The quality of Malaysian palm stearin was monitored through a twelve-month survey in 2018, by participation of palm oil refineries and oleochemical plants from Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak. Quality parameters requirement as listed in the Palm Oil Refinery Association of Malaysia (PORAM) specification such as moisture, impurities, free fatty acids, slip melting point, peroxide value and iodine value were determined. Other identity characteristics analyses as detailed in the palm stearin specification namely Malaysian Standard MS 815:2007 and Codex Alimentarius CXS 210-1999 documents were also analyzed, which were apparent density, refractive index, fatty acids composition, triacylglycerols, etc. Results obtained from this survey indicated that the quality of Malaysian palm stearin complied with the requirements specified in MS 815:2007 and Codex CXS 210-1999 documents. The iodine value determined was ranged from 28 g I2/100 g oil to 48 g I2/100 g oil, with 60.9% of the palm stearin tested were in the range of 30 g I2/100 g oil to 35 g I2/100 g oil. Meanwhile, some deviations are found in the average of parameter such as refractive index, apparent density, slip melting point, oleic and palmitic acids of the palm stearin produced. These deviations could be due to the improvement in current fractionation technologies causing less olein entrainment in stearin products, which resulted of harder stearin fraction in the sample itself, giving a more representative reading of the parameters.

The science of biomimicry has served as a fusion point between nature and technology where one could adopt nature’s best solution for human’s use. Lotus leaf, for example, possesses self-cleaning capability due to the unique physical and chemical properties of its surface structural features. In this work, we aimed to mimic these features on glass surface using ZnO nanostructures to achieve the self-cleaning functionality. A series of ZnO films were electrochemically deposited on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) conducting glass substrates from different aqueous electrolytes at systematically varied deposition potentials and electrolyte conditions. The surface morphology, density, orientation and aspect ratio of the ZnO micro/nanostructures obtained were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). ZnO ranging from two dimensional plate-like to one-dimensional needle-like micro/nanostructures were observed. Results from these studies show that lower electrolyte concentrations tend to favor one-dimensional growth of ZnO nanostructures that self-assembled into micron-size flower-like clusters at higher deposition temperatures. The ZnO-modified hierarchical dual-structured surface exhibits superhydrophobic property with water contact angle as high as 170o.

Cypermethrin is a pyrethroid insecticide commonly used to control bagworm infestation in oil palm plantations. It is applied through spraying onto the leaves where the bagworms reside. This article reports the fate of cypermethrin used in a Malaysian oil palm plantation during a typical dry season through the analysis of cypermethrin residue in environmental and palm oil samples collected from a supervised field trial. Residues of cypermethrin were not detected in the soil samples collected at different depths, water samples collected at different points in the experimental plots, and oil samples extracted from fresh fruit bunches (FFB) harvested from each plot for both single and double dosages of treatment throughout the study interval. Analysis of leaf samples, however, revealed that cypermethrin residue was detected for both pesticide treatments up to day 2 after cypermethrin application.

Sago palm is one of the commodities being cultivated and traded in Malaysia for its high starch content. Sago seedling, or commonly referred to as sucker, is the planting material for sago cultivation. This paper discusses the life cycle assessment approach for the calculation of life cycle inventory for the production of one sago sucker. In this study, the functional unit is defined as one sago sucker. The process starts from the reception of suckers from suppliers, raft preparation, planting sago suckers in rafts, fertilization, and ends with transportation of the suckers to the plantation. Interviews and data verification were done on-site at the Crop Research and Application Unit (CRAUN) Sungai Talau Research Station. LCI data showed that water was the main input for the production of sago sucker, followed by diesel for transportation, pesticides, and fertilisers. The outcome of this study provides a basis or guideline to planters in implementing sago best agricultural practices for the production of sustainable sago.

No abstract