|
Abstract
|
Recovery
of Glycerol and Diglycerol from Glycerol Pitch
Glycerol pitch is one of the wastes
generated by the Malaysian oleochemicals industry.A recovery technique
which involved an acid-based extraction was developed in which the pitch
was separated into three components-crude glycerol containing diglycerol,fatty
acids and inorganic salts.The crude glycerol was subjected to vacuum
distillation to produce pure glycerol,leaving behind an undistilled
fraction rich in diglycerol.Several analyses,such as glycerol content,ash
content,moisture content and acidity,and Fourier transform infra red
(FTIR) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)were employed
to determine the purity and the compositions of glycerol pitch and the
products thus isolated from the waste.The analyses showed that the glycerol
pitch comprised 55%-65% glycerol,15%-25% diglycerol,and less than 10%each
of fatty acids and inorganic salts.The method developed is simple and
suitable for the recovery of glycerol and diglycerol in the waste.
|
Palm-Based
Chiral Compounds
Palm-based chiral compounds are
of potential value although they are either taken for granted or largely
ignored.This paper reports on the chirality features and optical activities
of readily available palm-based chiral compounds such as asymmetrical
acylglycerols,phospholipids,tocols,carotenoids and sterols.
|
Preliminary
Attempts at the Contruction of Large Insert DNA Libraries for Oil Palm
(Elaeis Guineensis Jacq.)
Oil palm is one of the most important
oil bearing crops,being by far the highest oil yielder per unit land
area in the world.In order to facilitate oil palm genome analysis leading
to physical mapping,identification of molecular markers associated with
quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and map-based cloning,we attempted to
develop the tools and techniques needed to construct a bacterial artificial
chromosome (BAC) library for oil palm.A suitable method to purify and
prepare the single copy vector (pBeloBACII) for BAC transformation was
established. The proper partial digestion conditions for oil palm megabase
DNA for BAC library construction were also determined.Several BAC clones
were successfully identified.Hybridization of these BAC clones with
oil palm DNA as probe confirmed the presence of oil palm DNA in those
clones.
|
Performances
of Some Pisiferas of Binga, Ekona, Urt and Angolan Origins: Part 1 -
Breeding Background and Fruit Bunch Traits
The Unilever-Harrisons & Crosfield
’s Combined Breeding Programme-Part 13 (CBP13) was a progeny testing
of pisifera s from Binga (Congo),Ekona (Cameroon) and URT (Malaysia).The
pisifera s were tested in dura x pisifera (DxP)crosses with selected
Deli and African x Deli dura s.The three pisifera populations had been
developed independently and under different conditions.The Binga programme
focussed on high yield in an environment endemic with Fusarium wilt
,selection at Ekona emphasized high bunch oil content , especially from
oil/mesocarp,and Ulu Remis were developed from Deli dura x African pisifera
s.The widely used Algemeene Vereniging van Rubber Planters ter Oostkust
can Sumatra (AVROS) pisifera s,first developed in Sumatra,were also
included as Deli x AVROS pisifera link crosses.The Angolan origin was
represented by only one pisifera .
The DxP progenies of AVROS and Ekona gave the highest bunch oil content.In
AVROS,the superiority was obtained from more fruit/bunch and mesocarp/fruit
whereas in Ekona ,it was better oil/mesocarp .The DxP of Binga and URT
pisifera s were poorer in bunch oil content because of lower mesocarp/fruit
and less oil/mesocarp.The DxP of both the latter,especially some of
the URT pisifera s,gave more kernel/bunch , while those of Binga PKg111
pisifera s had more fruit/bunch.Binga pisifera s were more variable
for DxP bunch traits than AVROS and Ekona.
Among the dura female parents,Deli had a higher DxP bunch oil content
than those of African or African x Deli dura s,the better value obtained
from more fruit/bunch and mesocarp/fruit.The fruits were also larger.
The DxP of African dura s and African x Deli dura s,especially of the
former,had more oil/mesocarp and correspondingly less moisture and fibre.The
large variation in mesocarp fibre in both the dura and pisifera populations
suggests breeding for an optimal value based on maximum oil expression
with the current milling technology.Inter-crossing Deli and African
dura s and among pisifera s of different origins should generate trait
combinations for higher bunch oil content than that of the currently
widely used Deli x AVROS.
|
Design
and Development of a Prototype Trailed Type Oil Palm Seedling Transplanter
A prototype trailed type transplanter
for oil palm seedlings with a configuration consisting of the main chassis,seedling
bin,seedling planting assembly,operator compartment,and associated hydraulic
system has been designed and developed at the Department of Biological
and Agricultural Engineering,Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia.
AutoCAD 2000 software was employed to develop the 3D dimensional model
of the prototype machine.The transplanter is to be trailed from a 4-wheel
tractor having at least 85 hp (63.4 kW) engine size and equipped with
a seedling bin that could accommodate 20 oil palm seedlings per operating
trip.Two operators are required in the involved transplanting operation;a
driver for the tractor and an operator for transplanter.The driver drives
the tractor-transplanter combination in the field,while the operator
operates the hydraulic control system of the transplanter to integrate
the preparations of planting hole,placement of seedling in the prepared
hole,covering of the seedling in the prepared hole,and compacting of
the soil around the planted seedling.
|
Preliminary
Field and Cost Evaluations of a Prototype Oil Palm Seedling Transplanter
Mechanized
field transplanting of oil palm seedling with the trailed type transplanter
resulted with a planting capacity of 99 seedlings/man-day or 0.62 ha
man-day -1 as compared to 0.28 ha man-day -1 or 45 seedling man- day
-1 with the manual transplanting planting system;an improvement of 2.2
times.The quality of planting with the mechanized transplanting system
indicated insignificant variations in leaning angles,spacing,row alignment,pulling
forces and height increment among planted seedlings.Almost 99.45%of
the total seedlings planted by the transplanter were categorized under
upright palms.The average spacing between adjacent planted seedlings
was 8.56 m and exceeded only by 0.06+0.02 m from the proposed distance,whereas
row alignment of planted seedlings variations was 1.78+0.33 cm along
planting lines in each row.The soil around the planted seedling was
almost uniformly compacted with an averaged pulling force of 347.39+20.27
N per planted seedling.The entire seedlings were successfully planted
in the field by the transplanter with averaged palms height increment
of 18.6+2.45 cm after the first month of planting and 22.5+3.34 cm after
the second month of planting.The estimated planting cost is RM 2.11
per seedling with mechanized transplanting as compared to RM 2.26 with
manual transplanting;a reduction of 6.64%.
|
Other
MPOB Publications
Search
