TT No. 77a: The Identity of Ganoderma Species Responsible for Basal Stem Rot Disease of Oil Palm in Malaysia – Morphological Characteristics

Basal stem root (BSR) caused by species of Ganoderma is a disease of economic importance of oil palm in Malaysia and Indonesia. The genus Ganoderma Karst. is categorised as a higher fungus, a polyporoid genus, within the fanily; Ganodermataceae, Order: Basidiomycetes. The early literature on BSR disease of oil palm reported conflicting opinions on the … Read more

MIS No. 34: Loose Fruit Collector

Loose fruit collection has been a perpetual problem contributing to a decline in the extraction rate. This is a consequence of the labour shortage and unavailability of proper mechanical implement to assist in the operation. On the average, the loose fruits found at the base of the palm constitute about 3-5% of the bunch weight. … Read more

TT No. 76: Palm Based Blanket and Roller Wash for Offset Printers

The lithographic printing process is very versatile and used to produce a wide range of printed matter. The bulk of this falls into two main categories (i) publication and (ii) packaging. In commercial practice, most lithographic printing is accomplished by an offset process, that is by transferring the image from the plate to an intermediate … Read more

TT No. 75: Mobile Ramp – For Mainline Loading of Oil Palm Fresh Fruit Bunches

Mainline loading of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) is either done manually or mechanically. Methods currently practised by estates include: manual loading Net system loading (KULIM system) Platform ramp loading High-lift infield trailer loading Huka/Hook-lift concept loading In some of these loading systems, for example manual, net and platform ramp loading, the FFB are … Read more

TT No. 68: OP-Fibre Moulded Plastic Composites

Malaysia has more than 3.01 million hectares under oil palm cultivation in 1998. Besides producing palm and kernel oils, the industry also generates more than 30 million tonnes annually of biomass (EFB) and trunks (OPT) in harvesting, processing and replanting the crop, respectively. About two fronds are pruned from each palm per month during harvesting … Read more

TT No. 67: Solvent Extraction of Oil Palm Biomass Using the Alcell Process

The paper industry use large and expensive equipment. For example, the cost of a single paper machine complex runs close to US$300 million and a fully-integrated bleached kraft pulp and paper mill costs almost US$1.5 billion. Such capital requirements for the construction of a conventional pulp mill has caused many investigators to take a fresh … Read more

TT No. 66: Clear Gel with Encapsulated Vitamin E & A

The use of cosmetic products is as old as civilization. During ancient times, people had already begun to use a variety of items to enhance their appearance. The renaissance era saw a wider acceptance of cosmetic products. This was the period of rose water, homemade soap, cucumber cream and rice powder. With development and improvement … Read more

TT No. 63 & 64 & 65: Goat’s Milk Lotion, Goat’s Milk Cream, Goat’s Milk Skin Freshener

Over the past years, natural or naturally derived cosmetic products have been swarming the market, replacing the synthetic based products. This change was mainly due to consumers’ preferences towards natural, mild and plant derived products. thus natural trend’ is not unfounded as the main competitor, cosmetic products derived from petroleum could contain polyaromatic hydrocarbons which … Read more

TT No. 62: Palm Based Soap with Goat’s Milk

The formulation of soap bars has become more complex over the years due to the need to increase the functionality of the soaps. Nowadays, the consumers have become very accustomed to multi-functional products. Traditionally, soaps were designed for cleaning the skin only but overtime soaps began to be used as delivery system for perfumes, superfattting … Read more