An alternative to palm oil?

We all know that palm oil is used in many different applications, from food to beauty products, etc …

In the last 30 years its use has grown exponentially and crops are grown in places where there used to be tropical forests, with the negative environmental effect of deforestation. But palm oil has the enormous advantage that it is very cheap and its use reduces the costs of the products in which it is used.

According to data from WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), 75 million tons of palm oil are produced in the world each year, and 75% of it is used in food and cooking oil.

And by the year 2050, it is estimated that some 400 million tons will be used annually, with the negative environmental effect that this generates.

That is why there are many people investigating to find alternatives to palm oil, and the company C16 Biosciences located in New York has just announced that it has obtained a biological alternative.

They have achieved a yeast that when growing produces large amounts of oil within its cells, and that oil can be extracted by squeezing them.

Replacing palm oil will not be easy as it is very cheap, so even though it is negative for the human body, many manufacturers include it in food, to lower the cost and therefore its price.

At first, the people of C16 Biosciences indicated that their product costs about twice that of current palm oil, but its quantities are in thousands of kg and not millions of tons. Only when it is manufactured in large quantities do the prices drop significantly, so it is to be expected that these will also fall and be competitive.

It is already an important fact that someone is able to offer a viable alternative to palm oil.

The palm oil that is used in beauty products could be substituted without problems since cost is not the relevant factor.

It could also be used in foods that take into account quality over low price, because as I said before, palm oil is not good for our body.

The underlying problem is that of people’s “acceptance” of a genetically derived product. Many of us are not very convinced and we prefer natural foods.

But I recognize that it is a good alternative to end the deforestation that continues to cause the increase in palm oil cultivation.

And the excuse that there are 4 million peasants who work to cultivate it is not valid, because they could grow other products that are less harmful to the environment. In the end, the business is controlled by the big companies.