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Bakery products were improved significantly when emulsified shortening was introduced in 1933 (Hui, 1996). Pure vegetable shortenings were accepted as premium products both by housewives and the commercial bakers due to their uniform white colour and smooth texture that improves stability, creaming properties and bland taste. The advance in technology, especially in the food service … Read more

Pastry used for tarts is referred to as sweet short crust pastry (Figure 1). Pastry doughs vary according to the type of final product intended. For instance, the crust for a pre-cooked custard pie should be different from the crust for a fruit filled pie. While the basic ingredients for most pastry doughs are similar, … Read more

Bakery fats are used in a variety of bakery applications for specific functions to produce different products (Figure 1). The properties can be tailor-made to suit the application for which it is intended. A fat for crumble pastry should have a certain consistency to facilitate mixing of ingredients together. It should be able to coat … Read more

Fudge sauce is an ideal topping for ice cream and cold desserts (Figure 1). It is also used in bakeries and dairy industries for flavouring, dipping and also for inclusion in filling cream and chilled desserts such as yoghurt. Fudge sauce tastes like milk chocolate and is the second most popular topping after chocolate syrup (Schuman, … Read more

Malaysia exports various palm oil products with different fatty acid compositions. To ensure that the products are within the trade specifications, they have to be tested before export. Therefore, Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) of palm oil products are required to ensure that products meet the specifications. SRM is defined as a reference material, accompanied by … Read more

The field activities of transporting fresh fruit bunches (FFB) to roadside collecting points, spreading fertilizers and weedicide spraying can be mechanized to reduce the number of workers, increase worker productivity and the area covered. The normal method for transporting FFB is by wheelbarrow, controlling weeds by knapsack sprayer and applying fertilizer. These activities are hard … Read more

The physical characteristics of peat soil limits its mechanization.Anotherlimitation is the rising debris from the sinking of the soil. The protruding debris – old logs or T stumps – obstruct the movement of machines and may also damage the under-carriage. Thus, itis importantto consider seriously these limiting factors when introducing machines for peat areas. The … Read more

Basal stem rot (BSR), caused by the fungus Ganoderma, is the most serious disease of oil palm in Malaysia and Indonesia. Previously, research on BSR was hampered by the failure to artificially infect oil palm with the fungus. Although Ganoderma had been associated with BSR (Thompson, 1931), proof of its pathogenicity to satisfy Koch’s postulate … Read more

There is high demand for monounsaturated and polyunsaturated dietary oils and fats; hence, an increase in their unsaturation is desirable. Higher unsaturation in palm oil enables better penetration into the liquid oil market. The current palm oil is semi-solid at room temperature (28ºC), limiting its use as liquid oil in temperate countries. MPOB has developed … Read more

The country is currently facing rapidly depleting prime agricultural land for further expansion of oil palm planting area. As such,the strategy by the oil palm industry should be to increase yield per unit area. This may be achieved through good agricultural practices (GAP) and planting of improved genetic materials. Another alternative is to develop specialized … Read more