Nutritional Properties of Palm

Oil and Minor Components

DR KANGA RANI SELVADURAY

MALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARD

POFP 2017

Le Meridian Putrajaya

21 August 2017

INTRODUCTION TO PALM OIL

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF PALM OIL

CONCLUSIONS

PALM PHYTONUTRIENTS

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

ANATOMY OF OIL PALM FRUIT

Mesocarp:

Palm Oil (PO)

Shell

Kernel:

Palm Kernel Oil

(PKO)

Palm Kernel

Composition of crude palm oil

Triglycerides (TAG) 90%

Diglycerides (DAG) 4.7%

Monoglycerides (MAG) 0.8% Free Fatty Acid (FFA) 3.5%

Phytonutrients 1%

• Enhances palatability and satiety of foods

• Assists in determining the consistency,

texture, mouthfeel and the melting

behaviour

• Acts as a cooking medium

• Macronutrient concentrated source of energy (9 kcal/g)

• Source of essential fatty acids (EFA)

• Carrier for the A,D,E,K vitamins

• Essential for healthy skin and tissues

• Functioning of nerve cells and brain

• Functioning of steroid hormones (to regulate body

process)

• Mainly made up of triglycerides

• Fatty acids esterified to a glycerol backbone

• Fatty acids differ in structure (chain length

and bonding)

Fatty Acids• Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) have no double bonds between

the individual carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain.

• Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) have one double bondin the fatty acid chain and all of the remainder of the carbonatoms in the chain are single-bonded.

• Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) contain more than one double bond in their carbon chain

TOTAL FATTY ACID COMPOSITION

OF OILS & FATS

0 20 40 60 80 100

rapeseed

high oleicsunflower

olive

soybean

groundnut

lard

palm olein

cocoa butter

%

SFA

MUFA

PUFA

Ong and Goh 2002 FNB

PALM OIL APPLICATIONS IN FOOD & BAKING SECTOR

THE UNIQUENESS OF PALM OIL

based on

SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE

NUTRITIONAL RESEARCH

ON PALM OIL

• Great strides have been made over the last 25 years in elucidating a number of the health benefits of palm oil and its fractions

• Malaysia has funded numerous nutritional research on palm oil at centers of excellence both locally and abroad

• This has resulted in over 200 publications in high impact peer-reviewed journals

OVERVIEW OF PALM OIL LIPID NUTRITION

RESEARCH

13

1981-1990Animal and human studies on atherosclerosis, thrombosis, lipidemia(N=16)

1991-2000 Animal and human studies on Palm oil, fatty acids, hydrogenation, CVD

(N=26)

2001-2010

Human studies on lipid metabolism, sn-2, inflammation, CHD

(N=21)

2011-2016

Human studies on lipid metabolism, sn-2, lipidomics, red palm oil

(N=21)

Palm oil is beneficial in lowering lipoprotein(a)

which is associated with cardiovascular disease

Comparison of palm olein with

monounsaturated edible oils

(rapeseed, canola and olive

oils) has shown that plasma

LDL-C were not elevated by

palm olein

HUMAN STUDIES ON LONG TERM INTAKE:

PALM OIL/ OLEIN VS UNSATURATED OILS

REFERENCES:

1. Ng et al., 1992 J. Am Coll. Nutr.

2. Truswell et al., 1992 Nutr. Res.

3. Choudhury et al., 1995 AJCN

4. Sundram et al., 1995 J. Nutr. Biochem.

Groundnut/ Peanut Oil

5. Ghafoorunissa et al., 1995 Lipids

6. Zhang et al., 1997 Asia Pacific J. Clin. Nutr.

7. Voon et al., 2011 AJCN

8. MPOB Unpublished Data 2015

Canola Oil

Palm olein and olive oil have similar beneficial effects

on blood cholesterol

CHRONIC PALM OLEIN STUDIES:

PALM OLEIN VS MUFA OILS

Choudhury N, Tan L, Truswell S. 1995 AJCN

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

TC LDL-C HDL-C LDL-C/HDL-C

Palm olein Olive oil

Palm olein and olive oil have similar

beneficial effects on blood cholesterol

CHRONIC PALM OLEIN STUDIES:

PALM OLEIN VS MUFA OILS

Voon et al. 2011 AJCNNg et al. 1992 AJCN

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

TC LDL-C HDL-C LDL-C/HDL-C

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

TC LDL-C HDL-C LDL-C/HDL-C

Palm olein Olive oil

Wood et al. 1993 J Nutr Biochem

CHRONIC PALM OLEIN STUDIES:

PALM OLEIN VS MUFA OILS

Palm olein is comparable with sunflower oil on lipid profile

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

Apo-A1 Apo-B0

1

2

3

4

5

6

TC HDL LDL TAG

Baseline sunflower oil

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

TC HDL LDL TAG

Baseline 80% palm oil + 20% sunflower oil

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

Apo-A1 Apo-B

CHRONIC PALM OLEIN STUDIES:

PALM OLEIN VS MUFA OILS

Ghafoorunissa et al. 1995 Lipids

Palm olein is comparable with groundnut oil on lipid profile

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

TC HDL LDL TAG

groundnut oil palm olein

mg/dL

Stonehouse et al. 2015 Atherosclerosis

STUDIES ON SHORT TERM INTAKE:

PALM OLEIN VS MUFA OILS

LATEST ARTICLE:

PALM OIL BEHAVES SIMILARLY TO OLIVE OIL

Palm

PeanutRapeseed

Olive

Sunflower

PALM OIL/ OLEIN VS UNSATURATED OILS

=

√

√

√ √

Ong and Goh, 2002. Food Nutr Bull., Vol. 23, no. 1, The United Nations University

Food Nutr Bull, 2002 Mar:23(1):11-22

Palm oil: a healthful and cost-effective dietary component

A.S.H. Ong and S.H. Goh

Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Abstract:

Palm oil is an excellent choice for food manufacturers

because of its nutritional benefits and versatility. The oil is

highly structured to contain predominantly oleic acid at

sn2-position in the major triacylglycerols to account for the

beneficial effects described in numerous nutritional

studies.

METABOLISM OF TAG

sn-2 C18:1

GL

YC

ER

OL

BA

CK

BO

NE

sn-3C16:0

Lipase

Lipase

sn-1C16:0

Intestine cells

Choo and Nesaretnam 2014 Eur. J. Lipid Sci. Technol. C16:0 = Saturated fatty acids

C18:1 = Unsaturated fatty acids

TOTAL FATTY ACID COMPOSITION

OF OILS & FATS

0 20 40 60 80 100

rapeseed

high oleicsunflower

olive

soybean

groundnut

lard

palm olein

cocoa butter

%

SFA

MUFA

PUFA

Ong and Goh 2002 FNB

sn-2 FATTY ACID COMPOSITION

0 20 40 60 80 100

rapeseed

high oleic…

olive

soybean

groundnut

lard

palm olein

cocoa butter

%

SFA

MUFA

PUFA

Ong and Goh 2002 FNB; Sanders et al. 2011 AJCN

27

CHAPTER 10 OF WHO REPORT:

FAT AND FATTY ACID INTAKE AND METABOLIC EFFECTS

IN THE HUMAN BODY

‘There is possible evidence to suggest that the TC and LDL-C raising effects of

palmitic acid are lower for vegetable than animal sources because it is present

predominantly in the sn-1 and sn-3 position as opposed to sn-2 position as in

animal fats such as lard (Ng et al.,1992; Choudhury et al., 1995; Zhang et al.,

1997)

References cited: Ng et al 1992 JACN; Choudhury et al. 1995 AJCN; Zhang et al. 1997 APJCN

Multi-country study on the effect of positional

distribution of fatty acids on the triglyceride backbone

on lipid profile and fat deposition

29

Australia

On-going

China

On-going

Malaysia

On-goingIndia

In discussion

United

Kingdom

On-going

In the late 1950s, Ancel

Keys postulated that fats

cause heart disease and

saturated fats raise cholesterol levels

Often referred to as the

lipids theory or diet-heart

theory, it became widely

accepted.

However, current evidence

shows otherwise

SATURATED FAT AND HEALTH

In the late 1950s, Keys “proved”

that fats cause heart disease and

saturated fats raise cholesterol

levels

Often referred to as the

lipids theory or diet-heart

theory, has become so

widely accepted that most

people today take for

granted that it is absolutely

true

Is this still valid ?

Saturated Fats and Health

Skeaff (2009)

SATURATED FATTY ACID INTAKE DOES NOT

INCREASE CHD EVENT AND DEATH

Numerous clinical studies have shown that saturated fatty

acid intake does not increase cardiovascular heart

disease event and death

Siri-Tarino et al. AJCN (2010)

This meta-analysis of prospective

epidemiologic studies showed

there is NO significant evidence

for concluding that dietary

saturated fat is associated with

increased risk of CVD or CHD

Astrup et al. (2011)

No association between

intakes of SFA and CVD. There

is insufficient evidence to

judge the effect on CVD risk

on replacing SFA with MUFA

Mozaffarian (2011)

Modern nutritional evidence

simply does not support a

major effect of saturated fat

on CHD risk

Chowdhury et al. (2014)

Current evidence does not clearly support current dietary guidelines for high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats

Mounting evidence - Saturated fat intake is not associated

with heart disease.

