Question

Among the following vegetable oils which one contains lowest amount polyunsaturated fatty acids?

• A. Sunflower oil
• B. Palm oil
• C. Peanut oil
• D. Cotton seed oil

Hint:

Palm oil is semi-solid at room temperature because it is highly saturated (approx. \( 50\% \)), meaning its polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) fraction is exceptionally low (approx. \( 10\% \)).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Fatty acids are classified as saturated (no double bonds), monounsaturated (one double bond), or polyunsaturated (two or more double bonds, PUFA) based on their degree of unsaturation.
Vegetable oils differ significantly in their fatty acid profiles depending on the plant source.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us compare the typical polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of the listed vegetable oils:
- Sunflower oil is highly unsaturated, containing approximately \( 60\% \) to \( 65\% \) PUFAs (primarily linoleic acid).
- Cottonseed oil contains approximately \( 50\% \) to \( 54\% \) PUFAs.
- Peanut (groundnut) oil contains approximately \( 30\% \) to \( 35\% \) PUFAs.
- Palm oil is unique among these vegetable oils because it is highly saturated, containing nearly \( 50\% \) saturated fatty acids (mostly palmitic acid), \( 40\% \) monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid), and only about \( 10\% \) polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Therefore, palm oil has the lowest amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids among the choices.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Palm oil contains the lowest amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids.