By: María del Pilar Noriega E., PhD, R&D and Innovation Director
Due to their fat composition, high oleic vegetable oils are an attractive
option for various uses, including new applications. The benefits of these high oleic oils are related
to the fact that they contain healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
fats, and have better heat tolerance and stability than conventional oils.
There are distinct types of high oleic oils in the global market, especially in
North America and Europe, includingg canola, soybean, sunflower, and olive. High
demand for these types of oils has supported the emerging high oleic palm oil
(HOPO) market.
The HO palm is an interspecific hybrid named (OxG), i.e., Elaeis Oleifera
x Elaeis Guineensis, grown in Colombia andEcuador (Source: Fedepalma, 2021).
Daabon planted these (OxG) hybrids at our C.I.
Tequendama and Palmatra plantations. The planted area distribution
of the different hybrid varieties in Palmatra is shown in Figure 1. Currently, the HO palm oils are
not segregated by varieties.
Figure 1: Area
distribution of the main hybrid varieties (Data Source: Palmatra)
The (OxG) hybrid has a different profile of fatty acids as shown
graphically in Figure 2.
We have selected three major fatty acids-- palmitic (blue), oleic (red),
and linoleic (yellow) acids for comparison purposes: OxG versus the standard Guineensis
palm oil and its fractions (olein and stearin).
Figure 2:
Different fatty acids profile of palm oils and fractions (Data Source: CI
Tequendama)
Palmitic acid is a saturated long-chain fatty acid (SAFA) found in palm
oil and palm kernel oil (PKO), as well as in milk, dairy products, and meat.
Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) found in olive oil and other animal
and vegetable oils. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA reported that
replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats may reduce the risk of heart
disease. [(2018) https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/health-claim-notification-substitution-saturated-fat-diet-unsaturated-fatty-acids-and-reduced-risk].
Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) essential for the
synthesis of hormones responsible for the regulation of important physiological
processes. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/linolenic-acid]
Figure 2 shows the higher content of oleic fatty acid and the reduction in palmitic
fatty acid of HO palm oils, specifically Crude Palm Oil (CPO), refined, bleached,
and deodorized (RBD) palm oil, and olein. The high oleic CPO is evidencing a
51% oleic acid content, a 33% palmitic content and a 12% linoleic content. The high
oleic RBD is showing a 50% oleic acid content, a 36% palmitic content and a 10%
linoleic content, and the high oleic olein exhibits similar fatty acid contents
and distribution. These are well-balanced fatty acid profiles that are appealing
in the food industry because of their properties and health benefits.
HO palm oils (CPO and RBD) show more liquidity at
room temperature than the standard Guineensis palm oil due to the solid fat
content (SFC) profile, which is lower in solid fats (according to measurements
conducted at C.I. Tequendama) Figure 3.
Figure 3: SFC of CPO Palm Oils (left) and SFC of RBD Palm Oils (right), (CI
Tequendama)
The ideal uses of high oleic palm oil and its olein
in foods are low solid content applications at lower temperatures, deep frying,
dressings, CPO for special nutritional food markets (i.e., rich in tocopherols,
carotenes, squalene), and more applications, such as, vitamin E
supplementation, oxygen scavengers, animal feed, medical soaps, among others.
Acknowledgements: Mag.
Ana Martinez, Mag. Luis Caicedo, and Chem. Eng. Heidi Teran are gratefully
acknowledged.