Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

1

I've been browsing the healthy fats available in my area and I've ran into this brand of "dende oil", which seems to be palm oil after running that through google. It also has the distinct reddish look and solidifies in the fridge...

The nutrition facts state its fat content per 13ml as 12.2g unsaturated fats (labels don't specify mono or poly here), and 0.8g of saturated fats. This would be roughly 93% unsaturated and 7% saturated.

Unless fat breakdown is measured in a different matter, this would mean it's 7% SFA and 93% "UFA" right?

I'm just wondering because palm oil is supposed to be about 50% saturated from what I've found online and I'm trying to figure out whether the product is safe. If not I'm stuck with olive + animal fats.

EDIT: the brand is CEPERA in case somebody knows it.

edited Jun 24 at 5:49

asked Jun 23 at 23:05

Mandragora
11●2

Ignore earlier comment if you saw it. Cepara sells both mixed and !00% dende. – Karen Jun 24 at 14:16

daz · Answer 1 · 2012-06-24 04:12:49Z UTC

As Roth mentions, do not confuse palm oil with palm kernel oil.
It looks like Dende oil is palm fruit oil from Brazil.
Dende in Portuguese translates to something like 'palm oil'.

Palm fruit oil (dende oil), sometimes called red palm fruit oil is made from the 'meat' (mesocarp) of the palm fruit.
Palm kernel oil, is made from the kernel (pit) of the palm fruit.

Confusingly, i have seen both types referred to as palm oil.

"Dendê Oil: This oil is the mainstay of Bahian cuisine, and is the product extracted from the dende palm tree, which was brought to Brazil by African slaves, back in the XVII century. The fruit and the pit are used in two different ways. The dendê oil used in cooking is extracted from the fruit pulp; first it is cooked in steam, then it is dried completely in the sun. Following this process the fruit is crushed to release its oil. It is very normal to see some sediment on the bottom of each bottle. To make it liquid again, simply place the bottle of dendê in a bowl with warm water and let sit for 20 minutes. The result is a bright orange-red colored oil. The pit is also used to extract oil of a different kind, with a transparent color, mostly used for cosmetics for its similarity to cocoa butter..."

Edit: oh, & yes it is "safe". & probably one of the highest food sources of Vitamin E you are likely to find. & with 7 of the 8 tocopherols and tocotrienols from memory.

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Karen · Answer 2 · 2012-06-24 12:45:08Z UTC

I suspect that the manufacturer/supplier messed up the label. Red palm oil is mostly SFA and MUFA. There is an easy way to tell.

If the oil is solid at room temp, it's mostly SFA. If it's liquid at room temp it's mostly MUFA or PUFA.

Coconut oil (mostly SFA) melts at about 76F, Palm oil is solid to a higher temp than that.

Added: Just checked on my oils. The coconut is liquid and the red palm is solid. While it's around 72F inside now, it was in the high 80s yesterday and near 100 for days before that. Verdict - mostly SFA in my bottle.

Mary Taylor · Answer 3 · 2012-07-13 17:42:18Z UTC

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How about macademia oil. It is 80% monosaturated and has no trans fats. It taste very good--light and nutty. Macademia cooking oil just offers us one more option.

answered Jul 13 at 17:42

Mary Taylor
41●1

I'm afraid it's not an option, I'm in Argentina and our offer of oils isn't very varied. It's rather difficult to stay on the paleo side around here, specially if you're trying to avoid feedlot beef and farmed salmon... – Mandragora Jul 14 at 2:10

Roth · Answer 4 · 2012-06-24 01:37:20Z UTC

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Palm oil or palm kernel oil? There's a difference.

PKO is saturated from what I understand and PO is some SFA and mostly MUFA (similar to EVOO.)

answered Jun 24 at 1:37

Roth
2,803●3●15

Confused about this Palm oil’s fat composition

4 Answers