What is Palm Kernel Shells(PKS)?

PKS(パームカーネルシェル)とは?

Palm kernel shells, or PKS, are the shells that cover the seeds of oil palm fruits.

Oil palms are cultivated in overseas countries to extract palm oil from the pulp of the fruit and other substances from inside the seeds. The shells that remain after the oil has been extracted are called PKS (palm kernel shells).
Oil palm fruits are different from coconuts, which are larger fruits found on coconut palms and used for making coconut milk.

Process of collecting PKS (palm kernel shells)

Oil palm plantation

Oil palms are planted and grown until they bear fruit.

Picture: Copyright-free (from Wikipedia ? oil palms [Japanese site])

Oil palm fruits (on the tree)

Oil palm fruits on the trees are harvested.

Photo by: Bongoman (from Wikipedia ? oil palms [Japanese site])

Oil palm fruit

The size of a cluster is about the size of a watermelon, and they weigh about 20 kilograms. Several tens of fruits are produced, and the size of one fruit can range from that of a Japanese chestnut to a chicken’s egg.

Seeds are inside the orange pulp. You can see kernel seeds inside as well.
“Palm oil” for cooking is extracted from the pulp, and “palm kernel oil” used for processing is extracted from the kernel.

PKS(Palm kernel shells )

These hard, walnut shell-like parts of the fruit are dried and crushed to produce PKS(palm kernel shells). They have hardly any odor.

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