Palm oil is an important part of the world’s oils and fats market, accounting for more than 30% of the world’s total oil production. Oil palm is a crop that has been flowering in all seasons and has been harvested for many years. The commercial production of oil palm can last for 25 years!
Affected by factors such as the expansion of global palm oil acreage and the increase in mature palm oil area, global palm oil production continued to increase in 2012, or hit a record high.
At the end of 2012, the domestic palm oil spot market picked up, mainly because the “two-section” demand started to stimulate terminal traders to speed up procurement. At the same time, however, domestic palm oil imports have accelerated to the port, far exceeding the increase in demand;palm oil import costs have fallen, and long-term expectations are lower.
Palm oil characteristics
Palm oil is semi-solid at room temperature, and its consistency and melting point depend to a large extent on the content of free fatty acids. Low acid value palm oil is often referred to as soft oil in the market, and high acid value oil is called hard oil.
1. Contains more saturated fatty acids. It has good stability, is not prone to oxidative deterioration, and has a high smoke point, so it is suitable for use as a fried food.
2. Palm oil can be fractionated to separate solid fat from liquid fat. Among them, solid fat can be used as a substitute for expensive cocoa butter for margarine and shortening; liquid grease is used as a salad or cooking oil, and its taste is light and refreshing. A large amount of unleaded palm tung oil is used in the soap making industry. Soap made from palm oil can provide durable foam and strong detergency.
3. Palm oil is rich in vitamin A (500-700ppm) and vitamin E (500-800ppm). In order to further improve the nutritional value of palm oil, research on increasing the content of unsaturated fatty acids has been actively carried out, and foreign countries have achieved certain results in this regard.
Fresh palm kernel oil is milky white or yellowish, with a solid consistency and a favorite nuclear scent. Palm kernel oil is easily oxidized and decomposed during storage, and the smell becomes spicy.
Palm oil extraction process
Palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel (PE) can be obtained from palm pulp by boiling, crushing and extracting; at the same time, the palm fruit (ie palm kernel) is separated during the milling process. After crushing and removing the outer shell, the remaining nuts are pressed to obtain palm kernel oil (CPKO) and palm kernel meal (PKE). Oil palm fruit contains two different oils, palm oil from the flesh; palm kernel oil from the palm seed (ren), the former is more important. All of these products are effectively used in food, chemical, agricultural and other fields. It can be said that palm is a good economic plant.
After the above-mentioned initial stage of extraction, the palm oil and palm kernel oil are sent to the refinery for refining. After removing free fatty acids, natural pigments and odors, they become salad-grade oils – refined palm oil (RBD PO) and palm oil. Salad oil (RBD PKO). The refined palm oil is close to colorless and transparent in liquid form and nearly white in solid state. In addition, according to the needs of different users, palm oil can be further fractionated and processed to form palm oleic acid (PFAD), palm oil (referred to as OLEAN), palm stearin (referred to as STEARINE or ST). Oil palm fruit contains more lipolytic enzymes, so the harvested fruit must be processed or sterilized in time. Palm oil is easy to hydrolyze and produce more free fatty acids. The acid value increases rapidly, so it should be refined in time. Or to mention.
Palm oil is rich in carotene (0.05%-0.2%), which is dark orange-red. This pigment cannot be effectively removed by alkali refining. By oxidation, the oil color can be removed to a generally pale yellow color. Palm oil will gradually discolor under the influence of sunlight and air. Palm oil is slightly sweet and has a pleasant violet scent. It is semi-solid at normal temperature, and its consistency and melting point depend to a large extent on the content of free fatty acids. In the international market, palm oil with a low free fatty acid content is called a soft oil, and palm oil with a high free fatty acid content is called a hard oil.
Palm oil storage
In palm oil, acid formation is caused by hydrolysis of either lipase or fatty acid catalase in palm fruit. In unbroken fruits, free fatty acids are very low, but once the cells are broken, the fruit lipase is activated, and the free fatty acids rise sharply at the beginning; then, the rise in free fatty acids slows down until the lipase activity is passivated. The level of free fatty acids in palm oil actually depends on three factors: the degree of immature fruit (too mature fruit is easily damaged); the extent to which ear pretreatment (killing) is achieved; and the harvest and lipase blunt The delay between the time.
In the oil production, it is supplemented with iron removal, which can indirectly control the oxidation. At the same time, pay attention to controlling all environmental conditions that promote the oxidation of oil. The conveyor and the hoist are regularly cleaned; the soil and the broken materials brought by the planting ground are prevented from polluting the oil. Do not use copper, brass or bronze fittings to prevent copper and oil from coming into contact. The reason is that copper is a strong oxidant. Keep the temperature as low as possible without prejudice to oil. At the same time, try to keep the oil exposed to the air.
During storage, a freezer can be installed behind the factory vacuum drying section to allow the oil to cool to 45-50 °C before entering the tank. After the oil is put into the tank, the tank is filled with an inert gas (carbon dioxide, nitrogen). It is also possible to add some antioxidants to the oil to passivate the trace metals to eliminate the oxidation during storage of the grease. In addition, when using a large container for oil storage, oxidation can also be controlled, and oil splashing during loading and unloading is also reduced.
Precautions during transportation and unloading: First, the coating of the tank is made of epoxy resin, and the cleaning of the tank should be checked before loading. Second, spray and cover with an inert gas. Third, the oil is not spilled. Fourth, the oil temperature during shipping is maintained at 32-40 °C. Heat the oil before loading to raise the temperature so that the rate does not exceed 5 ° C every 24 hours. Fifth, the oil loading temperature does not exceed 55 °C. Sixth, when the deodorized palm oil is transported to the end, it is filled with an epoxy-coated oil tank and filled with nitrogen.
In the world of oil trade, palm oil usually leads soybean oil and is a leader in the export market. In the 1960s, palm oil was not prominent in the world oil trade. The main trade oils at that time were soybean oil and animal fats. By 1993, the situation had changed a lot. The proportion of palm oil trade in global oil trade increased from 10% in 1970 to 20% in 1977, and reached 30% in 1985. In 1997, the world’s total palm oil production was 17.41 million tons, while exports reached 11.346 million tons. As of 2006, palm oil trade accounted for more than 50% of the world’s total oil trade.
Malaysia is the world’s largest producer and exporter of palm oil, with 90% of its palm oil production being exported. Only a small amount of palm oil exported from Malaysia is unrefined crude palm oil. Before 1985, Malaysia almost controlled the entire palm oil export market. In 1986, Malaysia’s production of crude palm oil was 4.54 million tons, accounting for 60% of the world’s palm oil production in the same year. Exported palm oil accounted for 68% of the world’s palm oil exports. In 1996, Malaysia’s palm oil production was 8.86 million tons, accounting for 53% of the world’s total production, and the export volume was 7.325 million tons, accounting for 64% of the world’s total exports. With the increasing share of Indonesian palm oil exports in recent years, Malaysian palm oil exports have fallen to around half of the world. In 2005, global palm oil exports reached 26.3 million tons, of which Malaysian palm oil exports reached 13.45 million tons, accounting for 49%, and Indonesian palm oil exports were 10.3 million tons, accounting for 39%.
The 88% share of the world’s palm oil export market is firmly controlled by the two major producing countries. In addition, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Colombia and other countries and regions also produce and export a certain amount of palm oil.