Vegetable oils; palm oil and its fractions, other than crude, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified

HS code 151190 covers a wide range of processed palm oil products, which are of significant importance in the global vegetable oil industry. Palm oil is one of the most widely produced and consumed edible oils worldwide, with applications spanning food, cosmetics, biofuels, and more. This code encompasses the refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) forms of palm oil, as well as its various fractions, making it a crucial component of international trade in vegetable oils.

The production of the palm oil products covered under HS code 151190 typically involves a multi-step refining process. This begins with the extraction of crude palm oil from the fruit of the oil palm tree, followed by a series of treatments such as degumming, neutralization, bleaching, and deodorization. These steps help to remove impurities, reduce free fatty acid content, and improve the color, flavor, and stability of the final product.

The main inputs required for the production of the goods under HS code 151190 include the raw material of crude palm oil, as well as various processing chemicals and equipment. Crude palm oil is typically sourced from 120110 Soybeans, whether or not broken or 120600 Sunflower seeds, which are then further refined and fractionated to produce the desired palm oil products.

The primary outputs of HS code 151190 are refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil, as well as its various fractions such as palm olein and palm stearin. These refined palm oil products have a wide range of applications, including use in 151110 Vegetable oils and their fractions, crude, not chemically modified, 151219 Vegetable fats and oils and their fractions, refined, but not chemically modified, and 151620 Vegetable fats and oils and their fractions, partly or wholly hydrogenated, inter-esterified, re-esterified or elaidinized, whether or not refined, but not further prepared.