An unintended consequence of a low-fat diet may be

increased carbohydrate intake, which could actually raise

heart disease risk compared with a higher fat intake.

Found no association between saturated fats and health

outcomes related to all cause mortality, CVD, CHD, stroke

and type 2 diabetes.

On the other hand, trans fats were correlated with all

cause mortality and CHD mortality as well as total CHD.

de Souza et al. (2015)

PALM OLEIN VS TRANS FATS

HYDROGENATION

Hydrogenation

Trans Fatty Acid

Margarine

LiquidSolid

Trans Fatty Acids

There is convincing evidence that TFA from commercial

PHVO increase CHD risk factors and CHD events, more so

than thought previously.

There also is probable evidence of an increased risk of

fatal CHD and sudden cardiac death in addition to an

increased risk of metabolic syndrome components and

diabetes.

……. This could well lead to the need to remove partially

hydrogenated fats and oils from the human food supply.

TFA Reduction in Margarine

• Margarine formulations to reduce TFA (< 1%, < 2%)

• Not increase SAFA beyond 30%

• Palm oil remains functionally desirable

CHRONIC PALM OLEIN STUDIES:

PALM OLEIN VS TRANS FATS

Sundram et al. 1992 BJN

Palm oil, when replacing a major part of the normal fat

content in a Dutch diet (hydrogenated and animal fats), may

slightly improve the lipid profile

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

TC LDL HDL1 HDL 2 HDL3

Baseline

Control (Dutch diet)

Palm oil

mmol/l

Pedersen et al

2005 APJCN

Palm oil has a more favourable effect on the

fibrinolytic system (anti-coagulation)

compared to partially hydrogenated soybean

oil.

CHRONIC PALM OLEIN STUDIES:

PALM OLEIN VS TRANS FATS

Sundram et al. 1997 J Nutr

CHRONIC PALM OLEIN STUDIES:

PALM OLEIN VS TRANS FATS

Trans fat increased total

cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and

lipoprotein (a) and decreased HDL

cholesterol compared to the palm

olein diet 0

5

10

15

20

Lp(a)

mg/dL

0

0.5

1

1.5

APO A-I APO B APO B/A-I

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

TC LDL-C HDL-C LDL-C/HDL-C TAG

Habitual TFA MUFA Palm olein Lauric+Myristicmmol/l

Muller et al. 1998 BJN

CHRONIC PALM OLEIN STUDIES:

PALM OLEIN VS TRANS FATS

Palm olein diet increased HDL

cholesterol compared to trans fats diet

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

TC LDL-C HDL-C LDL-C/HDL-C TAG

mm

ol/L

Baseline

PALM-diet

TRANS-diet

PUFA-diet

OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF

PALM OIL

49

OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF COOKING OILS

POo: Palm Olein

SFO: Sunflower Oil

CNO: Canola Oil

CSO: Cottonseed Oil A.H. Ahmad Tarmizi & R. Ismail (2014)

Food Science & Nutrition

Stability of oils after 56 hours of fryingO

xid

ative S

tabili

ty,

h

51

PALM OIL AND CARCINOGENESIS

Fin

al T

um

our

Incid

ence %

Sylvester et al. 1986 Cancer Res.

Sundram et al. 1989 Cancer Res.

No

. o

f C

um

ula

tive

Tu

mo

urs

PALM OIL AS A COOKING OIL

PALM

PHYTONUTRIENTS

OVERVIEW OF PALM PHYTONUTRIENT RESEARCH

54

1981-1990

Animal studies on palm oil vitamin E and carcinogenesis, carotenes (N=7)

1991-2000

in vitro and Animal studies on cancer using Tocotrienols and carotenes (N=28)

2001-2010

in vitro, Animal and human studies on mechanisms of tocotrienols, carotenes in diseases and palm phenolics(N=35)

2011-2016

in vitro, Animal and human clinical studies on phytonutrients and various diseases (N=31)

MAJOR PHYTONUTRIENTS IN PALM OIL

Phytonutrients Concentration (ppm)

Vitamin E (tocotrienols, tocopherols) 600-1000

Carotenoids

(α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, phytoene)

500-700

Phytosterol

(Sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol)

300-620

Squalene 250-540

Lecithin (Phospholipids) 20-100

Co-enzyme Q10 / Ubiquinones 10-80

Polyphenols

(phenolic acids, flavonoids)

40-70

Source : Choo et.al., 2008

• Lipid-soluble vitamin E accounts for less than 1% of

total palm oil content

• Vitamin E important in preserving oil stability, shelf-life,

contributing to the health benefit of dietary PO

consumption

• Vitamin E in palm oil - 70 % tocotrienols

- 30 % tocopherols

PALM VITAMIN E

VITAMIN E STRUCTURE

ppm

VITAMIN E CONTENT IN FATS AND OILS

Choo et al. 2005 Lipids; Sundram et al. 1989. Cancer Res; Nesaretnam et al. 2008 Cancer Lett

-80 120 320 520 720 920 1120

Palm Oil

Cottonseed Oil

Soybean oil

Cocoa Butter

Coconut Oil

Lard

Tocopherols

Tocotrienols

Palm Kernel Oil

Olive Oil

Peanut Oil

Sunflower Oil

Corn Oil

59

Cardiovascular

preventionAnti-inflammation Antioxidant Radioprotection

Cancer prevention Neuroprotection Skin protection

Immune boosterHormone regulator

Bone protection

Health Benefits of Palm Tocotrienols

61

• Crude palm oil contains 500-700 ppmcarotenoids

• richest source of biologically active carotrenoids• 13 types of carotenoids are found in crude palm

oil.• The major ones are:

• β-carotene• α-carotene• lycopene• phytoene• phytofluene

Palm Carotenoids

• Red palm oil contains carotenes e.g. α-carotene, β-carotene,

lycopene and the same nutrients that give tomatoes, carrots,

fruits, vegetables their rich colours.

• Contains 13 other carotenes, tocopherols and tocotrienols,

CoQ10, phytosterols, glycolipids.

Red palm oil has been cold –

pressed and bottled for use as

cooking oil, blended into

mayonnaise and salad oil

because of their purported

health benefits.

RED PALM OIL

Bakery Fats Natural

Colorants

Functiona

l Food

Carrier

Cooking/salad

oil

Animal Fat

replacement

Substrate for

Neutraceutic

als

Food Applications of Red Palm Oil

64

Carotenoids

Pro-vitamin A activity

Prevention of cardiovascular diseases

Immuno-enhancement

Prevention of macular degeneration

Decrease risk of cataract formation

Inhibition of cancer

Health Promoting Properties of Palm Carotenes

Prevalence of low serum retinol levels before and after 5 months of interventionPREVENTION OF VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY

Red Palm

Oil

Intervention

Study in

Malaysia

Red Palm Oil Supplementation in School

Children

67

China

Competed

Malaysia

On going

India

In discussion

OTHER PHYTONUTRIENTS IN PALM OIL

Co-Enzyme Q10

Natural coenzyme in palm oil – also known as ubiquinone

Benefits:

Powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger.

Vital role in the mitochondrial electron transport chain

Exhibit membrane stabilizing properties.

Treatment for cardiovascular ailments

Anticancer effects

Squalene

A valuable triterpene -found in shark liver oil

It is present in trace amounts in palm oil

Benefits:

Oxygen transmitter

Cardiovascular Benefits

Anti-cancer effects

Phytosterols

Major Phytosterols

sitosterol

campesterol

stigmasterol

Benefits :

• Cholesterol lowering effect

• Inhibition of cholesterol absorption

Anticancer properties

Immune functions

• Palm fruits an inexpensive source of phenolic

antioxidants.

• It is water-soluble components of palm oil.

• The major palm phenolics (OPP):

• p-hydroxybenzoic

• cinnamic, ferulic

• coumaric acids

• flavonoid rutin hydrate

PALM PHENOLICS

BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF OIL PALM PHENOLICS

• Antioxidant

• Anti microbial

• Anti inflammatory

• Anti cancer

• Anti diabetic

• Anti hypertensive

• Anti atherogenic

• Anti obesity

• Anti spasmodic

• Anti thrombotic

• Anti allergenic

• Anti ulcer

•Memory enhancing confirmed

In vitro, cell culture

whole animal

and

microarray studies70

• The Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Health Organisation have endorsed palm oil as meeting food standards under Codex AlimentariusCommission Programme

• Palm oil is a very important food source and provides needed energy to the world population.

• It has a wide range of applications in the food industry without the presence of trans fat.

• The unique fatty acid composition of palm oil makes it a nutritious yet functional oil in various food applications

CONCLUSIONS

• Palm oil with high monounsaturation at sn-2 position behaves like monounsaturated oils e.g. olive oil, canola oil and groundnut oil.

• Evidence has been obtained to suggest that dietary palm oil reduces the risk parameters to cardiovascular diseases.

• The phytonutrients are additional health benefits to the oil.

• There is increasing evidence to show that there is no association between saturated fat intake and CVD

CONCLUSIONS

The unique fatty acid composition and natural antioxidants confer:

• Good oxidative stability – long shelf life

• Excellent thermal stability – perfect for shallow and deep frying

CONCLUSIONS