The global palm oil industry generates about 85 million tonnes of vegetation liquor annually which are discarded as palm oil mill effluent (POME). Malaysia alone produces about 45 million tonnes of POME. Discharge of the untreated waste from any edible oil process, including for palm oil, is highly polluting and this continues ti be of global environmental concern. Altough Malaysia has enforced stringent regulatory environmental standards, the challange of converting such agricultureal waste to high value products has remained elusive. MPOB has discovered that oil palm vegetation liquor is a very rich source of phenolics, and has developed a novel process dor ectracting these oul palm phenolics (OPP). This discovery provides an exceptional opportunity to transform a bio-burden into products with a range of potential applications having implications for health and wellness. The novel process developed by MPOB providers an opportunitity and a financial incentive to reduce pollution from POME while enhancing the income of the oil palm industry.

Main Research: Dr Ravigadevi Sambanthamurthi