Since the dawn of time, man has relied on plants for food. One plant, the oil palm, is a particularly rich source of edible oil. In fact, the highest yield of any vegetable oil corp is obtained from the fruit of this palm, which is known scientifically as Elaeis guineensis.

The history of palm oil can be traced back to the days of the Egyptian pharaohs some 5000 years ago. The oils must have come to Egypt from West Africa, where Elaeis guineensis is native.

Around the beginning of the 20th century, the oil palm was brought to Malaya as an ornamental plant. Only in 1917 was the first commercial planting made. What followed, dramatically shaped the Malaysian palm oil industry. Today, Malaysia is the largest producer and exporter of palm oil in the world.

Oil palm is a perennial corp. It bears fruit within 2 to 3 years from planting and is commercially viable for up to 25 years. Each hectare of oil palm can yield up to 5 tonnes of oil per year, which is five to ten times more than any other commercially grown corp.

The oil palm fruit can be processed to produce two different kinds of oil. From the flesh (mesocarp), palm oil isextracted, while the seed or kernel yileds palm kernel oil. each fruit yileds about nine partsof palm oil is the richest known natural source of beta carotene, the pro-vitamin A. It also ha a high content of both the tocopherol and tocotrienol varieties of vitamin E.

Palm oil balanced composition of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids couple with its high vitamin E content make it a naturally stable oil. The unsaturates are mainly made up of the much favoured monounsaturated oleic acid (40%) while the saturatescomprise 44% palmitic acid and 5% stearic acid. This composition gives palm oil its semi-solid consistency, which provides flecibility in the manufacture of wide variety of food products.

When used to make solid-fat products palm oil need not go through the expensive hydrogenation process. This avoids the formation of unnatural trans fatty acids, which are formed during hydrogenation, and proven to be determental to health.

Palm oil refineries in Malaysia are equipped with state-of-the-art processing facilities. In the oil mill the fruit is sterilizied, stripped and pressed to obtain the crude oil while refining result in a bland, golden yellow oil suited for food application.

Throught a simple fractionation process, liquid olein and solid stearin canbe produced, further extending the versatility of oil plam. the extraction of oil plam by mechanical and physical means, without the need for any solvents, makes it an absolutely natural vegetable oil.

Stringent quality control in mills and refineries, together with quality checks during transportation and handling, ensure a superior oil that meets international specifications.

Rich in betacarotenes
Crude palm oil is considered the richest natural source of carotenoids (about 15 times more than in carrots). Carotenoids are a group of more than 700 compounds (e.g. alpha-carotene, beta-carotene) that produce the red, yellow, and orange colours found in many fruits and vegetables. The human body uses carotenoids as Vitamin A which enhances eye health. Carotenoids also play an important potential role by acting as biological antioxidants, protecting cells and tissues from the damaging effect of free radicals, which could cause cancer. Studies also suggest that carotenoids enhance immune function by a variety of mechanisms, and improve cardiovascular health. Red palm oil is a form of processed palm oil (deacidified and deodorised) which retains 80% of the original carotenoids, making it a remarkable source of Vitamin A.

High in tocotrienols, an antioxidant with other possible health benefits
Natural vitamin E exists in eight different forms or isomers, four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Natural palm oil contains alpha, beta, gamma, and delta-tocopherols and alpha, beta, gamma, and delta-tocotrienols. No other natural source contains this much vitamin E. Tocotrienols in Vitamin E have been found to have many beneficial properties, among them antioxidant and anti-cancer activities. Probably the most important finding in recent research on tocotrienol was its role in inhibiting human breast cancer cells. Tocotrienols have also been demonstrated to lower blood cholesterol levels, by reacting with certain enzymes in the liver which produces cholesterol. Its antioxidant properties bring many benefits to the human body, such as preventing skin aging, preventing fat oxidation, reducing blood pressure and many more.

Other minor nutrients
Palm oil contained about 10% linoleic acid, which is an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. Linoleic acid is one of the two essential fatty acids that humans require. Palm oil also contains small amounts of squalene (possible cholesterol lowering and anti-cancer properties) and ubiquinone (energy booster).