PALM OIL
   
  HISTORY
  WONDER PALM
  PROCESSING
  HEALTHY PRODUCTS
 
 
History
 
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.
 
   
   
 
WONDER PALM
 
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.
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PROCESSING
 
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.
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HEALTHY PRODUCTS
 
Trans Fatty Acids
Trans fatty acids, or trans fats, are specific type of fats formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. It is found in numerous foods commercially packaged goods, commercially fried food such as French Fries from some fast food chains, other packaged snacks such as microwave popcorn. Undeniably, any packaged goods that contain "partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils" or "hydrogenated vegetable oils" most likely contain trans fats. Trans fats are produced as liquid vegetable oils are heated in the presence of metal catalysts and hydrogen.

Where do trans fats come from? Generally, trans fats exist from partial hydrogenation process which is normally practiced by manufacturers to fight the instability of unsaturated fatty acids. To replace highly saturated lard or butter in cooking manufacturers started to use the healthier vegetable oils in their food production. As liquid vegetable oils are not stable to heat and can go rancid easily, scientists began to "hydrogenate" liquid oils so that they can withstand better in food production process and provide a better shelf life. The partial hydrogenation process involves chemical reactions which result in an addition of hydrogen to the double bond of unsaturated fatty acids chains.

Even though the hydrogenation process will give a good result in stability of vegetable oil based products, it brings very bad consequences to human health. This is because hydrogenation process will result in the formation of trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids will raise the cholesterol level in the bloodstream. It becomes worse when it does not only increase the LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), it also decrease the HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). This will also boost the risk of heart disease and stroke. In addition, strong epidemiological evidence also indicates trans fatty acid intake is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

Health issues have always been a major concern for us in MM Vitaoils (M) Sdn Bhd. Our cooking oil products like Palmas and Serimas are healthy to consume since there is no additive being added. It is also 100% palm oil product which does not undergo the hydrogenation process. The Golden Treat; our in house brand for vegetable ghee is also at no cost of trans fats due to the safe process route without hydrogenation. It is made with 100% palm oil and undergoes a rapid chilling process for solidification.

MM Vitaoils also manufactures other solid fats products like shortening and margarine. All our shortening brands inclusive of Qualitaste, Halal Fats, Qualipour are blends of non hydrogenated palm oil and palm oil fractions which makes them trans free as well. Marvelloso, the industrial margarine and Blossommm, the shelf stable margarine are palm oil based margarines which are also produced from non hydrogenated palm oil and palm oil fractions. Rise & Shine is a refrigerated margarine which has a unique blend of various palm oil fractions and sunflower oil. It also has the American Heart Association (AHA) recommended fatty acid distribution for blood cholesterol reductions.

The excellence and remarkable performance of our products totally lies in our extraordinary unique blending formulas and processing methods. We are constantly improving our research and developments of new and existing products and our secret recipes to ensure that our products are safe, healthy and free from trans fatty acids. On top of that, we also observe our production process from time to time to maintain the best quality of the products that will meet with customer's satisfaction.

Please see also The Trans Fat Dilemma: Health VS Functionalities http://www.mpoc.org.my/main_offreports_nutn_240107_01.asp
 
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).
 
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