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Scientific name: Elaeis guineensis
The oil palm is cultivated in warm countries for its nuts. Particularly in Africa and Asia. The palm nut is the fruit of the palm tree. Extracting the oil from the palm fruit yields red palm oil, which can then be refined; while extracting the oil from the dried seeds of the fruit yields palm kernel oil. These vegetable oils have many uses and derivatives in food and industry.
Over the years, oil palm yields have risen to levels close to those of wheat and rice, despite the many international controversies surrounding the management of palm groves, which are thought to be a cause of deforestation. Seed selection has greatly improved yields and resistance to disease. It is 15 to 25 meters high and produces every month, twice a month, for 25 to 35 years. In industrial cultivation in sub-Saharan Africa, it can reach 20 to 30 tonnes/hectare, with an extraction rate of 23 to 25%. Cameroon is one of the world's largest producers of oil palm.
Palm oil extracted from the fruit of the oil palm is, and will remain for a long time to come, the most widely consumed oil in the world, with 76 million tonnes consumed today, compared with 5 million tonnes 40 years ago. Its affordability, yield and compatibility with industrial processes make it a highly prized resource. It is used for human consumption in the form of red or refined edible vegetable oil. It is also used in soap-making, cosmetics and chemicals.
Palm kernel oil is extracted from the pulp of the shelled fruit of the oil palm. It is white to palm-yellow in color and solid to semi-solid in density in temperate conditions. It is rich in polyunsaturated acids. It is also used in food and cosmetics, and in the chemical industry to make industrial lubricants. It is authorised in the European Union as a substitute for cocoa butter.
The oil palm is also prized for its sap, which is used to produce palm wine, a popular beverage in West and Central Africa.
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