Making Sense Of Fats For Cooking And Food Preparation

27/04/2011 (HealthNewsDigest.com) - By now, you know that you should be avoiding trans fats. As food manufacturers re-formulate their brands to replace trans fats with other alternatives, it’s easy to become confused when you read the new food labels. Saturated, unsaturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated? Olive, canola, soy, Malaysian palm fruit oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil or animal fats (beef tallow, lard) – which are the healthier choices? The answers may surprise you.

Did you know that the fats you eat can raise your cholesterol? Or that nutritionally, Malaysian palm fruit oil may be as healthful as olive oil? “It is exciting to learn that there are options for oils on the market that provide a nice alternative to butter or even olive oil – which isn’t always appropriate for all types of cooking,” comments Registered Dietician, Nutritional Consultant and Author Felicia Stoler. “For example, red Malaysian palm fruit oil contains both beta-carotene and vitamin E. While that doesn’t mean you should eat large amounts of chicken wings fried with it, it is reassuring to know that when you cook or bake with it, it will taste great, it won’t raise your cholesterol and it delivered beneficial nutrients.”

Palm fruit oil vs. Palm Kernel Oil: Read the food labels carefully!

Don’t confuse palm fruit oil with the much maligned palm kernel oil that was once widely used in movie popcorn. Cultivated in Malaysia, natural Palm fruit oil comes from the plant’s fruit (the fleshy part) and contains numerous micronutrients. Numerous studies have confirmed the nutritional value of palm fruit oil make it as healthful as olive oil.

In contrast, palm kernel oil comes from the plant’s kernel (seed). It contains about 85 percent saturated fats which can raise your cholesterol levels. So it’s best to think carefully before consuming it as a major part of your dietary fat intake.

Almost 90 percent of the world’s palm fruit oil is used as food. In fact, palm fruit oil is the second largest edible oil consumed, accounting for almost one quarter of the world's fats and oil supply. Foods made with palm fruit oil, which is naturally trans fat-free (a claim also shared with olive oil), have a long shelf life and other desirable properties including great texture and flavor. Palm fruit oil also is very affordable.

What makes palm fruit oil so good? It contains almost equal amounts of unsaturated fats and saturated fats, (mainly palmitic and smaller amounts of stearic acids). As a result of its unique balanced composition, palm fruit oil has almost no impact on your cholesterol as long as your total dietary fat intake is in line with the levels recommended by health agencies such as the American Heart Association. Basically it behaves more like a healthier monounsaturated fat (the type of fat found in nuts, canola and olive oil) than a saturated fat. The virgin and red varieties of palm fruit oil are also rich in powerful antioxidants called tocotrienol and tocopherols (vitamin E), as well as carotenes (vitamin A).

Cooking with palm fruit oil

Olive oil is healthful and is ideal for sautéing and savory baking, but its flavor isn’t suited for many recipes and it is best used at lower temperatures. Butter also burns easily. “It’s very hard for a novice cook to know what the actual temperature is in a pan. Palm fruit oil is chef-friendly because it is very stable and is great for high heat cooking.

“Palm fruit oil can easily be substituted for solid fats such as butter, margarine or shortening, and is delicious when used for cooking and baking. Palm fruit oil or olive oil can also be blended with a small amount of butter if you want the buttery flavor when cooking at higher temperatures or baking.”

Natural palm fruit oil is better for the environment

Some food manufacturers and suppliers have begun using highly-processed, genetically-modified oils to replace trans fat in their products. “For those of us who prefer natural, unprocessed foods, Malaysian palm fruit oil is the obvious and smartest choice,” says Stoler. “The Malaysian oil palm growers are the leaders in environmentally-sensitive cultivation programs. Theirs is a premium product that is good for the environment and good for your health.

“As a dietician, I also understand that your family won’t eat something that doesn’t taste good. Malaysian palm fruit oil is the gold standard of palm oils. As with any oil, moderation is still important. Don’t make the mistake of thinking if a little is good, a lot is better. No one is recommending that you eat it in large quantities, and Malaysian palm fruit oil won’t make poor food choices better.

“But when you make the choice to eat products made with Malaysian palm fruit oil, or to cook with it in your own kitchen, you never have to worry about the flavor.”

Sidebar: Fat Facts

Malaysian palm fruit oil: All-natural and naturally trans-fat free. It contains almost equal amounts of unsaturated fats and saturated fats, (mainly palmitic and smaller amounts of stearic acids). In the body, it behaves more like a monounsaturated fat. It has virtually no adverse impact on your cholesterol levels. Comparable nutritionally to olive oil, it can be used for cooking at higher temperatures than olive oil and is ideal for those cooking applications when you don’t want the flavor of olive oil.

