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MALAYSIAN PALM OIL AT A GLANCE
INTRODUCTION
Malaysia currently accounts for 51% of world palm oil production and 62%
of world exports, and therefore also for 8% and 22% of the world's total
production and exports of oils and fats. As the biggest producer and
exporter of palm oil and palm oil products, Malaysia has an important role
to play in fulfilling the growing global need for oils and fats in
general.
Palm oil and palm oil products are employed in numerous food and
non-food applications. They can be used as frying media and for making
margarines, shortenings, soap, oleochemicals and other products. In
addition to their technical merits, versatility and competitiveness, palm
oil and its products are backed up by a strong commitment to R&D, and to
the maintenance of tight quality control. In view of these facts, we feel
that it is timely to provide readers everywhere in the world with this
general guide to 'palm oil - the excellent choice.
The oil palm, Elaeis guineensis, which originated from West Africa, was
introduced to Malaysia in 1870 as an ornamental plant. Its use as a crop
was not developed until 1917, when it was grown commercially. The modem
expansion of the industry can be traced back to the 1960s when the
Malaysian Government embarked on a massive programme of agricultural
diversification. Today oil palm is the leading agricultural crop in
Malaysia, covering about two million hectares or a third of the total
cultivated area.
The refining of crude palm oil commenced in the early 70s in response to
the Government's call for increased industrialization. The emergence of
refineries marked the introduction of a wide range of processed palm oil
products. In 1995, Malaysia remained as the world's largest producer of
palm oil with 7.8 million tonnes or 51 % of world production. Palm oil is
expected to contribute about 20% of the forecasted 105 million tonnes of
oils and fats demand by the year 2000. In terms of export, Malaysia
remained as the largest palm oil exporter with 6.5 million tonnes,
capturing a share of 62% of world total palm oil exports.
A unique feature of the oil palm is that it produces two types of oil - palm oil
from the flesh of the fruit, and palm kernel oil from the seed or kernel. For
every 10 tonnes of palm oil, about 1 tonne of palm kemel oil is also obtained.
Several processing operations are used to produce the finished palm oil that
meets the users' requirements. The first step in processing is at the mill,
where the crude palm oil is extracted from the fruit.
The crude palm oil may be further refined (the second stage of processing) to
obtain a wide range of palm products of specified quality. The partly and wholly
processed grades require little further treatment before use, thus offering the
end-user a saving in processing costs.
Palm oil may also be fractionated, using simple crystallization and separation
processes to obtain solid (stearin) and liquid (olein) fractions of various
melting characteristics. The different properties of the fractions make them
suitable for use in a variety of food and non-food products. Hydrogenation and
interesterification may also be used to widen further the applications of palm
oil and its fractions.
Reference source:
http://www.mpopc.org.my
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