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PloS One 2014Lowland tropical forests are increasingly threatened with conversion to oil palm as global demand and high profit drives crop expansion throughout the world's tropical...
Lowland tropical forests are increasingly threatened with conversion to oil palm as global demand and high profit drives crop expansion throughout the world's tropical regions. Yet, landscapes are not homogeneous and regional constraints dictate land suitability for this crop. We conducted a regional study to investigate spatial and economic components of forest conversion to oil palm within a tropical floodplain in the Lower Kinabatangan, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. The Kinabatangan ecosystem harbours significant biodiversity with globally threatened species but has suffered forest loss and fragmentation. We mapped the oil palm and forested landscapes (using object-based-image analysis, classification and regression tree analysis and on-screen digitising of high-resolution imagery) and undertook economic modelling. Within the study region (520,269 ha), 250,617 ha is cultivated with oil palm with 77% having high Net-Present-Value (NPV) estimates ($413/ha-yr-$637/ha-yr); but 20.5% is under-producing. In fact 6.3% (15,810 ha) of oil palm is commercially redundant (with negative NPV of $-299/ha-yr-$-65/ha-yr) due to palm mortality from flood inundation. These areas would have been important riparian or flooded forest types. Moreover, 30,173 ha of unprotected forest remain and despite its value for connectivity and biodiversity 64% is allocated for future oil palm. However, we estimate that at minimum 54% of these forests are unsuitable for this crop due to inundation events. If conversion to oil palm occurs, we predict a further 16,207 ha will become commercially redundant. This means that over 32,000 ha of forest within the floodplain would have been converted for little or no financial gain yet with significant cost to the ecosystem. Our findings have globally relevant implications for similar floodplain landscapes undergoing forest transformation to agriculture such as oil palm. Understanding landscape level constraints to this crop, and transferring these into policy and practice, may provide conservation and economic opportunities within these seemingly high opportunity cost landscapes.
Topics: Arecaceae; Conservation of Natural Resources; Floods; Forests; Geography; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Malaysia; Models, Theoretical; Palm Oil; Plant Oils
PubMed: 24887555
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095388 -
Journal of Oleo Science Aug 2020Approximately 900 tonne of crude palm oil (CPO) underwent washing using 5 to 10% hot water (90 to 95°C) at a palm oil mill. The aim of the CPO washing was to eliminate...
Approximately 900 tonne of crude palm oil (CPO) underwent washing using 5 to 10% hot water (90 to 95°C) at a palm oil mill. The aim of the CPO washing was to eliminate and/or reduce total chlorine content present in the conventional CPO, as it is known as the main precursor for the formation of 3-monochloropropane-1, 2-diol esters (3-MCPDE). By a simple hot water washing, more than 85% of the total chlorine was removed. However, washing did not have significant (p > 0.05) effect on other oil quality parameters such as the deterioration of bleachability index (DOBI), free fatty acid (FFA) content and diacylglycerol (DAG) content of the oil. The latter has been established as the main precursor for glycidyl esters (GE) formation. The treated CPO was then transported using tankers and further refined at a commercial refinery. Refining of washed CPO resulted in significantly (p < 0.05) lower formation of 3-MCPDE, but GE content remained slightly high. Post-treatment of refined oil significantly reduced the GE content (p < 0.05) to an acceptable level whilst almost maintaining the low 3-MCPDE level. The study has proven that water washing of CPO prior to refining and subsequent post-refining is so far the most effective way to produce good quality refined oil with considerably low 3-MCPDE and GE contents. Dry fractionation of refined palm oil showed these contaminants partitioned more into the liquid olein fraction compared to the stearin fraction.
Topics: Chemical Fractionation; Chlorine; Diglycerides; Esters; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; Food Contamination; Food Handling; Food Quality; Hot Temperature; Palm Oil; Water; alpha-Chlorohydrin
PubMed: 32641608
DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess20021 -
Nature Communications 2013The oil palm fruit mesocarp contains high lipase activity that increases free fatty acids and necessitates post-harvest inactivation by heat treatment of fruit bunches....