Monosaturated fats: Lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing the HDL (good) cholesterol. Found abundantly in avocados, nuts, olive oil and liquid palm fruit oil (called palm olein).

Polyunsaturated fats: Lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing the HDL (good) cholesterol. Found in all vegetable oils, abundant in corn oil and sunflower oil. Omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil are an example.

Saturated fats: Raise total cholesterol as well as LDL (bad) cholesterol. Found abundantly in animal products such as beef and pork as well as palm kernel oil and coconut oil.

Trans fats: Raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower HDL (good) cholesterol. Also adversely raise a number of disease-related risk factors. Still found in many processed foods such as French fries and baked goods. 

Red Malaysian palm fruit oil

Red Palm oil and carotenes help protect against cancer

Extra virgin red palm oil is not only a rich source of beta-carotene, but a whole range of carotenoids. Red palm oil is the richest natural vegetable source of carotenes (carotenoids). This means that red palm oil contains 10 to 15 times more carotenes than carrots and 50 times more than tomatoes. The positive effects of carotenes on cancer have been demonstrated in numerous studies. (160) (161) (162). There are up to 600 carotenoids, and in red palm oil a broad spectrum of the former is present, such as lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthine, cryptoxanthine, alpha and beta carotene, which are among the most important.

Alpha and beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthine are extremely important for the eyes, alpha-carotene helps the immune system, lycopene protects from prostate cancer...
Researchers have discovered that a complex of different carotenoids has a much stronger impact on our body than when we would limit ourselves to the corresponding dose of beta-carotene. Lycopene for example will protect better against oxygen oxidation than lycopene alone. (136) The long-term administering of a supplement of one isolated synthetic carotene instead of the whole of the carotenoids can sometimes damage our health rather than benefi t it. That is why the carotenes from red palm oil are a good choice, because this oil contains a unique spectrum of different carotenes. The whole always works better than an isolated element!

Carotenes provide red palm oil with several health benefits

Carotenoids or carotenes are a group of 600 different vegetable nutrients, which protect plants, and after intake by humans, as well as human skin and the human brain. Different carotenes have a strong antioxidant function, which can prevent, limit or even repair the damage caused by free radicals. Moreover the molecules of beta carotene are an excellent foundation for producing vitamin A in the body; sometimes beta-carotene is also referred to as ‘provitamin A’. The protective function of carotenes is huge:

1. Help protect against cancer
The carotenes in red palm oil reduce the risk of hormone-dependent breast cancers. (175) Alfa-carotene showed a higher potency than beta-carotene in the suppression of cancerous growth. (176)

Alpha-carotene and lycopene, which are both present in red palm oil, significantly reduce the risk of lung cancer. Beta-carotene, lutein and beta-cryptoxanthine did so too, but significantly less. (177) Alpha-carotene, and to a lesser extent beta-carotene, reduced the risk of lung cancer in mice. The higher the intake of alpha-carotene, the less human cancer cells were able to grown in lab tests. (178) The risk of breast cancer increases when the levels of beta-carotene, lutein, alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthine in the blood decrease. (179) Carotenes can help protect against breast cancer. Indian women suffering from breast cancer have low levels of beta-carotene, zeaxanthine and lutein. (180) Cancer is also caused by the damage by free radicals to the DNA and RNA of the body’s cells. 

Alpha-carotene protects the cellular membranes better than carotene from carcinogenic free radicals. (134) Animals that have sufficient levels of beta-caro- tene will not get cancer, even when injected with cancer cells. Lycopene can reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 45% if supplied through food (such as tomatoes and red palm oil). Men with the highest levels of different carotenes in their blood also have 36% less chance of having heart attacks or dying prematurely. Researchers dis covered that smokers with the highest level of mixed carotenes in their blood had the lowest risk of contracting lung cancer. 127) Dr. F. Chytill of the Vanderbilt University states: ‘The knowledge that we have about vitamin A (beta-carotene) opens new per spectives in cancer therapy. The body has the opportunity to repair damaged cells. We have evidence from lab research that cancers such as skin, breast and lung tumours can be halted by a treatment using vitamin A (beta-carotene). (126)

