Characterization of Red Palm Oil from Elaeis guineensis Produced by Multi-step Fractionation and Assessment of Anti-inflammatory Activity

An economical processing method for red palm oil production was developed for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). Crude palm oil was obtained from oil palm fruits (Elaeis guineensis). The optimal degumming conditions were determined. A multi-step fractionation at 34, 25, and 15 °C with the cooling rates of 60 °C /hr and 10 °C /hr were compared. The optimal degumming conditions were 20 min at a temperature of 90 °C, phosphoric acid to citric acid of 0.06:0.04%, and a cooling rate of 10 °C /hr. The red palm oil contained 43.54% oleic acid, 747.22 mg/kg carotenoids, 856.91 mg/kg vitamin E, and 55.70% yield at optimal conditions. The anti-inflammatory activity in RAW264.7 macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) showed that the oil could reduce the production of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The oil attenuated LPS-induced mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators and cytokines by inhibiting the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways in LPS-stimulated macrophages. The results suggest that the developed process could effectively produce red palm oil with promising anti-inflammatory properties.