About Palm Oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp of the fruit of the oil palms, primarily the African oil palm Elaeis guineensis, and to a lesser extent from the American oil palm Elaeis oleifera and the maripa palm Attalea maripa.
How factories are deploying AI on production lines
... Prof Brintrup leads the Institute for Manufacturing s Supply Chain AI Lab, which has developed its own predictive mechanism to identify where ingredients such as Palm Oil may have been used in a product, but disguised under a different name on its label...
'This could be the holy grail to replace palm oil' - research team
...A Scottish research team believe they may have produced the " holy grail" alternative to Palm Oil...
Fourteen days across the Atlantic, perched on a ship's rudder
... " Perched next to Friday on the rudder of the tanker was Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, a Pentecostal minister, businessman and father of two whose peanut and Palm Oil farm had washed away in the devastating floods that hit Nigeria last year...
Have we had our fill of fake meat?
... " Added ingredients such as Palm Oil, coconut oil and salt will reduce its nutritional quality, increasing saturated fat and salt content, " she said...
CPTPP: UK agrees to join Asia's trade club but what is it?
... And it is conceding to lower tariffs on imports of Malaysian Palm Oil - which has been blamed for aiding deforestation...
Climate change: World way off target to end deforestation
... A moratorium on logging in new Palm Oil plantations was made permanent in 2019, while efforts to monitor and limit fires have been stepped up...
Using pig fat as green jet fuel will hurt planet, experts warn
... But experts fear scarcity will force other industries to use more Palm Oil - a huge generator of carbon emissions...
Lab-grown alternatives aim to cut palm oil dependence
...By Katherine LathamReportingIt was landing at Singapore s international airport a decade ago that sparked Shara Ticku s idea to create a lab-grown alternative to Palm Oil...
'This could be the holy grail to replace palm oil' - research team
A Scottish research team believe they may have produced the " Holy Grail " alternative to Palm Oil .
It is estimated that almost half of All food and cosmetic products on supermarket shelves contain Palm Oil .
The huge demand has led to significant deforestation in areas where oil Palm Trees can grow near the equator.
Food experts at Queen Margaret University (QMU) in Edinburgh say their new 100% plant-based ingredient is 70% better for The Environment .
And with 80% less Saturated Fat and 30% fewer calories, they are also hailing PALM-ALT as a significantly healthier option.
Catriona Liddle, one of The Lead developers on the QMU team, Said : " It's the Holy Grail to replace it and still have exactly the Same End Result in Product - to taste the Same and have the texture the Same - and we've done that.
" We've put it through some special sensory testing to see if a panel can tell the difference between our Product and traditional palm shortening, and they can't. "
What is Palm Oil and why is it thought to be bad?It is cheap to make and there are lots of other reasons it is used in food and other products instead of alternative oils.
But The Way some Palm Oil is made is causing serious damage to The Environment .
Palm Oil comes from the fruit of the African oil palm. It is in lots of products we use - from toiletries such as shampoos and soap, to cereals and Biscuits .
Environmentalists argue that the farming of oil Palm Trees is extremely bad for The Planet .
Deforestation is when forests and trees are cut down to clear The Land to use it for Something Else .
Palm Oil production is Said to have been responsible for about 8% of The World 's deforestation between 1990 and 2008.
This is because forests are burned to clear areas where people can grow Oil Palms - Even if it is illegal.
Burning forests like this destroys the places where plants and wildlife live, meaning the area has less biodiversity.
Species such as orangutans, rhinos, elephants and tigers can be affected.
The new PALM-ALT Product is described as having a mayonnaise-style consistency.
It is palm and coconut-free and has no added flavourings, sugar, sweeteners, preservatives or colourings.
It is made from a by-Product from the linseed industry, plus natural fibre and rapeseed oil.
Palm Oil remains The World 's most-produced Vegetable Oil , accounting for 40% of the total,
It is hugely popular with food and cosmetics firms because it is so useful. Odourless, tasteless and colourless, it does not alter The Smell , taste or look of products.
Instead, it adds a smooth texture, and works as a natural preservative. And it maintains its properties under high temperatures, also Making It ideal for cooking with.
It is used in everything from chocolate to shampoo, pizza, toothpaste and deodorant.
The use of The Land for Palm Oil cultivation, 85% of which is in Indonesia and Malaysia, has increased
In financial terms, one report valued the worldwide Palm Oil industry And such is the continuing growth in demand, this figure is expected to increase to $75. 7bn by 2028.
Catriona Liddle told BBC Radio's programme: " For the Food Industry , Palm Oil is used as a fat but it gives you texture and good shelf-life.
" Particularly in baking products, it's almost an irreplaceable ingredient because it's so functional. "
Irreplaceable Until Now ?But could that be about to The Change , with the QMU team having an international patent for PALM-ALT pending and discussions set to begin with prospective manufacturers.
" We've started off with bakery products - Bread , cakes, Biscuits - All the things that everybody loves to eat but are not terribly healthy for us, " Ms Liddle Said .
" We've created a Product that is over 80% less Saturated Fat and 30% less calories, so it's a significantly healthier Product than Palm Oil itself.
" It's also about 70% better for The Environment in terms of carbon emissions.
" Now we're looking at having discussions with people to manufacture The Product , so it's really exciting for us. "
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com
Palm oil Photos