2. Protection of the mucous membranes of the airways 

Professor Keramat Ali of the University of Dacca, Bangladesh, has demonstrated that the health of children, suffering from infections of the airways, diarrhoea and other intestinal problems, improved when fed crackers with red palm oil every day. Dur- ing the period that they ate these crackers, they suffered significantly less infections of the airways and intestines. (167) Children with beta-carotene shortages (vitamin A) tended to develop respiratory problems and diarrhoea quicker. (125) Moreover it is worth noting that red palm oil con- tains a lot of palmitic acid and this is the most im- portant fatty acid for a good functioning of the lung alveoli. Suffi cient levels of palmitic acid ensure that you can breathe better during heavy efforts, because it helps the lung alveoli unfold and thus prevents them from collapsing. Palmitic acid also contributes to less surface tension on the lung alveoli.

3. Protection against cardiovascular disease 

Antioxidants also help prevent cardiovascular disease. This occurs in three steps. First the carotenes and the vitamin E ensure that the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol in the body rises. 

Secondly they ensure that the bad LDL cholesterol goes down. And finally they ensure that there is no oxidation of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol hardens as a result of oxidation), which is an essential step in the obstruction of the aorta. In a study, in which 1899 men with a diet rich in fats were surveyed, researchers arrived at the conclusion that those with the highest levels of carotenes in their blood, had 36% less risk of contracting cardiovascular disease. ( 138) Dr. David Kritchevsky of the Wister Institute in Philadelphia (US) has demonstrated that when consuming red palm oil the risk of atherosclerosis is lowest in comparison with refi ned, bleached and deodorized palm oil. The protection against atherosclerosis is a result of the high levels of antioxi- dants in red palm oil, specifi cally red carotenes and tocotrienols. (168) The risk of atherosclerosis reduces as the levels of alpha-carotene intake increase. (137) The Harvard Medical School conducted a ten-year study among 22,000 GPs and established that those who took supplements containing beta-carotenes run 50% less risk of heart attacks and CVAs. (127)

4. Protecting the eyes and skins

Not only do we need carotenes in the struggle against muscular dystrophy (the age-related regression of our vision), they also protect our body against ultraviolet radiation, according to Dr. Traber of Berkeley, California. (146)(148)(150)

Tocotrienols especially have a tumour-stopping function in the body and can be used positively in the battle against (skin) cancer. (147) (149) When the skin is burnt by the sun, the damage can be reduced by consuming mixed carotenoids. Carotenoids protect the skin against the free radicals generated by the rays of the sun in the skin (122); carotenoids in red palm oil prevent the peroxidation of the fatty acids in the skin. (134)

Attention: Carotene supplements are not the same, nor do they have the same function as the natural carotenes of red palm oil

Firstly: The structure of natural carotenes is completely different than that of chemical carotenes. Often chemical carotenes, which are used in supplements, consist of 100% beta-carotene transisomers. These can harm our health. A study conducted among smokers clearly demonstrated this. Taking such synthetic carotenes signifi cant ly increased the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Secondly: Studies have demonstrated suffi ciently that a complex of different carotenes like in red palm oil works better than if we simply limit ourselves to 1 type of carotenoid.

The carotenes in red palm oil are properly absorbed

Research conducted in Burkina Faso among mothers and children showed that this population had 40% less risk of a vitamin A shortage after cooking with red palm oil for a year. (1). Another study by the National Nutrition Institute of Hyderabad in India has demon strated that the beta-carotene serum values improved considerably in schoolchildren who took 5 ml of red palm oil a day. (145) Dr. Canefield of the University of Arizona in the US discovered that mothers who nursed their babies provided their babies with more vitamin A and carotenes by pre- paring their food with red palm oil than the control group which took beta-carotene capsules.

Many researchers have demonstrated that chemical beta-carotene in supplements does not have the same effect as the natural beta-carotene. Beta-carotene in plants is always accompanied by a diversity of carotenes such as lutein, alpha-carotene, zeaxanthine, cryptoxanthine, etc. Together they work perfectly, individually they don’t always. (126)

Carotenoids

 

Branding Malaysian palm oil

By ERROL OH

PALM oil is palm oil, right? As it is a commodity, should it matter who produces it or where it comes from? Is there such a thing as branding for a commodity? If you ask the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), the answers would probably be “Not necessarily”, “Yes” and “Yes”.

The Malaysian palm oil industry wants the world to recognise that palm oil from Malaysia represents sturdy features such as quality, sustainable practices, speed of delivery, and research and development. And this will be supported by a brand name – Malaysia Palm.

