Palm olein is the liquid fraction obtained from fractionation of palm
oil. The fractionation process involves a physical process of cooling
the oil under controlled conditions to low temperatures, followed by
filtration of the crystals through membrane press. The liquid olein and
solid stearin are products of fractionation, and they are the major
products exported.
Palm olein is fully liquid at ambient temperature in warm climates.
It can be blended with various vegetable oils in different proportions
to obtain liquid oils which can withstand lower temperatures. For
example, blends of palm olein with more than 70% soft oils such as
soyabean oil, corn oil or canola oil remain clear at 0°C for at least 5
hr. Oxidative stability of soft oils are also extended and improved by
the palm olein.
Basically, there are two major grades of palm olein: standard olein and
super olein (iodine value greater than 60). The standard olein has an
iodine value of about 56-59 and cloud point of 10°C max. The
specifications are given in Malaysian Standard MS816:2007(Table 3).
Super olein is more suited to cooler climates and has cloud points of
about 2°C-5°C.
Properties of Palm Olein (standard grade)
Both normal palm olein and super olein are suitable as cooking oils,
especially for deep fat or shallow frying. The high stability of the oil
makes it exceptionally suitable for frying purposes. A high content of
tocotrienols is generally present in oleins, being partitioned
preferentially into this phase during fractionation. Sold fat content
shows that the oil is liquid at 20°C-25°C.
Properties of Super Olein
Super olein has a higher iodine value of 60 or above. These oleins
have better clarity and lower tendency to turn cloudy compared to normal
olein. Solid fat content data shows that the olein is generally clear
at 17°C. It is interesting that super oleins with iodine value above 62
have much lower solid fat content. These oleins are also suitable as
cooking and frying oils. Blending normal or super olein with unsaturated
oils results in mixtures with different compositions and clarity to
cater for different market requirements.
