What are the differences between palm oil and palm kernel oil?
Palm oil is derived from the mesocarp of the palm fruit, while palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the fruit. The chemical characteristics of the two oils differ in terms of the fatty acid composition. Differences in chemical composition reflect themselves in differences in physical properties as well.
The main differences in the chemical composition of the two oils are as follows:
| Palm Oil | Palm Kernel Oil |
| Consists mainly of palmitic acid C16:0 43.7%, stearic acid C18:0 4.4%, oleic acid C18:1 39.9%, and linoleic acid 10.3% | Consists mainly of lauric acid C12:0 48%, and myristic acid C14:0 16% |
