Palm Oil Matrices Research Articles

Progress in analytical methods for pesticide detection in palm oil and palm kernel oil matrices, and pesticide fate studies in oil palm plantations

AbstractThis review presents a comprehensive overview of instrumental analyses for both single‐component and multicomponent pesticide detection within palm oil matrices. It meticulously examines the analytical attributes of these methods across various pesticide categories, including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. The discussion extends to sample preparation methodologies tailored for palm oil, encompassing techniques such as low‐temperature precipitation followed by solid‐phase extraction, liquid–liquid extraction, and variations of the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) method. Additionally, it explores the QuEChERS method employing different sorbent combinations to optimize extraction efficiency. The second part of the review focuses on the fate study of pesticides within oil palm plantations which covers laboratory‐scale simulations elucidating pesticide behavior, comparative analysis of field studies with predictive programs, and investigations into the influence of climatic and microbiological factors on pesticide persistence within the oil palm agroenvironment system.

Residual analysis of chitosan-based agronanofungicides as a sustainable alternative in oil palm disease management

The nanoformulations of pesticides have shown great interest from many parties due to their slow release capability and site-specific delivery. Hence, in this work, a new nanoformulation of a fungicide, namely chitosan-hexaconazole nanoparticles with a mean diameter size of 18 nm was subjected to the residual analysis on oil palm tissue, leaf and palm oil (crude palm oil and crude palm kernel oil) using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) method coupled with the gas chromatography–micro electron capture detector (GC–µECD). The chitosan-hexaconazole nanoparticles were applied using the trunk injection method at 4.5 g a.i./palm (standard single dose) and 9.0 g a.i./palm (double dose). The fungicide residue was analyzed at 0 (6 h after application), 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after treatment. The palm oil matrices; the crude palm oil (CPO) and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) were found to be residue-free. However, it was observed that high accumulation of the fungicide in the stem tissue and leaf after the treatment using the chitosan-hexaconazole nanoparticles, which is good for better bioavailability for the treatment of the fungi, Ganoderma boninense. The dissipation kinetic at double dose treatment in the tissue and leaf was found to govern by the second-order kinetic with half-lives (t1/2) of 383 and 515 days, respectively.

Biocomposites from bamboo fibers and palm oil-based thermosets: Effects of natural phenolic cross-linkers

The development of highly biobased and robust thermosetting matrices using renewable feedstocks has become an interesting topic in the field of composites. A series of palm oil (PO)-based thermosets were prepared from a PO vinyl monomer and natural phenolic (NP) cross-linkers. The PO fatty acid-ethyl acrylamide (POFA-EA) was synthesized via a facile transesterification of PO with N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acrylamide (HEAA). NPs including eugenol, methyl gallate, and tannic acid were used to generate aromatic rings-containing cross-linkers via a solvent-free and ultrasonic-assisted esterification. The mechanical properties and processibility of the developed PO resins were closely associated with the chemical structures and unsaturation degrees of the incorporated NP cross-linkers. Besides, the thermosets were further used as the matrices for bamboo fibers-reinforced biocomposites. The resulting biocomposites showed comparable mechanical properties and Tgs toward those of petroleum-based counterparts. The biocomposites are anticipated to be fully decomposed because the PO matrices could be degraded in a mild alkali condition. This study provides insights to develop high performance and recyclable PO-based thermosets and their biocomposites.

Comparative study of different clean-up techniques for the determination of λ-cyhalothrin and cypermethrin in palm oil matrices by gas chromatography with electron capture detection

Solid phase extraction (SPE) and dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) were compared and evaluated for the determination of λ-cyhalothrin and cypermethrin in palm oil matrices by gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Several SPE sorbents such as graphitised carbon black (GCB), primary secondary amine (PSA), C(18), silica, and florisil were tested in order to minimise fat residues. The results show that mixed sorbents using GCB and PSA obtained cleaner extracts than a single GCB and PSA sorbents. The average recoveries obtained for each pesticide ranged between 81% and 114% at five fortification levels with the relative standard deviation of less than 7% in all cases. The limits of detection for these pesticides were ranged between 0.025 and 0.05 μg/g. The proposed method was applied successfully for the residue determination of both λ-cyhalothrin and cypermethrin in crude palm oil samples obtained from local mills throughout Malaysia.

Determination of cypermethrin in palm oil matrices

AbstractIn this study, a new method was developed for the determination of cypermethrin residue in both crude palm oil (CPO) and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) using GC with electron capture detector. In this method, the oil was extracted with acetonitrile. Aliquots were cleaned‐up using combined solid phase extraction (SPE), and a primary‐secondary amine in combination with graphitized carbon black. The SPE cartridges were first conditioned and then eluted with acetonitrile. Cypermethrin recoveries from the fortified CPO samples were 87–98% with relative standard deviation (RSD) values of 4–8%, while those for the fortified CPKO samples were 83–100% with RSD values of 3–10%. Since good recoveries were obtained with RSD values below 10% in most cases, the proposed methodology will be useful for the analyses of palm oil samples. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of cypermethrin in real palm oil samples from various parts of Malaysia. No cypermethrin residue was found among 30 samples analyzed.