Palm Oil In India And Its Health Effects
Oil palm is a crop that flourishes in the same regions as some of the world's most precious rainforests and appears in many food and household products.
Palm oil has emerged as the main global source of vegetable oil, forming nearly 33 per cent of the world's production mix. Palm oil is in nearly everything – it's in close to 50% of the packaged products we find in supermarkets, everything from pizza, doughnuts and chocolate, to deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste and lipstick. It's also used in animal feed and as a biofuel in many parts of the world
Indian Palm Oil Market
According to WWF, India is the world's largest importer of palm oil, driving 23 per cent of total global demand from plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia. Palm oil is the most consumed edible oil by volume in India, with a share of ~40%, followed distantly by soybean and mustard oils. Palm oil market size in India was valued at USD 5.16 billion in 2015. Increasing demand for edible oils owing to the burgeoning population and improving economic conditions is anticipated to remain the key growth driving factor over the forecast period. Edible oil emerged as the dominant application segment in India. Palm products are widely being utilized as cooking medium in India as there is limited availability of oilseeds, and it's cheaper pricing.
Biochemical Composition of Palm oil
The palm oil mainly contains palmitic acid, which is a saturated fatty acid. Other fatty acids are myristic, stearic, linoleic acid. Palm oil also contains vitamins, antioxidants and other phytonutrients.
Is palm oil bad for you?
Palm oil has a high saturated fat content, which can be harmful to cardiovascular health. However, one study (Odia et al., 2015) found that, when consumed as part of a balanced diet, “Palm oil does not have incremental risk for cardiovascular disease.”
What are saturated fats?
From a chemical standpoint, saturated fats are simply fat molecules that have no double bonds between carbon molecules because they are saturated with hydrogen molecules. Saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature.
How do saturated fats affect health?
Replacing foods that are high in saturated fat with healthier options can lower blood cholesterol levels and improve lipid profile environment effect. To produce palm oil, the fruit is collected from the trees, which can live an average of 28 to 30 years. To keep up with the incredibly high demand for the cheaply produced oil, acres of rainforest are being cut down - leading to a loss of animal habitat for endangered species.
