Palm oil is the worst quality among vegetable oils. It contains trans fatty acids, which is not good for human health if consumed for a long time. The saturated fatty acid content of palm oil exceeds 50, and its nutritional quality is worse than lard. When the temperature is lowered, it will condense into a white solid like lard.
Although, palm oil is the second largest edible oil in the world after soybean oil, and it is also the cheapest cooking oil in the international market. However, we rarely use it for cooking in our daily life. The main reason is that palm oil contains a large amount of saturated fatty acids, namely palmitic acid and stearic acid. The total fat content can reach more than 50, which is harmful to the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems. Therefore, if it is consumed as daily cooking oil, the harm to the body can be imagined.
Applications of palm oil in food
Although palm oil is not used as daily edible oil, it may be contained in many foods. Such as fried foods, instant noodles, potato chips, biscuits, snacks, hydrogenated oil, blended oil, etc.
The reason why palm oil is used as an important oil in these foods is that hydrogenated vegetable oil is more harmful and is not recognized by consumers. In order to increase sales, many manufacturers will use palm oil; on the other hand, palm oil contains a large amount of saturated fatty acids, is resistant to high temperatures, has a high smoke point, and is suitable for high-temperature frying of food, which is a characteristic that ordinary vegetable oils do not have.
Furthermore, palm oil is also semi-solid and solid at room temperature, which is more beneficial to maintaining a stable shape and crispy taste of food. Therefore, palm oil is widely used in many processed foods.
In view of the high content of saturated fatty acids in palm oil and its potential risk for cardiovascular diseases, it is recommended that everyone eat more fresh and hygienic foods and eat less highly processed foods. There is no beauty or evil in anything, and if it goes too far, it will lead to disaster. Tasting and stopping is the way to health!
Reference for the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Palm Oil