MPOC chairman Datuk Lee Yeow Chor says the council aims to develop the branding and image of Malaysian palm oil as a strategy to differentiate the oil from other commodities in the global edible oils and fats market.

“We will emphasise the good quality backed by R&D and the fulfilment of sustainability criteria. We will be using publicity material to link Malaysia-produced palm oil to these positive attributes,” he adds.

This is has been done before with other agricultural commodities, and with lasting results, in some cases. One example is the longtime use of the Woolmark logo to help the marketing of wool products. Another is the Got Milk? advertising campaign in the United States, which features famous people sporting milk moustaches.

The Malaysian palm oil industry has always maintained that palm oil is a good product, but clearly, it needs to be promoted more strongly. Lee says this is not because the various stakeholders here have not put in the effort.

“It’s just that we need to be a bit more innovative in employing new strategies and using more financial resources in order to promote palm oil, whose worldwide revenue has expanded by more than four times in the last 10 years to RM65bil last year,” he adds.

“If you use as a gauge that a commercial enterprise typically spends 1% of its turnover on marketing, that would mean the industry spending RM650mil on marketing and promotions. Of course, we’re spending far less than that.”

The Malaysia Palm plan is among the marketing and promotional measures that the MPOC will undertake in the coming months to boost Malaysian palm oil’s market expansion.

These efforts are increasingly necessary following developments in recent years that have altered the industry landscape.

For one thing, the rising concern over climate change, deforestation and other environmental issues, has turned oil palm cultivation in Indonesia and Malaysia into a target for activists and politicians because the industry has been accused of contributing to the planet’s woes.

In addition, the surge in crude oil prices has pushed palm oil into the biofuel arena, thus adding another dimension to the dynamics of the edible oils market.

These changes meant that the palm oil players have to deal with new stakeholders and new perceptions. The international environmental non-government organisations (NGOs) are strident voices in the lobby against the opening of plantations, particularly in Borneo and Sumatra.

The overseas media have covered the NGOs’ campaigns and in many instances, have adopted editorial stances in support of the NGOs. This, in turn, has influenced and will continue to sway the public and politicians in matters such as energy policy and the consumption of products containing palm oil.

Healing the damage caused by naysayers is nothing new to the Malaysian palm oil industry. In fact, the MPOC was formed in the early 1990s to thwart a smear campaign in the US, driven by soybean growers, that portrayed palm oil as bad for the heart.

The battle is different this time, and it calls for tactics not normally employed in Malaysia. The MPOC intends to do its own lobbying.

“It is found to be effective in certain countries. So we will do that, and in doing so, we will not just rely on our internal resources. We will have to outsource more and employ specialists in these areas that are new to us,” Lee explains.

“We believe there is a lot of misinformation out there about palm oil, which has not been corrected effectively. We believe palm oil has a credible story to tell. Whatever lobbying that will be done will be fact-based and well-researched, using various channels effectively.”

At the same time, the council will rely more on direct engagement with stakeholders. It has travelled to Europe to meet the NGOs, and it has organised seminars and brainstorming sessions with the NGOs and the media. It has also invited stakeholders to visit plantations in Malaysia.

Lee points out, “You’d be surprised that a lot of the NGOs have not seen what’s happening here. They make a lot of allegations against palm oil, and a lot of it is hearsay.

“That’s why we have to sponsor good research. We have done this in the past, but now, we want to do it through respected organisations in the US and Europe, so that there’s a credible message and it goes to the right forums.”

The idea is to commission more market-oriented studies on nutrition, science and the environment that are more accessible and easier to digest.

Lee acknowledges that it likely that some of the smaller plantation players and smallholders do not employ sustainable practices when clearing land and cultivating oil palm.

He argues, “In this kind of agricultural industry involving so many players, there are bound to be some black sheep. But we should not discredit the whole industry when the majority observe good agricultural practices.”

Lee, who is IOI Corp Bhd executive director, was appointed MPOC chairman earlier this year, replacing Datuk Seri Lee Oi Hian of Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd, who had stepped down after chairing the council’s board of trustees for 13 years.

The current MPOC chairman believes that the council should be “a Malaysian-based global organisation”.

“It has to be seen to be present and effective in all the countries that import palm oil. It has to be interacting with stakeholders at various levels in each of those countries,” he explains.

He adds that there is room to diversify palm oil’s export base, considering that the top five importers of Malaysian palm oil – China, Europe, Pakistan, India and the US – account for slightly more than 65% of the total export.