RBD Palm Oil 36/39 RBD Palm Stearin Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil

Palm oil is the most traded vegetable oil in the world today. Having a naturally semi solid charcteristic at room temperature with a specific origin melting point between 36°C to 39°C, it does not require hydrogenation for use as a food ingredient. With a balanced ratio of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids it results in an edible oil that is suitable for use in a variety of food applications.

RBD Palm Stearin is the more solid fraction obtained by fractionation of palm oil after crystallization at controlled temperatures. It is thus a co product of palm olein and is always traded at a discount to palm oil and palm olein making it a cost effective ingredient in several applications. The physical characteristics of palm stearin differ significantly from those of palm oil and it is available in a wider range of melting points and iodine values.

Hydrogenation is widely applied to the processing of vegetable oils and fats. It converts unsaturated fatty acids to saturated ones which results in the conversion of liquid vegetable oils to solid or semi-solid fats, such as those present in margarine.

Changing the degree of saturation of the fat changes some important physical properties such as the melting point, which is why liquid oils become semi-solid. Semi-solid fats are preferred for baking because the way the fat mixes with flour produces a more desirable texture in the baked product.