Description
Free of: Added sugar, soy, dairy, yeast, gluten, and additives.
What
is Palmitate? Palmitates are the salts and esters of palmitic acid.
Palmitic acid, or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is the most common
saturated fatty acid found in animals, plants and microorganisms. Its chemical
formula is CH3(CH2)14COOH, and its C:D is
16:0. As its name indicates, it is a major component of the oil from the fruit
of oil palms (palm oil). The palmitate anion is the observed form of palmitic
acid at physiologic pH (7.4).
Palmitate
Chemistry Excess
carbohydrates in the body are converted to palmitic acid. Palmitic acid is the
first fatty acid produced during fatty acid synthesis and is the precursor to
longer fatty acids. As a consequence, palmitic acid is a major body component
of animals. In humans, one analysis found it to make up 21–30% (molar) of human
depot fat, and it is a major, but highly variable, lipid component of human
breast milk. Palmitate negatively feeds back on acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC),
which is responsible for converting acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA, which in turn is
used to add to the growing acyl chain, thus preventing further palmitate
generation. In biology, some proteins are modified by the addition of a
palmitoyl group in a process known as palmitoylation. Palmitoylation is
important for membrane localization of many proteins.
Uses
of Palmitate Because it is inexpensive and adds texture and
“mouth feel” to processed foods (convenience food), palmitic acid and
its sodium salt find wide use in foodstuffs. Sodium palmitate is permitted as a
natural additive in organic products.
Naturally
Occurring Palmitate and Production of Palmitate Palmitic
acid was discovered by Edmond Frémy in 1840, in saponified palm oil. This
remains the primary industrial route for its production, with the triglycerides
(fats) in palm oil being hydrolyzed by high temperature water (above 200 °C or
390 °F), and the resulting mixture fractionally distilled to give the pure
product.
Palmitic
acid is naturally produced by a wide range of other plants and organisms,
typically at low levels. It is naturally present in butter, cheese, milk, and
meat, as well as cocoa butter, soybean oil, and sunflower oil. Karukas contain
44.90% palmitic acid. The cetyl ester of palmitic acid (cetyl palmitate) occurs
in spermaceti.

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