THE SIMILARITIES THAT EXIST BETWEEN COCONUTOIL AND PALM KERNEL OIL; HAVING THE SAME FATTY ACID AT ALMOST THE SAME PROPORTION. CLUB100

INTRODUCTION

Hello fellow steemians , it is always great pleasure to post on this this awesome platform . Today i will like to talk about two important oils.
i decided to discuss on this topic because , people are ignorant of the fact the both oils have the same chemical compositions , hence their characteristics are very similar. you can use one in place of the other.

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WHAT DOES COCONUT OIL AND PALM KERNAL OIL HAVE IN COMMON

There is one major fatty acid found in coconut oil and palm kernal oil at very high percentage , the name is Lauric acid. the both oils have over 50% of lauric acid as the major fatty acid in their composition, this account for the similarities in their physiological properties. They are the only fats and oil among other fats and oil that have this unique fatty acid. The other oils have about 1% of lauric acid.

Because of the antimicrobial properties of lauric acid, it therefore confers some healing properties on the both oils. That means they are antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal. inotherwords coconut oil and palm kernal oil have the capacity to attack and destroy viruses, like herpes, flu etc, bacteria that cause urinary tract infection , sore throat and many more infections.

The both oils are used extensively in soap and detergent manufacturing. The presence of lauric acid, myristic acid palmistic acid and stearic acid make them to be uniquely good and ideal for soap making.
all these fatty acids are present in coconut oil and palm kernal oil at almost at the same proportion.

Surprisingly, palm oil which is from the same family (palmae) with palm kernal oil has totally different fatty acid composition.

This informs why coconut oil and palm kernal are so similar, and can be used in place of the other.

The table below shows the great disparity between palm oil and palm kernel oil and similarities in fatty acid composition between coconut oil and palm kernel oil.

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SOME SIMILARIES OF COCONUT OIL AND PALM KERNAL OIL

coconut oil and palm kernal oil share some common similarities both in their properties and the fatty acid they are composed of.
Even though their trees may look alike, they still belong to different species.

THEIR FATTY ACIDS COMPOSITION

fatty acids are the component that forms the fat in the food we eat and in our bodies. this fat will in return be broken down into fatty acid during digestion. This is what clearly defines their similaries.

there are several fatty acids found in the both oils but the major ones that found in the same equilibrium are

-LAURIC ACID : palm kernal has about 48.7% composition of lauric acid, while coconut oil has about 47.8% of it . inotherwords , for any quantity of palm kernal oil and coconut oil that you see, their major make up is lauric acid.
This lauric acid gives the both oils antimicrobial properties, it helps in hindering the growth of bacteria and it can kill some bacteria too. That means applying these oils on an infected skin can kill or prevent the growth of the causative micro organisms. This is absolutely interesting.! Getting to know some of the properities of these oils will help us to appreciate it the more. in soap making, lauric acid gives soap some hardness, good quality and quick leathering .

Another fatty acid that is found in the both oils at almost the same percentage are
-MYRISTIC ACID : palm kernel has about 16% of myristic acid , while coconut oil has about 18.1% of myristic acid. This particular fatty acid is the best soap making fatty acid. Coconut oil and palm kernal oil contain more of it than most oils.

-CAPROIC ACID: Palm kernal oil has about 0.3% of this fatty acid , while Coconut oil has about 0.4% of it.

These are just to mention but a few fatty acids found in the both oils. As we can all see the difference between the percentage of those fatty acid found in coconut oil and palm kernal are just very small, unlike other oils.

EXTRACTION METHOD OF PALM KERNEL OIL

The major steps involved in processing palm kernel oil are;
Kernel pretreament, screw pressing and oil clarification

below is the flow chart of how palm kernel oil is extracted.

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EXTRACTION PROCESS OF COCONUT OIL

Coconut oil can be extracted through cold or hot press.
Below is the flowchart of how it is extracted

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Some of the benefits of palm kernal oil and Coconut oil

1- They are used in the production of various kinds of soaps, skin care, hair cream

2- They both reduce signs of aging

3- They can be used as moisturizer, in otherwords they keep the skin hydrated.

4- when applied on the hair, they are both good for hair growth.

5- you can combine palm kernal oil or coconut oil directly to diesel which is excellent for diesel vehicles and engines

6- in the industry, they are used in producing pharmaceutical products, plastics, etc

7-in medicine, they can be used to prevent and treat some diseases like cancer, heart disease , even viral diseases.

These are just but a few uses of these lauric oils, though their uses are so numerous.

CONCLUSION

Having known that palm kernel oil and coconut oil are uniquely the same, we can substitute one for another confidently . we can also take advantage of the health benefits since its doesn't cost much to get these oils .

Thanks for reading, God bless you.