JAKARTA – Palm oil is a healthy vegetable oil, which is easily digested and absorbed. It enhances food taste and contains nutrients useful for human health, making it the most widely consumed vegetable oil in the world (Calloway and Kurtz, 1956).
The palm oil has been consumed by humans since thousands of years ago. Its long history has proven that it is safe to consume and considered to be one of the healthy sources of foods for global population. (Cottrel, 1991). It is globally consumed as cooking oil, margarines, shortening, spreads, confectionary fats, ice cream, etc., at the level of households and food industries. It is also used as a source of fatty acids, vitamin E, and emulsifiers.
During the last few years, the consumption of palm oil has not only increased but also expanded to all parts of the world. Data from the Oil World (2017) shows that almost all of global population have consumed palm oil in their everyday lives.
The increase of global palm oil consumption has been seen since 2005, exceeding other rival vegetable oils. It seems that the increase of global consumption of palm oil has triggered the intensive negative and black campaigns against the palm oil (PASPI, 2017). The rapid increase of global palm oil consumption was apparently driven by the superiority of palm in its high nutritional content.
In a literature study titled “Palm Oil Advantages and Accusations of Causing Cancer”, PASPI (2017) reveals the results of researches conducted by a number of global nutrition experts. Their researches shows a variety of advantages of palm oil as the source of cooking oil compared to other vegetable oils, such as soybean, sunflower, olive oil, etc.
First, the results of researches conducted by nutrition experts (Cottrel, 1991; Muhilal 1998; Muchtadi, 1998; Haryadi, 2010; Giriwono and Nuri Andarwulan, 2016) shows that palm-based cooking oil has a balanced fatty acid composition, which is 50% saturated fatty acids and 50% unsaturated fatty acids. Such balanced composition makes palm cooking oil more stable, not easily rancid, and not produce free radicals that trigger cancer.
Such ideal composition cannot be found in other vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, which are dominated (85-90%) by unsaturated fatty acids and not stable.
Palm oil has saturated fatty acids in a balanced proportion. The composition of palm oil’s fatty acids consists of 40% of oleic acid (unsaturated fatty acids), 10% linoleic acids (poly-unsaturated fatty acids), 44% palmitic acids (saturated fatty acids), and 4.5% stearic acids (saturated fatty acids).
It means that palm oil has the composition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in a balanced proportion. Its composition of fatty acids is better than other vegetable oils (Wood et.al, 1993; Ng, T.K.W et.al, 1992; Hayes and Khosla 1995; Choudhury and Truswell, 1995).
Second, in the process of making the palm cooking oil, there is no need for the process of hydrogenation because the palm oil has been stable in nature.
Meanwhile, in the process of making cooking oil from other vegetable oils, such as soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, and olive oil, producers need to conduct the process of hydrogenation to make it more stable. But actually, the hydrogenation process produces new compounds, which are trans fatty acids that are potential to trigger cancer, obesity, coronary heart, and alzheimer’s disease (Haryadi, 2010; Giriwono and Nuri Andarwulan, 2016).
Palm oil does not contain trans fatty acids. The composition of palm oil’s fatty acids makes palm oil semi-solid, with melting points ranging from 33 to 39 degrees celcius.
Having such characteristics of melting points, the palm oil can be used for a variety of formulations in its natural forms without the need for the process of hydrogenation (Haryadi, 2010; Giriwono, 2016).
PASPI (2017) found that the hydrogenation process (mainly partial hydrogenation) for increasing solidity of oil will also cause a change of configuration of unsaturated fatty acids from cis to trans.
Clarification of saturated and unsaturated is very potential to be misleading, as not all saturated fatty acids have the same configuration. Naturally, the natural unsaturated fatty acids have the configuration of cis.
But, the process of hydrogenation, especially the partial hydrogenation, will cause the change of configuration of unsaturated fatty acids from cis to trans. The content of trans unsaturated fatty acids in soybean oil that underwent hydrogenation can reach 13-30%.
Third, the palm oil contains very high anti-cancer compounds, which are vitamin A (beta carotine) and vitamin E. Palm oil has the highest content of vitamin E compared to other vegetable oils.
The content of vitamin E in palm oil reaches 1,172 ppm, which is higher than the content of vitamin E in soybean oil (958 ppm), sunflower oil (546 ppm), corn oil (782 ppm), and also other oils (Slover, 1971; Gunstone, 1986; Palm Oil Human Nutrition, 1989).
The Vitamin E functions as natural anti-oxidant and protects cells from early aging process (cellular aging), atherosclerosis and cancer (Walton and Packer, 1980; Hirai et.al, 1982; Cross, 1987; Elson and Qureshi, 1995). Besides having a high content of vitamin E, the palm oil also has a high content of vitamin A compared to other food sources.
The palm oil contains vitamin A at around 5,000 – 6,700 µg per 100 gram, which is 12 times higher than the vitamin A content in carrots or 300 times higher than the content of vitamin A in oranges. Actually, the content of vitamin A is even much higher in red palm oil if compared to other food sources considered as the source of vitamin A, such as carrots, bananas, oranges, etc (Haryadi, 2010).
The vitamin A and E and the essential fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, and stearic acids) have been proven by nutritionists and health experts as beneficial in preventing cancer /tumor, prevention of night blindness, improving human endurance, preventing heart disease and blood vessels, etc.
Considering those three factors, it is clear that in terms of composition of fatty acids, production process and cotents of vitamin A and E, the palm oil does not only improve human health, but also help to overcome various diseases, including heart and cancer.
Conversely, other vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed, and olive oil are potential to cause various diseases, such as cancer. As a matter of fact, the composition of their fatty acids that is not in a balanced proportion and not stable, and their hydrogenation process that produces free radicals, are potential to cause cancer disease. (PASPI, 2017). (*)
