#Changemaker: Stop facepalming at palm oil, start using fermented alternatives
For all the bad rep that it gets, palm oil still makes up around 40% of the global vegetable oil supply, according to WWF estimates.
Alternative oils pose fewer risks to biodiversity and carbon release, but producing them is not as efficient. This puts the food manufacturing industry in a sticky situation.
But one company picked up this challenge. Its ultimate mission is clear from the name: NoPalm Ingredients.
Using a special yeast, the team developed a process to convert sugars and organic acids in virtually any kind of biomass into microbial oil.
Jochem de Vries showed us a range of samples made from fermented grains.
The new, food-grade ingredient is ready to replace palm oil (or any other tropical oil).
NoPalm Ingredients typically works with sidestreams like potato peels or discarded vegetables, circulating the same waste material that producers generate.
Thanks to Jochem and the rest of the team, that 40% share of the vegetable oil supply will quickly evaporate. And tropical forests can flourish
