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Abstract |
Laboratory
- Scale Pyrolysis Of Oil Palm Pressed Fruit Fibres
The slow pyrolysis of oil palm pressed fruit fibres (PFF) was investigated
in a laboratory-scale pyrolyser atterminal temperatures of 450°C
to 800°C and a heating rate of 10°C min-1. The PFF was first
pyrolysed in a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) to investigate their
thermal characteristics and to determine their kinetic parameters.
Results from the laboratory-scale pyrolysis showed that as the terminal
temperature increased, the yields of solid char and total condensates
decreased, but the non-condensable gases increased. The quality of
the char produced, which was found to be dependent on the terminal
pyrolysis temperature, was of medium grade, as its average ash content
of 16.60% was high. The best PFF char with 69.91% fixed carbon and
an energy content of 27.07 MJ kg-1 was obtainable at a terminal pyrolysis
temperature of 600°C. The chemical characterization of the liquid
products, which separate into two fractions, showed that they may
be a potential source of valuable fuel and chemical feedstocks.
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Plant
Carotenoids : Molecular Genetics And Regulation
The potential health benefits of carotenoids as anti-cancer and antioxidant
agents have recently been demonstrated. In particular, lycopene and
ß-carotene have lately been shown to be able to reduce the risk
of chronic conditions of coronary heart disease, certain cancers and
macular degeneration. The findings have led to rapid development in
the field aimed at understanding the biosynthetic pathway and ultimately
engineering the carotenoid content. This article reviews the recent
progress made in the areas of molecular genetics and genetic engineering
of plant carotenoids. The latest development in the regulatory mechanisms
controlling the pathway is also highlighted. Finally, this review
also highlights some recent progress made in oil palm carotenoid research,
especially the molecular cloning of genes encoding key enzymes of
the biosynthetic pathway and efforts to improve oil palm carotenoid
content.
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Pathogenicity
Of Granule Formulations Of Metarhizium Anispoliae Against The Larvae
Of The Oil Palm Rhinoceros Beetle , Oryctes Rhinoceros (L.)
Granule formulations consisting of mycelia and spores of Metarhizium
anisopliae var. major as the active ingredient were produced and tested
against the larvae of Oryctes rhinoceros. The effect of the medium
pH on the production of mycelia was investigated, and the granule
compositions were optimized. The fungus produced higher yields of
mycelial pellets (0.58 g) at pH=8 as compared to pH=5, 6 or 7. Granules
prepared from mycelia with the growing medium (G+MM) improved fungal
growth (100%) and sporulation (87.2%) as compared to granules prepared
from the mycelia alone (G+M) (growth and sporulation, 62.4% and 47.6%,
respectively). The amounts of ingredients, such as kaolin and rice
bran used in making the granules, were then optimized. The weight
of granules increased as the amount of kaolin and rice bran increased,
but granule quality was reduced. The highest quality granules (with
growth 98.5%, sporulation 88.6% and dry weight 1249 g) were prepared
with 925 g kaolin and 400 g rice bran. The pathogenicity of the G+MM
granules was tested against the third instar larvae of O. rhinoceros.
The test showed that at 20 days after treatment (DAT), treatment with
rates of 1.0 g and 2.0 g granules/box caused 90% mortality, which
was as high as with the treatment using pure spore solutions (96%).
The G+MM granules produced more spores and more quickly than granules
made from spores (G+Sp). Both types of granules produced 0.42-6.60
x 106 spores/granule. Results of the bioassay indicated that application
of G+MM and G+Sp at rates of 3 g, 6 g and 9 g killed 100% the third
instar larvae as early as at 18 DAT. Infection level increased as
the application rate increased. G+MM and G+Sp applied at 9 g/box caused
the highest infection of 93.3% in the larvae. The potential use of
the granule formulation to control O. rhinoceros in the field was
also discussed.
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Solid
State Characteristics Of Microcrystalli Ne Celulose From Oil Palm
Empty Fruit Bunch Fibre
Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) are one of the by-products generated
from palm oil mills. They consist mainly of lignocellulosic compounds,
namely cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Cellulose, in particular,
constitutes about 37% (dry weight) of the EFB, and is a compound with
high value and can be exploited for the benefit of the palm oil industry.
