TT No. 476: Bio Organic Fertiliser

Bio fertiliser production in the oil palm industry has so far cincentrated mainly on the wastes from palm oil mills, but has excluded the refinery waste discharged by the palm oil refineries (POR). There are now 59 POR, and the generation of SBE has increased to 240 000 t annually. For the past 30 years, … Read more

TT No. 97: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Refined Palm Oil

A life-cycle assessment (LCA) enables a detailed evaluation of the environmental performance of the palm oil refining sector as it is a tool to measure the environmental aspects and potentia; impacts related to the refining process. LCA compiles an inventory of the inflow (material/resource and energy) and outflows (solid waste, gaseous and liquid emissions), evaluates … Read more

TT No. 475: Palm Biodiesel with Reduced Fuel Filter Blocking Potential

The engine fuel filter blocking problem in vehicles running on biodiesel blends surfaced in 2007. Researchers discovered that this problem was due to the presence of steryl glucosides at very low level, less than 100 mg kg-1. In October 2008, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) incorporated a new parameter called the cold … Read more

TT No. 474: Inventory of Microbial Biodiversity in Some Oil Palm Plantation

Land degradation and the loss of soil fertility caused by soil erosion due to land conversion is a major problem worldwide. Although the use of agrochemicals increases productivity, it may also cause detrimental effects to the environment. Currently, many oil palm plantations have turned to implementing sustainable agricultural management practices to reduce the negative impacts … Read more

TT No. 471: Palm-based Cream Cheese Analogue

Cream cheese occupies a relatively small but important place among the many varieties of cheeses available commercially. Cream cheese (also called soft cheese) is a sweet, soft, mild-tasting, white cheese, defined by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as containing at least 33% milk fat with a moisture content of not more than 55% and … Read more

TT No. 470: Antioxidant Chilli Oil

Red palm oil has an exceptionally high level of phytonutrients such as carotenes, tocotrienols and squalene. With the infusion of essential oils from chilies and other herbs, we are able to extend the nutritional benefits of the oil. We have demonstrated in our laboratory the antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti inflammation properties for some mixed phytonutrients. … Read more

TT No. 469: SHORTSTIR (Palm-based Chicken Fat Substitute)

Shorstir is a palm-based chicken fat sabstitute formulated from palm fractions and other commercial dats. The ratio of its saturated, monousaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids is 4.8: 3.8 : 1. This ratio is similar to natural chicken fat. As an improvement, the oleic acid content of Shorstir is higher while the lauric acid content is … Read more