Illustration – Farmers transport oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) in East Aceh. (BETWEEN PHOTOS/Syifa Yulinnas)
Jakarta (ANTARA) – In addition to being consumed as an ingredient in the kitchen for cooking or frying, palm oil is found to contain nutritional properties that are beneficial to health.
Lecturer of Nutrition Study Program at the Binawan University Jakarta, Rizqiawan, S.Gz, M.Si, explained that red palm oil suppresses the potential risk of cancer and tumors.
“Red palm oil contains carotenoids and tocopherols as well as a balanced fatty acid composition that can act as an antioxidant,” he said in Jakarta, Saturday.
In adult men who had dyslipidemia (a condition in which blood fat levels rise and creates a risk for heart disease and stroke), they were given cookies spread with red palm oil.
According to him, this resulted in a lower total cholesterol levels, LDL-C, MDA, and oxidized LDL while also increased the activity of serum SOD enzymes significantly.
Angga explained that pastries spread with red palm oil were also given to patients with benign breast tumors for 8 weeks. The research, which was conducted in 2020, was shown to have increased the SOD (increased antioxidant) levels, lower serum levels of TNF-α and 8-isoprostan while also significantly reduce the size of breast tumors.
“The issue of palm oil as a cause of cancer and tumors can be countered with various studies, especially on red palm oil. In addition, red palm oil can also help overcome deficiency in vitamin A, which is important for children’s growth and development,” he said.
Similar tone was expressed by the Director of PT Nutri Palma Nabati, Dr. Darmono Taniwiryono, that healthy palm oil is a (healthy) palm fat which contains beta-carotene and Vitamin E in high concentrations as well as Co-Q10, lycopene, DAG, MAG, and ALB, low in Omega 6, and does not contain cholesterol, transfat, 3-MCPD, and GE.
“During my visit to Africa, I saw the local people consume red palm oil that did not go through the refining and deodorization process. From there, I saw that Africans rarely used glasses,” he said.
According to him, the content of vitamin E in palm oil in the form of tocotrienol, is actually higher than other vegetable oils.
“The antioxidant potential is much higher than other vegetable oils. As an antioxidant, the power of tocotrienols in palm oil is 16 times higher than that of tocopherols,” he said.
Saturated fat in palm oil is very good for the human body, he added, without realizing it, people consume virgin coconut oil, which saturated fat content reaches 90 percent. In breast milk, the saturated fat content reaches 37 percent.
“People should not be afraid to consume saturated fat because since we were children, it already existed in the body through breast milk,” he stated.
He said that virgin red palm oil can be added to food and beverages. For example, red palm oil can be added into instant noodles, as well as pastries, wet cakes, and milk coffee.
“From laboratory tests, pastries with virgin palm oil ingredient contains beta-carotene of 45 IU. As a result, it contains higher vitamin E because vitamin E is resistant to high temperatures,” Darmono explained.
Director of Agro Industry at the Indonesian Ministry of Industry, Putu Juli Ardika, added by saying that the content of nutrients in palm oil is very helpful in meeting people’s nutritional needs.
The content of tocotrienols and vitamin E as well as antioxidants provide positive benefits for people, including nutrients in palm oil which can reduce the risk of dementia and stroke.
“My experience when I went to Belgium, the local chocolate producers admitted that they could produce delicious chocolate because of palm oil. We are lucky to have palm oil because it supports the creation of good, healthy, and tasty food,” he said in the webinar titled, “UKMK’s Healthy Palm Oil-Based Food and Culinary Business Trend”.
Source : papua.antaranews.com
