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Palm Oil Fractions Derivatives

One of the main reasons that palm oil is such a complex commodity is the demand for a large number of fractions and derivatives of the oil. About 60% of the palm oil consumed globally is in the form of derivatives.

Most of palm-oil’s allure to companies is undeniably its extreme versatility. It can be transformed into over 200 different ingredients, all with various functions and benefits.


Palm oil in many countries is used as a simple frying oil, but many other markets make use of both palm and palm kernel oil:

  • Consumer retail food and snack manufacturers

  • Personal care and cosmetics (mainly palm kernel oil)

  • Biofuel and energy

  • Animal feed (palm kernel expeller)

  • Pharmaceutical

  • Industrial

  • Foodservice/service industry

If you want to identifying palm-oil in your products, all you have to do to start is memorize these four root words :

These four bases represent some of the fatty acid building blocks that palm-oil can be turned into. For example, palm-oil can be made into glycerin or glycol, which can then be bound to an ethylhexyl group and become ethylhexylglycerin, an alkal glyceryl ether. Now, that may seem very confusing but just knowing that this ingredient has a glycol or glycerin base gives you a lot of insight into its potential make-up.


What is fractionated palm oil?

At the most basic level of refining, palm oil is fractionated, or split, into liquid palm olein and solid palm stearin at a ratio of 80:20. Further refining and blending may then be carried out to produce different oils with unique physical and chemical properties. Olein and stearin can be fractionated a second time to yield further derivatives: double-fractionated palm olein and stearin. The many derivatives of palm oil are used as ingredients in a wide range of food products, including pastry, cakes, margarine, confectionery, cooking oils, emulsifiers, and snack foods. Meanwhile, derivatives from palm kernel oil are used in cosmetics as well as in confectionery and margarine.


What oleochemicals are derived from palm oil?

In addition to the palm oil derivatives used for food applications, there are also a number of palm-based oleochemicals, including:

  • Fatty acids

  • Fatty alcohols

  • Fatty methyl ester

  • Fatty nitrogen compounds

  • Glycerine

These substances are used in shampoos, lotions, cleaning products, and candles, among other products.


The details shematic of the fraction and the derivative process of the palm oil, including the product types can be seen from the following figures :

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Adopted from some articles


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