Assessment of quality of crude palm oil sold in major markets in Enugu State:- Ozor, Judith C.

ABSTRACT

Palm oil is one of the most consumed edible oils within the tropics. In Nigeria, it forms the basic food ingredient of every household. It is a product of oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis), an ancestral cash crop tree of African origin. It is believed to have spread to various countries by farmers who practiced shifting cultivation. History has shown that human use of palm oil may be dated as far back as 5000 years in West Africa (Kiple and Conee,2000). All over the globe, palm oil has become one ofthe leading sources ofincome especially in Africa and Asia, with a special reference to Malaysia where it has become the most relied on source ofrevenue for the government. In tropical Africa, South-East Asia and parts of Brazil, palm oil is a common cooking ingredient, while in commercial industries, it is used for manufacturing soaps, washing powder, and other products (Bellis,2005).The oil is extracted from the mesocarp ofthe fruit.