Palm oil is one of the most important oil plants. It probably originated in tropical regions, on the eastern side of America and in West Africa. There is evidence that people who lived in West and Central Africa made oil from this fruit as early as the 15th century. The first references of palm oil arrived in Europe for the first time in 1443, from the hands of the Portuguese navigator, Gil Eannes. First, the oil was imported to Europe in 1850, to meet the needs of fat in a growing population. The invention of margarine in 1869, together with a continuous increase in the use of vegetable fats, prompted growth in demand. This led to the cultivation of the palm kernel, which currently grows in tropical regions, all over the world.

These plants grow at a height of approx. 20 m and bloom at temperatures of 24-27 ° C. They do not bear fruit in the first 4 years, and then produce approx. 50 fruits. The main areas where it is currently grown are: West Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brazil and Colombia. The harvest begins when the fruit begins to detach from the clusters of fruit. Then, these bunches are opened with knives. Each of them contains more than 2,000 pieces of fruit, with a hard base surrounded by a soft pulp (with an oil content of 40-65%). Palm kernel oil is obtained from the fleshy seed.

Crude palm oil is obtained from the pulp of the fruit, which is not suitable for storage, and involves the sterilization of the berries, from which the seeds are removed, before cooking and pressing them. The resulting product is rinsed and purified. At room temperature, the crude oil is solid, orange-red in color, with a sweet and characteristic odor (violet type). Generally, the crude oil is refined to produce a white-yellow solid fat (refined palm oil). Palm oil contains approximately 80% palmitic acid, along with oleic acid, and is used in the production of margarine, soaps (body products), candles and lubricating greases. In the steel industry, large quantities of palm oil are used as grease during the ripple process in the production of plates. The food industry uses palm oil in soups and in spices / condiments. Palm oil is also an important raw material for the chemical industry of oil production.