Price Scenario of Selected Oils and Fats in 2001 and Prospects in 2002

Palm products recorded another bearish year in 2001 as prices continued to decline along the trend that began in 1999. The price of refined bleached deodorized (RBD) palm olein averaged out at US$ 317 t-1, RBD palm stearin at US$ 264 t-1, RBD palm oil at US$ 259 t-1, crude palm oil at US$ 286 t-1, and palm kernel oil at US$ 308 t-1 and all these were lower than their corresponding prices in the previous year (Table 1). Prices of some other oils, namely cottonseed oil and coconut oil also showed the same pattern in 2001, averaging at US$ 414 t-1 and US$ 318 t-1 respectively which were lower than their corresponding prices in the previous year. However, prices of soyabean oil and tallow did show an improvement in 2001 compared to the prices in year 2000.

Releated

Understanding the Interactions of Diacylglycerols with Oils for Better Product Performance

Oils and fats consist of complex mixtures of triacylglycerols (TAGs), diacylglycerols (DAGs), free fatty acids and other minor components. The crystallization of TAG mixtures depends on the nature, chain length and saturation/unsaturation characteristics of the TAGs and the interaction of these TAGs with each other. The presence of DAGs further complicates the crystallization and melting […]