Palmitic acid form of caustic soda or lye), which causes hydrolysis of the ester groups, yielding glycerol and sodium palmitate. Because it is inexpensive and adds texture and "mouth feel" to processed foods (convenience food), palmitic acid and its sodium salt find wide use in foodstuffs. Sodium palmitate is permitted as a natural additive in organic products. The aluminium salt is used as a thickening agent of napalm used in military actions. Hydrogenation of palmitic acid yields cetyl alcohol, which is used to produce detergents and cosmetics. Recently, a long-acting antipsychotic medication, paliperidone palmitate (marketed as INVEGA Sustenna), used in the treatment
Shea nut and butter production in Burkina Faso of rural women who number from 300,000 to 400,000. In the local Dioula language it is known as "Si" [shi]. The fruits are shaped like large plums and have smooth skin with an egg-shaped nut with the kernel that yields the fatty shea butter. The product that is extracted as fat from the kernel of the shea nuts, which has five primary fatty acids namely, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and arachidic; stearic and oleic acids constitute 85–90% of the fatty acids. Though a fat, it is not extracted in a fluid state like other oils, but is processed in the