Description

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about *3% of global oils produced from oil crops in ***4.
 

Palm oil comes from the fleshy fruit of oil palms. Unrefined palm oil is sometimes referred to as red palm oil because of its reddish-orange color.
 

The main source of palm oil is the Elaeis guineensis tree, which is native to West and Southwest Africa. Its use in this region dates back more than 5,**0 years.

A similar oil palm known as Elaeis oleifera is found in South America, but its rarely grown commercially. However, a hybrid of the two plants is sometimes used in palm oil production.

It is important to note that palm oil should not be confused with palm kernel oil.

While both originate from the same plant, palm kernel oil is extracted from the seed of the fruit. It provides different health benefits.