The Star (05/11/2025) - PALM oil is far more than just another golden bottle gleaming on supermarket shelves.

It is one of nature’s most quietly brilliant creations – a botanical overachiever that fuels our world in ways most people never realise.

From sizzling woks and flaky pastries to creamy lipsticks and even the jet fuel powering planes, palm oil is the versatile workhorse hiding in plain sight.

And yet, for all its ubiquity, palm oil is often reduced to a misunderstood four-letter word on a label – its true nature obscured by layers of chemistry, controversy and complexity.

Few pause to consider the elegant science that gives this oil its extraordinary abilities, or the natural genius behind its design.

But what if we peeled back the layers?

What if we could strip away the jargon, decode the molecules, and tell the story of palm oil in a way that’s not only digestible, but even a little delightful?

This is that invitation.

With a dash of wit, a drizzle of science, and a generous helping of heart, let’s hop aboard the triglyceride express – where every molecule has a tale to tell, every fatty acid plays a role, and where trains and touchdowns become unlikely guides to unlocking one of the world’s most fascinating and misunderstood fats.

So fasten your seatbelts and join me on a journey through the chemistry of palm oil: nature’s most adaptable fat, reimagined for the curious mind.

More than a cooking oil: Palm oil’s natural perks

Palm oil comes packed with nature’s own bioactive toolkit.

Among its standout features are tocotrienols, a rare and potent form of Vitamin E found in red palm oil.

These compounds are increasingly studied for their antioxidant, neuroprotective and anti-cancer properties.

While tocopherols (the other Vitamin E family) often get the spotlight, tocotrienols are the unsung younger sibling with serious scientific street cred.

Then come the carotenoids, including beta-carotene and alpha-carotene – precursors to Vitamin A – which give unrefined red palm oil its vibrant colour and nutritional boost.

These not only support eye health but also strengthen immunity, which is especially relevant in nutrition-sensitive populations.

And don’t forget phenolics – plant-based compounds linked to anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits.

Palm oil also contains coenzyme Q10 and phytosterols, making it a naturally fortified fat in an age obsessed with “added benefits.”

The kicker? Palm oil does all this while being non-genetically modified organisms, cholesterol-free, and derived from one of the highest-yielding oil crops on Earth than soy or sunflower.

Science stuck in a black box

Despite its rich biochemical profile, palm oil’s science is locked in a black box of technical reports, industry-speak, and opaque documentation from laypeople.

How did this happen? Somewhere between the lab and the label, we lost the plot – and with it, the public.

Ng Say Bock’s Understanding Palm Oil two decades ago under the Malaysian Palm Oil Council was a brave attempt to simplify the science.

But while the data has evolved, the delivery hasn’t. The industry still often speaks in chemical shorthand while the public is asking, “Wait – what’s a triglyceride again?”

In a world shaped by Instagram reels, YouTube shorts, and ChatGPT summaries, this isn’t just a gap – it’s a chasm.

A call for new communicators

Today’s consumers don’t just buy - they investigate. Especially Gen Y, Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who grew up asking Siri and swiping for answers.

They want authenticity, transparency, and purpose behind their products. Sustainability matters. So does health. But so does storytelling.

To connect with this generation, palm oil needs its own hype squad – science communicators, content creators, more chefs, educators, even stand-up comics if necessary – who can translate chemistry into curiosity.

We need palm oil “edutainers” who can turn stearic acid into a meme, or explain mono-unsaturates while frying up goreng pisang.

That’s why the work of REGENERASI, the youth-led non-governmental organisation behind #MyPalmPride, is a refreshing change.

Their use of digital media, student engagement and real-world analogies brings palm oil closer to the generation that will shape its future. It’s outreach with ummph – and it matters.

Palm oil chemistry: Lego, trains and molecular musical chairs

At its core, everything in life boils down to three atoms -carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Carbon is the social butterfly, linking arms to form endless molecular chains.

Hydrogen is the energiser, small yet mighty. Oxygen, the life giver, fuels reactions from lungs to labs.

Together, they create carbohydrates, proteins, fats and water – the very essence of life.

At its heart, palm oil is composed of triglycerides – a molecule with a glycerol “spine” and three fatty acid “arms.”

Think of it as the capital letter E, or better yet, a molecular Lego piece that builds everything from croissants to cosmetics.

Each of these fatty acids is a train carriage made of carbon atoms, with hydrogen passengers.

If all seats are full, it’s a saturated fat – stable, solid, and perfect for baking. Leave a seat empty and it becomes monounsaturated - flexible and pourable. Leave several seats open?

You’ve got a polyunsaturated fat – energetic but prone to oxidation (i.e. going rancid).

Most other oils have to go through hydrogenation to mimic this solid–liquid balance – an artificial process that often produces trans fats, now widely recognised as unhealthy.

Palm oil, thanks to its natural balance of saturated and unsaturated fats, skips that lab drama altogether. It’s semi-solid by design.

This gives palm oil a huge advantage. It’s a naturally functional fat – no additives, no hydrogenation, no Franken-oils.

Team triglyceride: Trains meet touchdowns

Now imagine palm oil as a championship American football team – Team Triglyceride.

On defence, the Saturated Fats: Lauric, Myristic, Palmitic, Stearic and Arachidic acids. Palmitic is the captain – strong, steady, and forming nearly half the team.

Remember them with the cheeky mnemonic: “Lazy Monkeys Play Silly Antics.”

On offense, the Unsaturated Fats: Palmitoleic, Oleic, Linoleic, and Linolenic.

These are your agile playmakers.

Oleic runs the midfield with smooth precision, while the Linoleics dart around like double – and triple-bonded wingers.

Use “Please Offer Lovely Lipids” to keep track of the lineup.

And here’s the twist: each fatty acid’s position in the triglyceride molecule matters.

It’s a molecular game of musical chairs – where the seating plan influences how palm oil behaves in your cookies, lip balm or deep fryer.

Why synergy is palm oil’s secret sauce

What truly sets palm oil apart isn’t just what’s inside, but how it all works together.

Palm oil can be fractionated – split into parts with different melting points – allowing manufacturers to create a solid fat for pastries, a liquid for cooking oil or a medium-range blend for spreads.

You want chocolate that melts in your mouth but not in your hand? Palm mid-fraction has your back.

Need a base for soap that lathers well and lasts? Palm kernel steps in.

This adaptability comes with efficiency.

One hectare of oil palm can produce more oil compared to other annual edible oils. Up to four tonnes of oil per hectare annually and potentially more. Less land, more oil.

Add the lower input costs, year-round harvests, and long economic lifespan of the tree, and you begin to see why palm oil plays such a key role in feeding and fuelling the world.

A better story, waiting to be told

The tragedy isn’t that people misunderstand palm oil – it’s that they’ve never heard the full story.

With better storytelling, we could shift the narrative from “controversial commodity” to “climate-smart, nutritionally rich, chemically elegant botanical solution.”

Because palm oil is not just oil. It’s chemistry with character, fat with flair.

It’s a train that runs on time, and a touchdown that scores every time.

So the next time someone shrugs it off, smile and say: “Actually, it’s nature’s smartest fat.”

And maybe – just maybe – you’ll get them to hop on the palm oil chemistry train with you.

Joseph Tek Choon Yee has over 30 years experience in the plantation industry, with a strong background in oil palm research and development, C-suite leadership and industry advocacy. The views expressed here are the writer’s own

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/insight/2025/11/05/decoding-the-chemistry-of-palm-oil-natures-smart-fat