Resumen
- Colombia is the world’s fifth largest producer of palm oil. Oil is produced by the fruits of Elaeis guineensis Jacq. (African palm), Elaeis oleifera Kunth (American oil palm) and the interspecific hybrid between these species (Corley and Tinker, 2003). Oil palm plantations in Colombia covered 476 781 ha by 2014, distributed over four geographical regions according to the Colombian Oil Palm Growers Federation (Fedepalma), namely: the Eastern plains (177 849 ha), the Caribbean (141 099 ha), the Central Magdalena Valley (136 685 ha) and the Pacific Coast (21 149 ha) (Fedepalma, 2014). The annual increase in area of Colombian plantations has been estimated at 7% (Dangond, 2015), thereby making this crop one of Colombia’s most important commodities. Palm oil is used in food industries such as bakery, deep-frying, ice cream, and margarines, among others, but also in other industries like soap, resins, fatty acids, animal food, paint and cosmetics (Corley and Tinker, 2003). In Colombia and many South American countries oil palm is the principal source of vegetable oil for human consumption. Recently, it has become a successful source for biodiesel in Colombia and Brazil, which has accelerated the industry’s growth all around the world.