Palm oil

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/palm-oil

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the botanical source?Elaeis guineensis (African oil palm)
2. What is the primary extraction site?Reddish mesocarp (pulp) of the fruit
3. What is palm oil and where does it come from?Palm oil is made from the fruit of the African oil palm tree, which grows in tropical West Africa. It comes from the fruit’s flesh, called the mesocarp.
4. Why is palm oil used in so many foods?It stays semi‑solid at room temperature and resists oxidation, giving foods a smooth texture and long shelf life. Food makers use it in baked goods, candies, noodles, and margarines.

Mesocarp: The fleshy, pulpy part of a fruit, situated between the skin and the seed or stone.
Deforestation: The clearing or removal of forests or stands of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use.
Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Biofuel: Fuel derived directly from living matter, such as plants or animal waste.