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Note: This article was AI-translated from Arabic and is currently under manual review. The author is not responsible for any translation errors. Please refer to the original Arabic text for the most accurate and authoritative information.
Founder of the platform, with more than 11 years of experience in marketing within the oils and fats industry.
We often see some people asking “Why does palm oil freeze?” or “Why does palm olein oil freeze?”
Therefore, in this article, we explain the nature of palm oil and its derivatives, which will answer the question of why it freezes and what are the grades of palm olein oil.
Palm oil is the oil extracted from the flesh of oil palm fruits. It is a semi-solid oil at room temperature. Palm oil undergoes a process called fractionation to separate the solid content (saturated fat) from the liquid content (unsaturated fat). This process is similar to extracting cream from milk — when the cream floats on the surface and is separated. This process results in palm olein, which is the liquid derivative of palm oil, and palm stearin, which is the solid derivative of palm oil.
Each derivative of palm oil has its uses according to its nature. Palm olein is widely used in frying and roasting. Stearin is used in industries that require solid fat such as margarine, shortening, vegetable ghee, soap, and others.
Palm olein has different grades resulting from repeating the fractionation process. A second fractionation of the olein produces a more liquid derivative. Below is an explanation of the relevant terms.
Although all vegetable oils contain some saturated fat, which is naturally solid at room temperature, palm oil has a high content of saturated fat compared to most other vegetable oils — about 50% saturated fat. Palm olein, being derived from palm oil, has a lower saturated fat content depending on its grade. Coconut oil has the highest saturated fat content among vegetable oils at about 90%, which is also why it freezes. Saturated fats naturally solidify at low temperatures and become liquid at high temperatures. For more, you can check out saturated and unsaturated fats.
Cloud Point (CP)
The cloud point is the temperature at which parts of a liquid begin to turn solid — similar to the white cloudiness that appears in palm olein. This change is a natural occurrence caused by the saturated fat content solidifying at low temperatures. Olein is classified by the temperature at which cloudiness begins to appear. Common grades are:
CP 10, CP 8, CP 6, CP 4
CP 4 means that cloudiness starts to appear at 4°C — this is therefore the most liquid and most expensive grade because it has undergone more fractionation cycles. CP 10 has been fractionated only once and is the least expensive. Grades CP 6 and CP 4 are called Super Olein.
Iodine Value (IV)
The iodine value measures the degree of unsaturation of the oil. A higher iodine value means the oil is more liquid, which is the opposite of the cloud point logic above. Super Olein starts from IV 60 and above, while standard olein ranges from IV 56 to 59.
Double-Fractionated (DF)
This means the oil has undergone more than one fractionation cycle. It is commonly known as Super Olein — a more liquid derivative than standard olein, which is fractionated only once.
First, it should be noted that the lower the cloud point, the higher the cost of oil, because it has undergone more fractionation cycles. But does this mean that CP 4 is the best grade?
Not necessarily — it is simply more liquid and has a lower saturated fat content, making it healthier. It is the most appropriate option when selling oil to consumers in transparent bottles, where a cloudy appearance would be unappealing. CP 10 grade is better suited for restaurants and factories that require deep frying, such as french fry factories. These operations are not affected by the appearance of the oil, and the higher saturated fat content actually improves oil stability at high temperatures, with no need for the extra cost.
Even after fractionation, some or all palm olein oil may solidify at low temperatures in winter, depending on the grade. This is the natural behavior of palm olein because even after fractionation, it still contains a significant amount of saturated fat. As we discussed in a previous article, saturated fat is not inherently harmful — the body needs it — but it should be consumed within 10% of daily calories in accordance with WHO recommendations. When the oil is heated, it returns to its liquid state without cloudiness.