Abstract
Palm oil is the major cooking oil in Cameroon, and crude palm oil (CPO) is an essential ingredient of many local recipes. However, the quality of this foodstuff is subject to doubt, considering the very often inadequate conditions of its extraction and storage in the fast growing small holder sector. In order to assess the quality of (CPO) available to Cameroonian consumers, 40 samples of this product were randomly collected in 10 major markets of the city of Douala and assayed through three physico-chemical parameters, namely oil acidity, peroxide value (PV) and moisture content. Results of this study showed that the quality of CPO samples was good regarding PV, as all values were below the 15 meqO2/kg maximal limit. However, data from oil acidity determination were cause for concern, as 50% of the samples had values above the 5% acidity maximal limit for CPO. The worst was for moisture content which had all values above the 0.2% maximal limit. Considering that high moisture content inevitably enhances deterioration reactions involved in food spoilage, one can easily conclude that the quality of the CPO samples assessed was quite poor but above all could rapidly undergo further deterioration upon storage. Key words: Oil palm, crude palm oil, food safety, quality, food deterioration.
Highlights
With an annual global production equating to about 39% of world production of vegetable oils, palm oil has outclassed soybean during the last decade to become the most important oil crop in the world
Results from this study provided clear indication of the quality of crude palm oil (CPO) available in the markets of the city of Douala regarding food safety
It appeared that oil acidity was a real concern, as almost 50% of the samples assayed did not comply with recognized norms
Summary
With an annual global production equating to about 39% of world production of vegetable oils (oil world, 2011), palm oil has outclassed soybean during the last decade to become the most important oil crop in the world. Due to long term local eating habits, cheaper cost, and the presence of an important none industrial sector representing about 30% of total local production, palm oil is extensively used in its crude form (crude palm oil or CPO) for food purposes in Cameroon and throughout Central and West African regions. This can be nutritionally beneficial, as CPO is a rich source of some essential nutrients such as carotenes, tocopherols and tocotrienols. The β-carotene content in CPO is 15 fold higher than in carrot and 300 fold higher than in tomato, making CPO the richest source of this nutrient (Choo, 1994)
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