Palm oil for the Russian winter
Ingredients Russia show which it claims makes it ideal for
producers struggling in Russia's harsh winter - a palm oil with a
lower melting point. Angela Drujinina reports.
The new product, called AP 32/34 because it melts at 32-34¢ªC, is said to be ideal for milk and confectionery producers.
"The new product is ideal for use in the winter time,", FG Palm Oil's Snezhana Kazantseva told CEE-foodindustry.com. "There is almost no need to melt it, which keeps manufacturers' energy bills low and helps to preserve the natural properties of the product."
She added that the ingredient also helped extend the shelf life of products and was more cost effective than equivalent ingredients. "The price of milk fat in Russia is $2.1 per kilogram; palm oil costs just $0.8/kg."
Irina Alkhimova, FG Palm Oil's technology specialist said that palm and coconut oils were widely used as substitutes for milk fat. "Milk products such as sour cream, cheese, cottage cheese and dairy spreads can be made 'lighter' by replacing milk fats with palm oil," she said, stressing that Russian producers were looking to develop these 'diet' products to tap into a growing health trend.
FG Palm Oil has been present in the Russian vegetable oil and fats market for five years, supplying high quality palm oil and its by-products oleic acid and stearic acid. It also supplies coconut oil from Indonesia and Malaysia.
All its products undergo quality tests at the All-Russian Research Institute for Fats before being sold on the Russian market. FG Palm Oil sells around 10,000 tons of oils a month and is one of the top five suppliers of vegetable fats to the Russian market.
