Scientists develop alternative for palm oil in food production

Researchers at the Nanyang Technological University Singapore have developed a method of producing an alternative to palm oil by tricking microalgae into producing oil.

The method involves adding a solution with pyruvic acid, an organic acid found in all cells, to the Chromochloris zofingiensis microalgae. This slurry is then exposed to ultraviolet light, stimulating photosynthesis; after being left for 14 days, the microalgae are washed, dried and treated with methanol, after which point the oil is extracted.

Palm oil is used for many food applications such as cooking, margarines, spreads, confectionery fats, ice cream and emulsifiers. Being a vegetable oil, it is cholesterol-free and has a unique fatty acid and triacylglycerol profile. It is naturally semi-solid at room temperature and does not require hydrogenation for use as a food ingredient.

While palm oil has its advantages in many food applications, because it is derived from the fruits of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) it has led to deforestation in several countries so alternatives are in demand.

The oil created by the NTU team is claimed to be healthier for not just the environment but for people too as it features more polyunsaturated fatty acids and fewer saturated fatty acids than palm oils.

To produce enough plant-based oil to manufacture a store-bought chocolate bar that weighs 100 g, 160 g of algae would be required.

The researchers are looking now to scale up their production and improve the yield and quality of the extraction. They suggest that scaling up production as well as using sunlight instead of UV light could lead to the microalgae removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Another environmentally beneficial development by the researchers was to make it possible to produce the necessary pyruvic acid by fermenting organic waste products, such as soybean residues and fruit peels, thus making the process cheaper.

Professor William Chen, Director of NTU’s Food Science and Technology (FST) Programme, who led the project, said, “Our solution is a three-pronged approach to solving three pressing issues. We are capitalising on the concept of establishing a circular economy, finding uses for would-be waste products and re-injecting them into the food chain. In this case, we rely on one of nature’s key processes, fermentation, to convert that organic matter into nutrient-rich solutions, which could be used to cultivate algae, which not only reduces our reliance on palm oil, but keeps carbon out of the atmosphere.”

It is hoped that the research could be scaled up within two years and the team has reported that they’re already receiving interest from food and beverage companies.

Due to the oils’ properties, the NTU team will also be exploring adding them to plant-based meats to improve their texture and nutritional properties.

The research was published in the Journal of Applied Phycology.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-021-02618-6

Image caption: (L-R) Director of NTU’s Food Science and Technology (FST) Programme Professor William Chen and FST Research Fellow Dr Ng Kuan Rei, presenting the microalgae oil, as well as a sample of microalgae that has been washed, dried and treated with methanol. Credit: NTU Singapore