The oil palm fruit mesocarp contains high lipase activity that increases free fatty acids and necessitates post-harvest inactivation by heat treatment of fruit bunches. Even before heat treatment the mesocarp lipase activity causes consequential oil losses and requires costly measures to limit free fatty acids quantities. Here we demonstrate that elite low-lipase lines yield oil with substantially less free fatty acids than standard genotypes, allowing more flexibility for post-harvest fruit processing and extended ripening for increased yields. We identify the lipase and its gene cosegregates with the low-/high-lipase trait, providing breeders a marker to rapidly identify potent elite genitors and introgress the trait into major cultivars. Overall, economic gains brought by wide adoption of this material could represent up to one billion dollars per year. Expected benefits concern all planters but are likely to be highest for African smallholders who would be more able to produce oil that meets international quality standards.
Topics: Chromosome Mapping; Fatty Acids; Lipase; Palm Oil; Plant Oils; Plant Proteins; Triglycerides
PubMed: 23857501
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3160 -
Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical... 2019The precise association between palm oil consumption and lipid-related cardiovascular disease risk remains unclear. A systematic review was thus performed to assess... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The precise association between palm oil consumption and lipid-related cardiovascular disease risk remains unclear. A systematic review was thus performed to assess whether palm oil consumption has a negative effect on plasma lipid-related cardiovascular disease marker levels.
METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN
In June 2018, the electronic bibliographic databases PubMed, EMBASE (Ovid), the Cochrane Library (Ovid) and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched and a total of 11 eligible dietary intervention articles involving 961 volunteers were selected. Both random and fixed effect models were used to calculate pooled weighted mean differences (WMD).
RESULTS
A total of 11 articles involving 547 participants met the inclusion criteria. The pooled analysis revealed that palm oil increased the concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD: 0.15 mmol/L; p<0.00001). Palm oil consumption had no significant effects on blood total cholesterol (WMD: -0.01 mmol/L; p=0.82) and LDL-c (WMD: -0.05mmol/L; p=0.10) and triglyceride concentrations (WMD: 0.00 mmol/L; p=0.96), relative to the effects of unsaturated fatty acid consumption. Subgroup analyses revealed that palm oil has a beneficial effect on High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels when more than 30% of total dietary energy was constituted by fat.
CONCLUSIONS
This review revealed that palm oil does not induce increases in cardiovascular disease risk risk-related biomarkers relative to unsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, larger-scale samples of human dietary intervention trials are required to increase the accuracy of meta-analyses.
Topics: Cardiovascular Diseases; Diet; Lipids; Palm Oil
PubMed: 31464396
DOI: 10.6133/apjcn.201909_28(3).0009 -
Acta Biochimica Polonica Oct 2021Palm olein (PO) and olive oil (OO) are widely consumed in the world. PO is considered harmful to health, whereas OO is considered healthy. The aim of the study was to... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Palm olein (PO) and olive oil (OO) are widely consumed in the world. PO is considered harmful to health, whereas OO is considered healthy. The aim of the study was to compare the effects of consumption of these oils on antioxidant status and inflammation in rats. This was an experimental study in male wistar rats fed a diet containing 30% of each oil. Rats had free access to food and water. After being fed for 12 weeks, animals were sacrificed and liver and aortic blood were collected. Plasma was used for the determination of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and oxidative stress parameters (Superoxide dismutase -SOD; Gluthation peroxidase - GPx; Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances - TBARS; Thiol groups and isoprostane). The inflammation and oxidative stress status as well as the expression of several genes/proteins were also analyzed in liver homogenate. No significant differences were observed between PO and OO in plasma and liver levels of the studied inflammation and oxidative stress parameters. This study showed that the consumption of PO induces an antioxidant status superimposable to that of OO. Key words : Palm olein - Olive oil - Oxidative stress - Inflammation - High fat diet.
Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Diet, High-Fat; Inflammation; Liver; Male; Olive Oil; Oxidative Stress; Palm Oil; Rats; Rats, Wistar
PubMed: 34614344
DOI: 10.18388/abp.2020_5639 -
Scientific Reports Jul 2021Although global demand for palm oil has been increasing, most activities in the oil palm plantations still rely heavily on manual labour, which includes fresh fruit...
Although global demand for palm oil has been increasing, most activities in the oil palm plantations still rely heavily on manual labour, which includes fresh fruit bunch (FFB) harvesting and loose fruit (LF) collection. As a result, harvesters and/or collectors face ergonomic risks resulting in musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) due to awkward, extreme and repetitive posture during their daily work routines. Traditionally, indirect approaches were adopted to assess these risks using a survey or manual visual observations. In this study, a direct measurement approach was performed using Inertial Measurement Units, and surface Electromyography sensors. The instruments were attached to different body parts of the plantation workers to quantify their muscle activities and assess the ergonomics risks during FFB harvesting and LF collection. The results revealed that the workers generally displayed poor and discomfort posture in both activities. Biceps, multifidus and longissimus muscles were found to be heavily used during FFB harvesting. Longissimus, iliocostalis, and multifidus muscles were the most used muscles during LF collection. These findings can be beneficial in the design of various assistive tools which could improve workers' posture, reduce the risk of injury and MSD, and potentially improve their overall productivity and quality of life.
Topics: Crop Production; Electromyography; Farmers; Fruit; Humans; Muscle, Skeletal; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Occupational Health; Palm Oil; Range of Motion, Articular; Stress, Mechanical
PubMed: 34294775
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94268-4 -
The Science of the Total Environment Mar 2024Oil crops are among the main drivers of global land use changes. Palm oil is possibly the most criticized, as a driver of primary tropical forests loss. This has...
Oil crops are among the main drivers of global land use changes. Palm oil is possibly the most criticized, as a driver of primary tropical forests loss. This has generated two different reactions in its use in various sectors (e.g., food, feed, biodiesel, surfactant applications, etc.): from one side there is a growing claim for deforestation-free palm oil, whereas on the other side the attention raised towards other vegetable oils as possible substitutes, such as soybean, rapeseed and sunflower oil. We assess potential land use changes and consequent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for switching from palm oil to other oils and compare this solution to deforestation-free palm oils. We consider three scenarios of 25 %, 50 % and 100 % palm oil replacement in the eight major oil crop producing countries. Total GHG emissions account for anthropogenic emissions generated along the life cycle of the field production process and potential forest carbon stock losses from land use change for oil crops expansion. Replacing palm oil with other oils would have a worthless effect in terms of global emissions reduction since GHG emissions remain approximatively stable across the three scenarios, whereas it would produce a deforestation increase of 28.2 to 51.9 Mha worldwide (or 7 to 21.5 Mha if excluding the unlikely deforestation in USA, Russia, Ukraine and the offset deforestation in China, India). Conversely, if the global palm oil production becomes deforestation-free, its GHG emissions would be reduced by 92 %, switching from the current 371 to 29 Mt COeq per year. Although highlighting the historical unsustainability of oil palm plantations, results show that replacing them with other oil crops almost never represents a more sustainable solution, thus potentially questioning sustainability claims of palm oil free products with respect to deforestation-free palm oil.
Topics: Palm Oil; Plant Oils; Greenhouse Gases; Conservation of Natural Resources; Arecaceae; Crops, Agricultural; Greenhouse Effect
PubMed: 38145678
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169486 -
International Journal of Environmental... May 2021The paper is presenting the experimental analysis of the use of biodiesel from waste sunflower oil and a blend of sunflower oil with palm oil as fuel for aviation...
The paper is presenting the experimental analysis of the use of biodiesel from waste sunflower oil and a blend of sunflower oil with palm oil as fuel for aviation turbo-engines. A comparative analysis for fuel mixtures made of Jet A + 5% Aeroshell 500 Oil (Ke) with 10%, 30%, and 50% for each bio-fuel type has been performed and Ke has been used as reference. Firstly, the following physical and chemical properties were determined: density, viscosity, flash point, freezing point, calorific power. Then, elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis were conducted for Ke, biodiesel obtained from recycled sunflower oil (SF), biodiesel obtained from blending recycled sunflower oil, and recycled palm oil (SFP), and for each fuel blend. Secondly, experimental tests of the blends have been conducted on the Jet Cat P80 micro-turbo engine (Gunt Hamburg, Barsbüttel, Germany). The tests have been conducted at different engine working regimes as follows: idle, cruise, intermediate, and maximum. For each regime, a one-minute testing period was chosen, and the engine parameters have been monitored. The turbo engine instrumentation recorded the temperature after the compressor and before the turbine, the fuel consumption and air flow, pressure inside the combustion chamber, and generated thrust. The burning efficiency and the specific consumption have been calculated for all four above-mentioned regimes and for all fuel blends. Two accelerometers have been installed on the engine's support to register radial and axial vibrations allowing the assessment of engine stability.
Topics: Aviation; Biofuels; Gasoline; Germany; Palm Oil; Sunflower Oil; Vehicle Emissions
PubMed: 34068260
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18105189 -
Journal of Oleo Science 2023This study aimed to examine the effect of using oleogel as a frying medium on the quality of coated and deep-fried chicken products. Sunflower oil-based oleogels...
This study aimed to examine the effect of using oleogel as a frying medium on the quality of coated and deep-fried chicken products. Sunflower oil-based oleogels prepared with 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2% carnauba wax were produced for deep frying of coated chicken products and were compared to sunflower and commercial frying oil based on palm oil. The increased carnauba wax concentration in the oleogel decreased the pH, oil, oil absorbance and TBARS value of coated chicken (p < 0.05). Samples deepfried with oleogels containing 1.5% and 2% carnauba wax had the lowest pH values. In addition, since the oil absorption during deep-frying was significantly reduced in these groups (1.5 and 2%), the fat contents of coated products were also lower (p < 0.05). The use of oleogel as a frying medium did not cause a significant change in the color values of the coated chicken products. However, the increased carnauba wax concentration in the oleogel increased the hardness of coated chicken (p < 0.05). As a result, sunflower oilbased oleogels with a carnauba wax content of 1.5% and higher which is healthier in terms of saturated fat content can be used as frying media and can be improved the quality of coated and deep-fried chicken products.
Topics: Animals; Chickens; Organic Chemicals; Palm Oil; Sunflower Oil
PubMed: 36990748
DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess22365 -
Bioresource Technology Feb 2013Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) fruit was treated with enzymes to facilitate simultaneous recovery of oil and bioactive compounds. Tannase from Paecilomyces variotii,...
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) fruit was treated with enzymes to facilitate simultaneous recovery of oil and bioactive compounds. Tannase from Paecilomyces variotii, cellulase and pectinase were evaluated for their influence on oil recovery and antioxidant capacity (DPPH), oxidative stability (Rancimat), fatty acid profile, total phenols, total carotenoids and tocols of the oil. Maximum oil recovery (90-93% total oil) was obtained with central composite design using 4% of enzyme preparation (w/w) as 80 U of tannase, 240 U of cellulase and 178 U of pectinase, pH 4, ratio of solution to pulp of 2:1 and 30 min of incubation at 50 °C. Tannase improved the phenolic compounds extraction by 51% and pectinase plus cellulase improved carotene extraction by 153%. Samples treated with tannase showed a 27% and 53% higher antioxidant capacity for the lipophilic and hydrophilic fractions.
Topics: Antioxidants; Araceae; Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; Cellulases; Complex Mixtures; Fruit; Palm Oil; Plant Oils; Polygalacturonase; Water
PubMed: 23274221
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.11.057