JAKARTA – Do you think palm cooking oil potentially harmful to human health? If you think so, then you should think deeper. Is it because of its ingredients or is it due to how it is used?
Most of cooking oil traded and consumed by Indonesian people is processed from crude palm oil (CPO). Scientifically, palm oil has many advantages due to its nutritional aspects and balance.
Its advantages in physical and chemical properties, such as high rate of oxidative stability, being stable in high temperature, high smoke point, not easily go rancid that makes it last longer time in storage, low oil absorption on foods, odorless, and neutral scent (Hariyadi, 2010; MPOC, 2018) have made the palm cooking oil as the best cooking oil for deep frying and sauteing.
But unfortunately, the palm oil advantages are lost from consumers’ attention because of negative perceptions and myths resulting from negative campaigns by certain groups. Misleading information coupled with media framing had shaped the negative perceptions of global consumers on palm cooking oil as it is considered raising cholesterol that can trigger chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
The negative perception and myth should be corrected with the real facts. Actually, what makes the palm cooking oil harmful to human health is not because of its ingredients, but because of the wrong way in using the palm cooking oil. Repeated use of palm cooking oil at high temperature (160-180 degrees Celsius) triggers oxidation reaction that reduce quality of cooking oil as indicated by its rancid odor, forming free radicals that endanger human health (Ketaren, 1986; Retno, 1995; Husnah and Nurlela, 2020; Sinaga, 2021). The repeated use of palm cooking oil decreases its nutritional value (Zahra et al., 2013).
The above description shows that from the perspective of nutrient content, the palm cooking oil is healthy food. But without the right use, such as the repeated use (Used Cooking Oil), its nutritional value will decrease and potentially detrimental to human health. Therefore, using palm cooking oil appropriately should become a subject of public education, so that the general public can benefit from the advantages of palm cooking oil. (*)
Source: Mitos & Fakta Kelapa Sawit –4th Edition (Mitos 5-13)
