You can find snacks without palm oil, but you need to carefully read the ingredients.

Palm oil is found not only in food, but also in consumer goods such as deodorants, lipstick, soap, laundry detergent, and toothpaste.

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However, you should not be afraid of it in cosmetics. Nourishing ingredients such as vitamin A, C and E provide antioxidant properties, while the oils even out skin, retain moisture and protect against free radicals.

In other words, palm oil is in a lot of foods, it goes by a lot of names, and it's almost impossible to avoid.

Why add it to food?

There are three main reasons for using vegetable fat. It is used to increase the shelf life of products due to the presence of conditions to retain their properties for a long time.

The oil has a low oxidation state and can withstand high temperatures, therefore maintaining food quality.

Also for adding flavor to products . Contains substances that satisfy the taste buds with a delicate and pleasant creamy taste.

It is also added to increase the nutritional value of foods due to fats.

Ice cream

The favorite delicacy of adults and children is not only cold and sweet, but also quite high in calories.

Where is he not? The choice must begin by studying the composition written on the packaging. Ideally it should be limited to:

But in reality this does not happen.

In addition to auxiliary additives and colorings, ice cream most often contains palmitic acids or vegetable fats, which confirms the presence of palm oil.

If you buy ice cream in a cafe, you can check it in a simple way - rub a piece in your palms, if a film effect remains, it means that the product contains palm oil.

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How to identify palm oil in food

Palm oil is a product obtained from the leaves and fruits of the oil palm tree. It appeared in Russian food products in the 90s, and every year the popularity of its use among various manufacturers became more and more.

Nutritionists and other nutrition experts consider this product to be quite dangerous for the human body. Due to the high melting point, which ranges from 38o to 40o C, palm fat is not processed when it enters the human body. It becomes a kind of plasticine, begins to accumulate on the walls of our blood vessels, clogs the body, provokes weight gain and can cause the development of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Palm oil is a cheap product. Thanks to this low cost, it is used in the production of various food products. This vegetable fat is added to milk, cheese, cream, butter, ice cream, cottage cheese, yoghurts, condensed milk, etc. It is often and happily used in the confectionery industry. The lion's share of sweets, chocolate, pastries, cakes and cookies lying on store shelves is “contaminated” with palm oil.

In addition to its low cost, it has several more unique properties:

- significantly increases the shelf life of products; -improves taste. Unscrupulous manufacturers successfully take advantage of these properties, not always indicating the exact wording in the ingredients. But you can fight this. There are ways to independently find harmful “palm” in the products you buy.

How to determine the presence of palm oil at home

First, read the label. If you see “vegetable fats” in a product, it most likely means palm oil. Natural high-quality raw materials cannot be cheap. Therefore, if you are going to buy butter for 40-60 rubles per package, be prepared for the fact that this butter is made from low-value vegetable fat. Cheese is cheaper than 400 rubles per kilo or a glass of ice cream costs less than 30 rubles. also raise suspicions. Pay attention to the title. All kinds of variations, such as “dairy product” or “cheese product”, “cheese”, “sour cream”, “cottage cheese” or “curd mass”, “mayonnaise sauce”, “condensed milk” or “condensed milk”, etc., probably say that this is an unclean product. In general, the word “product” on the label is a signal of replacing milk fat with vegetable fat. The surprisingly long shelf life of the product also indicates the presence of "palm".

How to identify palm oil in butter

- heat it to 37°C and monitor the process: the natural butter will melt completely and a white foam and film will remain on its surface; the product with the addition of vegetable raw materials at this temperature will not melt completely, small solid inclusions will remain;

- analyze your taste sensations: when eating a sandwich with pseudo-butter, your teeth will seem to “get stuck” in it, real butter will not leave a feeling of plaque on your tongue and teeth;

- remove the package of butter from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature: while the natural product will become soft, the butter with added vegetable fat will remain hard;

- if the butter that was in the refrigerator breaks or crumbles when cut, we can definitely say that the butter was made with the addition of palm oil;

when cutting a creamy-vegetable hybrid, you can see specks on the cut - this is due to recrystallization of vegetable fat during storage;

- look for GOST. On packages with 100% butter there is GOST R 52969-2008.

How to determine palm oil in cheese at home

— semi-hard cheeses made using plant raw materials either stick to the knife or break and crumble when cut;

- leave a piece of cheese in the room for a while: if your semi-hard cheese has thickened and is covered with oil drops, then you are about to eat fake cheese;

— palm-containing processed cheeses have a sugary creamy taste, and when left outside the refrigerator they become weathered, become hard and crack;

— cheeses containing palm oil may taste like “soap”;

— GOST R 52686-2006, indicated on the packaging, practically guarantees the absence of vegetable oils.

How to identify palm oil in ice cream

— take a small spoon of ice cream in your hands and rub it between your palms: if you feel a filmy feeling on your hands, there are additives in the ice cream;

- let your dessert melt: a real dairy product becomes soft, but retains its shape (in the photo below), a palm delicacy takes a long time to melt and eventually becomes a clear liquid;

— natural ice cream is marked with GOST R 52175-2003.

How to determine palm oil in milk, fermented baked milk, kefir

- artificial milk has the property of not spoiling for a long time, being in the heat, and having spoiled, it does not change at all in appearance;

- milk, even with a low percentage of fat content, should not be blue;

— an indicator of the quality of milk is the appearance of a layer of cream on the surface.

In fact, vegetable oils are extremely rarely added to milk, kefir and fermented baked milk. It is difficult and unprofitable.

How to identify palm oil in sour cream and cottage cheese

- you ate a spoonful of sour cream or cottage cheese and felt a greasy film in your mouth, which means you came across a product with a milk fat substitute;

— natural sour cream begins to thicken in the refrigerator, pseudo sour cream does not have this possibility;

- if you don’t put a plate of natural cottage cheese in the refrigerator in time, it will begin to sour, but at the same time retain its color, and if a yellow crust appears, the product becomes weathered, but the taste and smell are preserved, know that you are dealing with a “palm tree”;

- for real cottage cheese the law is GOST R 52096-2003, for sour cream - GOST R 52092-2003.

How to determine palm oil in condensed milk

- look at the composition of the product: there are flavors, stabilizers or some other components, except for the obligatory milk and sugar, therefore, herbal additives are still present. The thing is that when palm oil is added, condensed milk begins to taste bitter and to mask this, manufacturers resort to taste improvers.

- GOST R 53436-2009 was not found on the can, which means there is a deceptive product inside. And be careful with boiled condensed milk, here the percentage of deception is very high, its indicators reach the level of 95%.

And finally, try to follow the latest research from nutritionists, consumer rights societies, and the media. Remember and make your list of reliable and decent manufacturers. And then you have a great chance to emerge victorious from the fat war.

Material prepared by Yaroslava Baraukhina

https://healthabc.net/kak-opredelit-palmovoe-maslo-v-produktax-pitaniya.html

Oil

Which one to choose? Vegetable oil and butter are most often used for preparing various dishes. If you watch what you eat and don’t chase cheapness, carefully study everything that is written on the package or label. First of all, you need to pay attention to:

• name (must be oil, not a vegetable-cream mixture, product or analogue);
• composition (ideally milk and cream);
• fat content (must be above 70 percent);
• price (good oil cannot cost 30 rubles, a quality product starts at 80 rubles for a standard package);
• compliance with GOST (do not confuse with technical specifications - TU).