Palm Oil With Beta Carotene

Palm oil is a vegetable oil derived from the fruit of oil palm trees. It is a semi-solid fat at room temperature and is known for its high saturated fat content. Beta-carotene is a pigment found naturally in plants, often giving them an orange or yellow color. It is added to palm oil to provide a yellow to orange color.

Palm oil is used as a cooking oil and as an ingredient in processed foods. It provides a desirable texture and stability to baked goods, shortenings, and margarines. Beta-carotene is added to give foods a yellow or orange hue, often used in products like margarine, shortenings, and baked goods.

Palm oil is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA for use in food. It is a source of saturated fat, and diets high in saturated fat are linked to increased risk of heart disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has evaluated palm oil. Beta-carotene is also GRAS and is a precursor to Vitamin A. Excessive intake of beta-carotene can cause carotenemia, a harmless yellowing of the skin.