Study of the changes in molecular composition of high‒oleic palm oil (Coari × La Mé) before and after physical refining

High‒oleic palm oil (HOPO) is a lipid substrate rich in biologically valuable substances. However, standard physical refining procedures result in a medium‒to‒large‒scale loss of beneficial nutritional properties. This study reports, for the first time, on the primary phytochemicals contained in HOPO before and after physical refining and the antioxidant potential of HOPO and its refined fractions, including byproducts. The composition of these compounds was elucidated using attenuated total reflection‒Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection analysis. HOPO and HOPO distilled fatty acids (HOPO‒FAD) had the highest vitamin E (1,026.34 and 6,700.13 mg kg−1, respectively) and phenolic compounds (66.24 and 176.50 mg·GAE·kg−1, respectively) contents and showed the highest percentage DPPH• inhibition (77.85% and 97.19%, respectively). If valuable phytochemicals are preserved, HOPO and HOPO‒FAD may be promising sources of functional ingredients for use in the food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries.