
The palm kernel is the edible seed of the
oil palm fruit. The fruit yields two distinct oils:
palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced fr ...
derived from the outer parts of the fruit, and
palm kernel oil
Palm kernel oil is an edible plant oil derived from the kernel of the oil palm tree '' Elaeis guineensis''. It is related to other two edible oils: ''palm oil'', extracted from the fruit pulp of the oil palm, and '' coconut oil'', extracted fro ...
derived from the kernel.
The pulp left after oil is rendered from the kernel is formed into "palm kernel cake", used either as high-protein feed for dairy cattle or burned in boilers to generate electricity for palm oil mills and surrounding villages.
Uses

Palm kernel cake is most commonly produced by economical
screw press, less frequently via more expensive
solvent extraction.

Palm kernel cake is a high-fibre, medium-grade protein
feed best suited to
ruminant
Ruminants ( suborder Ruminantia) are hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions. Th ...
s. Among other similar
fodder
Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals (including ...
s, palm kernel cake is ranked a little higher than
copra
Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...