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Scientists find alternative to palm oil

Palm-alt Oil - Level 0

Palm oil is in half of the food we eat. However, making it damages the environment. Researchers think they have found an alternative to palm oil. It is called PALM-ALT. This is a plant-based oil that is better for the environment. It is also healthier. It has much less fat and 30% fewer calories than palm oil.

PALM-ALT could change how we make things. It is made from flowers and seeds, so we don't have to cut down trees. A researcher tested PALM-ALT. She said people could not tell the difference between PALM-ALT and traditional palm oil. She is hoping businesses will start using it instead of regular palm oil.

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Palm-alt Oil - Level 1

Palm oil is in half of all the food we buy. It is also in cosmetics and biofuel. However, making palm oil damages the environment. Researchers believe they have found an alternative to palm oil. They have created a plant-based oil that is better for the environment. This is because it is more sustainable. It also means less biodiversity loss. It is also healthier. It has 80 per cent less saturated fat and 30 per cent fewer calories than palm oil.

PALM-ALT could change how things are made. Trees in tropical countries have to be cut down to make palm oil. However, PALM-ALT is made from a flower and seeds. A researcher spoke about PALM-ALT. She said it was an answer scientists wanted to find. She tested it to see if people could tell the difference between PALM-ALT and traditional palm oil. They couldn't. She is hoping businesses will start using PALM-ALT instead of regular palm oil.

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Palm-alt Oil - Level 2

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Palm oil is used in a lot of food and everyday things. It is also in beauty products and biofuel. However, making palm oil damages the environment because of deforestation. Researchers in Scotland believe they have found an alternative to palm oil. The scientists have created a plant-based oil that is better for nature and for our health. Their new PALM-ALT product is 70 per cent better for the environment. This is because it is more sustainable and leads to less biodiversity loss. It is also healthier. It has 80 per cent less saturated fat and 30 per cent fewer calories than palm oil.

PALM-ALT could change how things are made. Around half of all the food and cosmetics we buy contain palm oil. Trees in tropical countries have to be cut down to make palm oil. However, PALM-ALT is made from the linseed flower and rapeseed oil. A researcher spoke to the BBC about PALM-ALT. She called it the "holy grail". She said: "We've put it through some special…testing to see if [people] can tell the difference between our product and traditional palm [oil], and they can't." She is hoping businesses will start using PALM-ALT instead of regular palm oil.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Palm-alt Oil - Level 3

Palm oil is used in many things we eat and use every day. It is in food, in beauty products, and in biofuel. However, producing palm oil leads to environmental damage because of deforestation. A team of researchers in Scotland believe they have found an alternative to palm oil. Scientists from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh have created a wholly plant-based oil that is better for the environment and for our health. The university's new PALM-ALT product is 70 per cent better for the environment. This is because it is more sustainable and leads to less biodiversity loss. It is also healthier than palm oil, with 80 per cent less saturated fat and 30 per cent fewer calories.

The researchers believe their work could change how things are made. Around half of all the food and cosmetics we currently buy contain palm oil. The use of palm oil is growing, so more trees have to be cut down in tropical countries. PALM-ALT is made from a by-product from the linseed flower and rapeseed oil. Researcher Catriona Liddle spoke to the BBC about PALM-ALT. She called it the "holy grail" to replace palm oil. She found it does the same things palm oil does. She said: "We've put it through some special sensory testing to see if a panel can tell the difference between our product and traditional palm [oil], and they can't." She is now hoping businesses will start using it instead of regular palm oil.

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson