Editing Palm oil (section)

=== Key components ===

==== Fatty acids ====
{{main|Fatty acid}}
Palm oil, like all fats, is composed of [[fatty acid]]s, [[ester]]ified with [[glycerol]]. Palm oil has an especially high concentration of saturated fat, specifically the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid, [[palmitic acid]], to which it gives its name. Monounsaturated [[oleic acid]] is also a major constituent of palm oil. Unrefined palm oil is a significant source of [[tocotrienol]], part of the [[vitamin E]] family.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Ahsan H, Ahad A, Siddiqui WA |year=2015 |title=A review of characterization of tocotrienols from plant oils and foods |journal=J Chem Biol |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=45–59 |doi=10.1007/s12154-014-0127-8 |pmc=4392014 |pmid=25870713}}</ref><ref name="oil">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6uRxCgAAQBAJ&q=Palm+Oil:+Production,+Processing,+Characterization,+and+Uses+carotenoids |title=Palm Oil: Production, Processing, Characterization, and Uses |publisher=Elsevier |year=2015 |isbn=978-0128043462 |editor1=Oi-Ming Lai |page=471 |editor2=Chin-Ping Tan |editor3=Casimir C. Akoh}}</ref>

The linoleic acid content of palm oil is about 6.4 - 15%.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Nang Lau |first1=Harrison Lik |last2=Puah |first2=Chiew Wei |last3=Choo |first3=Yuen May |last4=Ma |first4=Ah Ngan |last5=Chuah |first5=Cheng Hock |date=May 2005 |title=Simultaneous quantification of free fatty acids, free sterols, squalene, and acylglycerol molecular species in palm oil by high-temperature gas chromatography-flame ionization detection |url=https://aocs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1007/s11745-005-1413-1 |journal=Lipids |language=en |volume=40 |issue=5 |pages=523–528 |doi=10.1007/s11745-005-1413-1 |pmid=16094863 |s2cid=4022439 |issn=0024-4201}}</ref>

The approximate concentration of esterified fatty acids in palm oil is:<ref>{{cite web |date=2014 |title=Oil, vegetable, palm per 100 g; Fats and fatty acids |url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/510/2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028001118/http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/510/2 |archive-date=28 October 2016 |access-date=28 October 2016 |website=Conde Nast for the USDA National Nutrient Database, Release SR-21 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
{{bar box
|title=Fatty acid content of palm oil (present as triglyceride esters)
|titlebar=#DDD
|left1=Type of fatty acid
|right1=Fraction
|width=400px
|barwidth=100px
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[myristic acid|Myristic]] saturated C14|black|1.0}}
{{bar percent|[[palmitic acid|Palmitic]] saturated C16|black|43.5}}
{{bar percent|[[stearic acid|Stearic]] saturated C18|black|4.3}}
{{bar percent|[[oleic acid|Oleic]] monounsaturated C18:1|grey|36.6}}
{{bar percent|[[linoleic acid|Linoleic]] polyunsaturated C18:2|blue|9.1}}
{{bar percent|Other/unknown|green|5.5}}
|caption=''black'': saturated<br> ''grey'': monounsaturated<br> ''blue'': polyunsaturated
}}

==== Carotenes ====
Red palm oil is rich in carotenes, such as [[alpha-carotene]], [[beta-carotene]] and [[lycopene]], which give it a characteristic dark red color.<ref name="oil" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ng |first1=M. H. |last2=Choo |first2=Y. M. |year=2016 |title=Improved Method for the Qualitative Analyses of Palm Oil Carotenes Using UPLC |journal=Journal of Chromatographic Science |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=633–638 |doi=10.1093/chromsci/bmv241 |pmc=4885407 |pmid=26941414}}</ref> However, palm oil that has been refined, bleached and deodorized from crude palm oil (called "RBD palm oil") does not contain carotenes.<ref name="nag" />

==== Palmitic acid ====
Excessive intake of [[palmitic acid]], which makes up 44% of palm oil, increases blood levels of [[low-density lipoprotein]] (LDL) and total cholesterol, and so increases risk of [[cardiovascular diseases]].<ref name="aha"/><ref name="ejcn"/><ref name=CSPI>{{Cite book |first1=Ellie |last1=Brown |first2=Michael F. |last2=Jacobson |year=2005 |title=Cruel Oil: How Palm Oil Harms Health, Rainforest & Wildlife |url=http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/palm_oil_final_5-27-05.pdf |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |oclc=224985333 |pages=iv, 3–5 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306124811/http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/palm_oil_final_5-27-05.pdf |archive-date=6 March 2009  }}</ref> Other reviews, the [[World Health Organization]], and the US [[National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute]] have encouraged consumers to limit the consumption of palm oil, palmitic acid and foods high in saturated fat.<ref name="WHO Technical Report">{{Cite report |date=2003 |title=Diet Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases |url=http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/who_trs_916.pdf |archive-url=http://www.freezepage.com/1348239076FHWAJDADVT?url=http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/who_trs_916.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 September 2012 |website=World Health Organization |pages=82, 88 table 10 |access-date=13 February 2013 }}</ref><ref name=aha/><ref name=CSPI/>