JAKARTA – Most of people perhaps consider the red palm oil as less known and favorable than other tropical vegetable oils like coconut oil and avocado oil. But actually, the red palm oil has started drawing enthusiasm from groups of fanciers.
The red palm oil is produced from the fresh fruit bunches (FFB) of oil palm trees (Elaeis guineensis), which are originated from West Africa, but now mostly grown in Indonesia, Malaysia and other several tropical countries. Before being processed, the palm oil has the color of dark red due to its contents of beta carotene, red-orange pigment that gives special color to carrots.
The more popular version of palm oil is the refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil, which is widely sold in supermarkets. This popular version of palm oil is tasteless, no smell, with the color of light yellow. This version has been used in almost all food products on sale in supermarkets, making it the most versatile vegetable oil in the world.
The red palm oil has a pungent taste and smell that makes people need some time to accustom to. Its color, taste, and smell are the factors that make it less favorable for many people. But the red palm oil, which has a very bright color and strong aroma, has health benefits.
The red palm oil is less purified if compared to the popular version of palm oil. As a result, the red palm oil retains its richness in nutrition that makes it better alternative in providing health benefits.
The red palm oil contains 50% saturated fatty acids, 40% unsaturated fatty acids, and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids. The organicfacts.net quoted data from USDA that a spoon (14 grams) of red palm oil contains 126 calories. The red palm oil is one of the richest source of natural carotene, such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lycopene. The beta carotene is the pre-cursor of vitamin A and the red palm oil is the source of the vitamin A. The palm oil is also rich in sterols and vitamin E, which make it good to be used in the skin care products.
The red palm oil gets serious enthusiasm from international consumers in 2013 after Dr. Oz, a cardiac surgeon turned television figure, claimed that the red palm oil is one of the most nutritious vegetable oils ever available.
He also said that its carotenoid antioxidants and tocotrienol contents have given the red palm oil a significant advantage over the coconut oil.
Following are health benefits you can get from the red palm oil:
- Boost heart health
The red palm oil can provide a significant advantage for heart health. Researchers have found that the antioxidant effect from the vitamin E and carotenoid of red palm oil helps prevent atherosclerosis or constriction of blood vessels.
- Boost brain health
Besides the heart health, the red palm oil also provides health benefits for brain. Its vitamin E can reduce or stop the development of dementia and Alzheimer disease due to brain lesions. It is because the vitamin E from the red palm oil protect the brain from free radicals that can damage neurons.
- Boost eye health
Studies have shown that more red palm oil in foods can help absorb vitamin A and other fat soluble vitamins more effectively. If you have cystic fibrosis or other conditions that cause difficulty to absorb fat, adding red palm oil to your foods can significantly increase the content of vitamin A. The vitamin A is also good for eye health, and reduce the risks of eye problems. (*)
Source: Merdeka.com
