Vegetable Oils and Fats 



375 



The Oil Palm has a wide geographical range in West Africa, from the Gulf of Guinea to 

 the south of Fernando Po. It flourishes in the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, and along 

 the shores of the Central African lakes; also, supplies have lately been exported from the 

 Philippine Islands. The palm reaches a height of thirty or more feet, and bears large "heads," 

 each containing several hundred fruits. The fruits have a fleshy and fibrous outer layer of 

 a bright orange-yellow or orange-red colour ; under this covering is a nut with' a very hard 

 shell, which encloses the kernel. 



The preparation of palm oil is undertaken by the natives in the countries where the palm 

 grows. To collect the fruits the native climbs up the palm and cuts off the fruit heads. 



The fruits, after a time, separate from the heads, are cleaned and put into iron or earthenware 

 pots partially filled with water and boiled until they form an oily mass. This is transferred to 

 a wooden trough, where it is left overnight to cool. At daybreak next morning, water having 

 been added, men get into the trough and pound the oil out of the mass by treading it with their 

 feet. The oil gradually rises to the surface and is skimmed off by women, who pass it through 

 a sieve to remove the coarser impurities. It is then poured into a pot and boiled until the 

 yellow-red oil rises to the surface (see p. 371). The oil is heated again to drive off any traces 

 of water. 



Palm oil varies in colour ranging through all shades from orange-yellow in the " Lagos " 

 varieties to a dirty red in the " Congo " oils. It has a somewhat sweetish taste and a charac- 

 teristic odour. When fresh, it is a good edible fat and is extensively used as such by the natives, 

 who greatly enjoy " palm oil chop," and to some extent by Europeans living in the country. 

 Its chief commercial use in Europe is for the manufacture of soap and candles, and very large 

 quantities are annually imported for this purpose. Another important application of the 

 product is in the tin-plate industry, in which large quantities of " palm oil greases " are used 

 for covering the 

 surfaces of the 

 iron plates to 

 prevent oxida- 

 tion previous to 

 the tinning 

 process. 



The oil ob- 

 tained from the 

 kernels of the 

 nuts is known in 

 the trade under 

 the names of 

 " Palm Nut 

 Oil "and "Palm 

 Kernel Oil." 

 The nuts or 

 "stones" freed 

 from their oily 

 fleshy outer 

 layer are col- 

 lected during 

 the manufac- 

 ture of palm oil, 

 and the native 

 worn en and 

 children crack 



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iSKEKWOOD 4 8 AT LEV. LIMlTt-O. IEEoS 



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