What gives palm oil its red color?
Palm oil naturally contains carotenes (pro-vitamin A) which gives it its red color. Palm oil carotenoids have comparative alpha-carotene and beta-carotene distribution as carrots. (The refined red palm oil that is available in some food stores in the US has 15 times the amounts of carotenes compared to carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes!). Approximately 1 tablespoon of red palm oil meets 100% of the adult reference dietary intake (RDI). Furthermore, some animal studies have found that carotenoids may have beneficial effects on cancer and coronary heart disease.
