Palm kernel oil vs palm oil is one of the most common mix-ups in the oil aisle. Both come from the same African oil palm, but from two different parts of the same fruit, and they look, feel and behave nothing alike. Here is the difference in plain English, and where black palm kernel oil fits in.
What is palm kernel oil?
Palm kernel oil comes from the kernel, the hard seed inside the palm fruit. Crack the nut, take out the kernel, and the oil comes from that kernel.
Ude Aki is black palm kernel oil, made the traditional West African way. The kernels are cracked, cooked in a pot over firewood until the oil comes out, and the oil is sieved. Nothing is added, and it is not refined, bleached or deodorised.
What is palm oil?
Palm oil comes from the soft, oily flesh around the seed, not from the seed itself. Crude palm oil is a deep orange red. According to Oklahoma State University Extension, that colour comes from natural carotenoid pigments in the fruit flesh.
In West Africa this red oil is a cooking oil, the one that colours many stews and soups.
Palm kernel oil vs palm oil: 5 differences
| Palm kernel oil | Palm oil | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of the fruit | The kernel (seed) | The flesh around the seed |
| Colour | Pale when refined. Roasted black palm kernel oil is deep caramel to rich brown | Deep orange red when crude |
| Texture | Firmer when cool, melts faster when warm | Semi-solid at room temperature |
| Main fats | Mostly lauric acid | Mostly oleic and palmitic acid |
| Typical use | Hair, skin and soap making | Cooking in West Africa and beyond |
The texture and fat figures come from the same Oklahoma State University fact sheet: palm kernel oil is mostly lauric acid (29 to 55 percent), while palm oil has almost none and is mostly oleic and palmitic acid.
Where black palm kernel oil fits
Black palm kernel oil is palm kernel oil made by roasting. The fire is what gives it its colour and its strong, smoky, nutty scent. That smell is the real thing, and it fades a few minutes after it goes on.
The name says black, but the oil is deep caramel to rich brown. Look down into a full jar and it looks very dark. Rub a little on your skin and it is a warm caramel orange.
- Texture: solid when cool, it melts on contact with skin. Grainy is normal. Warm it to smooth it.
- Solid or liquid: both are normal. Whatever the weather did in transit decides which one lands on your doorstep.
- Use: Ude Aki is sold as a cosmetic for hair, scalp and skin. It is for external use only, not for cooking.
For hair, read how to keep 4c hair moisturized. For skin, read palm kernel oil for skin.
Is palm kernel oil the same as batana oil?
Close cousins. Batana oil is a kernel oil too, from the American oil palm in Honduras. Ude Aki comes from the African oil palm in Nigeria. Both are made the same way: crack the nuts, cook the kernels over a fire, and sieve the oil. One process, two continents. Same family, different home, same job.
More in batana oil vs black palm kernel oil and African batana oil.
Questions people ask
Is red palm oil the same as palm kernel oil? No. Red palm oil comes from the fruit flesh. Palm kernel oil comes from the seed.
What is palm kernel oil made of? The kernel of the oil palm fruit. Ude Aki has one ingredient: Elaeis guineensis (palm) kernel oil.
Is palm kernel oil solid? It is solid when cool and melts when warm. A warm truck or a hot mailbox can soften it. Put it somewhere cool and it firms back up.
What does Ude Aki mean? Ude aki is Igbo for palm kernel oil. More in Ude aki in English.
So, palm kernel oil vs palm oil in one line: same fruit, different part, different oil.
What is in palm kernel oil
Palm kernel oil is one of the few highly saturated plant oils. It is semi-solid at room temperature, more saturated than palm oil and close to coconut oil. Its main fatty acid is lauric acid, at roughly 48 percent, followed by myristic acid and oleic acid. Palm oil comes from the fruit pulp and is a different oil with a different fat profile.
Refined palm kernel oil vs black palm kernel oil
Refined palm kernel oil, the kind used in food manufacturing, soap and cosmetics, is bleached and deodorised. Black palm kernel oil is the traditional kind: the nuts are cracked, the kernels are cooked in a pot over firewood until the oil comes out, and the oil is sieved. Nothing is bleached or deodorised, so it keeps its colour and its strong smoky, nutty scent.
Ude Aki is black palm kernel oil from Nigeria, one ingredient, deep caramel to rich brown in the jar. See Ude Aki black palm kernel oil.
Where to get black palm kernel oil
JEB FOODS Ude Aki Black Palm Kernel Oil, 4 oz is one ingredient, roasted over firewood in Nigeria and packed in the USA. Scan the QR code on the lid, or visit jebfoods.com/real, to check your jar is real.
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