In this study, an attempt to prepare microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)
from the isolated EFB-cellulose was carried out. The MCC was prepared
by controlled acid hydrolysis of the isolated a-cellulose which attacked
the amorphous region, and was followed by the back neutralization
process with alkali. The structural properties of the cellulose and
MCC were studied by Fourier Transformed Infra-red Spectrometry (FTIR)
and X-ray diffraction methods. The FTIR spectrum of MCC from EFB was
identical to that of the commercial MCC as well as the cellulose which
showed comparable presence of C-O-C, C-C, O-H, and C-H bands. However,
a broad peak at 3329 cm-1 was observed from the EFB-cellulose due
to absorption vibration of the hydroxyl groups. The X-ray diffraction
pattern revealed a low degree of order for EFB-cellulose and a relatively
ordered structure for EFB-MCC. Two peaks of diffraction angles ranging
between 19º and 23º were observed in the EFB-MCC, indicating
the presence of a small percentage of cellulose II. The commercial
MCC had a highly ordered structure compared to EFB-MCC as indicated
by the presence of a single peak at 22.5º.
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Concentration
And Isolation Of Individual Vitamin E Component In Palm Phytonutrients
Concentrate Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography With Flourescence
Detection
Palm phytonutrients concentrate is a rich source of vitamin E. Vitamin
E content in palm phytonutrients concentrate was found to be 15 370
ppm. Components of vitamin E identified in the palm phytonutrients concentrate
consists of a-tocopherol (a-T), ?-tocopherol (?-T), a-tocotrienol (a
-T3), ?-tocotrienol (? -T3) and d-tocotrienol (d-T3). This article reports
a study on the concentration of individual palm vitamin E components
in crude palm oil (CPO), palm phytonutrients concentrate (PPC) and unsaponifiables
of palm phytonutrients concentrate (unsap PPC). This article also reports
a study on the concentration of bulk vitamin E through the application
of open column chromatography and subsequent isolation of individual
palm vitamin E components using High Performance Liquid Chromatography
(HPLC) with fluorescence detection and a semi-preparative silica column.
As the vitamin E components are concentrated in a stepwise manner by
means of saponification, open column chromatography and semi-preparative
HPLC, the concentration of individual components can be enriched by
up to 94.6%.
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Early
Detection Of Ganoderma Causing Basal Stem Rot Disease In Coconut Plantations
Basal stem rot disease of coconut caused by Ganoderma lucidum (Leys)
Karst is prevalent throughout the world, causing significant damage
and losses to coconut plantations. The pathogen is soil-borne in nature.
For early diagnosis, different techniques viz., enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assay, dot immunobinding assay and polymerase chain reaction have been
used in modern era of plant pathology. In this study, we have tried
ELISA and DIBA using the monospecific antibodies raised against a distinct
common protein with a molecular weight of 62 kDa. The protein was observed
in all the isolates of Ganoderma collected throughout Tamil Nadu, India,
by the sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE)
analysis and variations in the protein patterns were found between Ganoderma
isolates. The polyclonal antisera were developed against the purified
single protein of Ganoderma. The presence of the 62 kDa protein in the
crude mycelial extract was confirmed by western blot analysis. Using
the antisera, the pathogen was detected by Indirect ELISA and dot immuno
binding assay (DIBA) which resulted in positive reactions for infected
samples and negative reactions for apparently healthy palms. These serological
techniques gave better results in early diagnosis of field samples,
and it could be adopted for large-scale application.
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Monoglycerides
From 9,10-Dihydroxystearic Acid For The Cosmetic Industry
Monoglycerides of dihydroxystearic acid (MGDHSA) were synthesized
using an acid catalyst. Factors that may affect the esterification
reaction such as reaction time and temperature were studied. Esterification
of dihydroxystearic acid with excess glycerol by an acid catalyst
at 150oC for 4 hr gave up to 40% yield of MGDHSA. The reaction product
containing approximately 45% MGDHSA was found to be non-irritant to
the skin, non-toxic to the aquatic environment and readily biodegradable.
The toxicity value of MGDHSA was found to be more than 100 mg litre-1
while its biodegradability reached the pass level of 60% in 20 days.
This compound is compatible with a wide variety of oils. MGDHSA seem
to have better emulsifying properties in an oil-in-water (O/W) system
with high water content compared to glyceryl monostearate (GMS) and
glyceryl monohydroxystearate (MGHSA).
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