Palm Pressed Fibre Research Articles

Effect of absorbent in solid‐phase extraction on quantification of phospholipids in palm‐pressed fiber

AbstractPalm‐pressed fiber (PPF) is a by‐product of palm oil milling and it has been found to contain a high percentage of phospholipids (PL). The aim of this work was to evaluate the best solid‐phase extraction (SPE) method to purify PL from PPF. The purified PL were analyzed using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an evaporative light‐scattering detector (ELSD). The oil was extracted from PPF using the Folch method and classes of PL were purified using SPE. Different solvent phases and normal‐phase SPE cartridges [silica (Si), aminopropyl‐bonded silica (NH2) and diol‐bonded silica (2OH)] at the same ratio of oil to sorbent mass were used to study the separation of PL from the extracted oil. The recovery of each standard PL was performed in a model oil system with the same amount of standard PL being added, and the repeatability of the SPE method was investigated. The isolation of PL by SPE diol cartridge and subsequent analysis by HPLC/ELSD have shown to be an accurate and reproducible analytical method for the determination of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine in PPF. This method provided a high yield and rapid separation of PL in PPF with less contamination from other lipid groups.

Extraction and Identification of Water-Soluble Compounds in Palm-Pressed Fiber by SC-CO2 and GC-MS

The residual oil recovered from palm-pressed fiber is known to contain high level of carotenes (4,000 mg kgˉ1 to 6,000 mg kgˉ1) and vitamin E such as tocopherols and tocotrienols (2,000 mg kgˉ1 to 3,000 mg kgˉ1). In this study, the water-soluble compounds in fresh palm-pressed fiber were recovered by supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction. The concentration of these compounds in palm-pressed fiber oil recovered was determined in the range of 1,000 mg kgˉ1 to 2,000 mg kgˉ1. A total of 12 compounds have been identified from this water-soluble extract with molecular weights ranging from 126 amu. to 208 amu.. Preliminary results showed that these water-soluble compounds possess superior antioxidant properties screening using FRAP (Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma) and TEAC (Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity) assays.

Separation of Coenzyme Q10 in Palm Oil by Supercritical Fluid Chromatography

Palm oil is known to host a variety of phytonutrients; some having antioxidant property such as the carotenes and vitamin E. These antioxidants are also present in the oil recovered from the palm-pressed fibre. Study was carried out to investigate the presence of coenzyme Q10, yet another non-glyceride compound which possesses antioxidant property in crude palm oil (CPO) and palm fibre oil. Separation of coenzyme Q10 in CPO and palm fibre oil was carried out using supercritical fluid chromatography with ultra violet detection. 1H and 13C NMR were used for its characterisation. Calibration with authentic standard shows that there are 10-80 ppm coenzyme Q10 in CPO while its concentration in palm fibre oil is 1000-1500 ppm.

Application of supercritical fluid chromatography in the quantitative analysis of minor components (carotenes, vitamin E, sterols, and squalene) from palm oil

The application of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) coupled with a UV variable-wavelength detector to isolate the minor components (carotenes, vitamin E, sterols, and squalene) in crude palm oil (CPO) and the residual oil from palm-pressed fiber is reported. SFC is a good technique for the isolation and analysis of these compounds from the sources mentioned. The carotenes, vitamin E, sterols, and squalene were isolated in less than 20 min. The individual vitamin E isomers present in palm oil were also isolated into their respective components, alpha-tocopherol, alpha-tocotrienol, gamma-tocopherol, gamma-tocotrienol, and delta-tocotrienol. Calibration of all the minor components of palm as well as the individual components of palm vitamin E was carried out and was found to be comparable to those analyzed by other established analytical methods.

Determination of carotene, tocopherols and tocotrienols in residue oil from palm pressed fiber using pressurized liquid extraction-normal phase liquid chromatography

Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) along with normal phase liquid chromatography (NPLC) is evaluated as a new approach for the determination of β-carotene and Vitamin E isomers in residue oil obtained from palm pressed fiber (PPF). The relative extraction recoveries obtained by optimized PLE were found to be equivalent (∼100%) to conventional Soxhlet extraction. Optimized PLE was obtained (5 g of sample, 80 °C, 1500 psi, 2× 10 min static extractions with flush volume 50%) combined with NPLC system. Typical extractions give 3.7–4.0 mg ml −1 of Vitamin E isomers and β-carotene of 3.3–3.5 mg ml −1, which is similar to or greater than classical Soxhlet extraction with n-hexane or chloroform. The new developed method demonstrated an acceptable performance with good efficiency in terms of total extraction time, total solvent usage, total β-carotene and Vitamin E isomers contents as well as exceptional method repeatability.

Integrated Tree Crops–Ruminants Systems

The integration of ruminants with tree crops (such as coconuts, oil palm and rubber) is neglected and undervalued among ruminant production systems. As a consequence, a potential means of increasing productivity from animals is being overlooked at a time when the supplies of animal proteins lag well behind projected requirements throughout the developing countries. The principal advantage of integration is the demonstration of total farm productivity and sustainable agriculture in the context of efficient natural resource management, together with attendant benefits of reduced weeding and fertilizer costs, improved soil fertility due to the return of dung and urine and value addition to the tree crop. These aspects are discussed with particular reference to the potential of integrating ruminants with oil-palm cultivation. Past research and development efforts indicate that these have focused mainly on characterization of the environment under oil palm and agronomic evaluation of herbage, suggesting the need for a major shift towards improved animal performance, assessment of the beneficial effects on soil and oil-palm yields, management regimes, and analyses of economic benefits. A major advantage of oil-palm cultivation is the availability of native herbage in the understorey of the trees, which provides a large proportion of the maintenance needs of the grazing animal in addition to a variety of principal and by-product feeds, promoting sustained in situ feeding and intensive production, reduced cost of production, and the expansion of feed-milling operations. Among these, oil-palm fronds, palm-press fibre, palm-oil mill effluent and palm-kernel cake are especially important for feeding ruminants. Discussion focuses on factors influencing improved integrated oil-palm production systems, development implications, business model, and economic considerations that relate to national and regional opportunities for marketing beef. Wider application of integrated systems will require interdisciplinary approaches, institutional and policy support that can enhance increased animal productivity, value addition to oil-palm production, expansion of the area under integrated systems, demonstrable economic impact and sustainable agricultural production.

13C NMR research on the kerogens of Jurassic source rocks of the northern edge of the Qaidam Basin : Peng, L. et al. Shiyou Xuebao, 2002, 23, (2), 34–37. (In Chinese)

In order to produce briquettes that meet the needs of consumers, different combinations of raw materials and methods were used to produce rice-husk briquettes using a locally fabricated multi-piston press. Particle size, husk–bran ratio, drying method, and water temperature for briquetting were the main influencers of the hardness of rice-husk briquettes at constant pressure. The briquetting process increased the density of rice husk from 120 to 600 kg/m3. The average time for making nine briquettes (loading, compressing, ejection, and transfer to drying tray) was 3.6 min (150 briquettes/h) using the locally fabricated piston press. Briquettes produced using fine particles (< 0.3 mm), hot (97 °C) water, husk–bran ratios of 0:1, 1:2, 1:1, 1:0, 2:1, and dried in the sun for 21 days had mean hardness values of 132, 89, 76, 62, and 31 N. Four types of fuel briquettes were produced: husk–bran–palm press fiber (HBF), husk–bran–palm press sludge (HBS), husk–bran only (HBO), and husk–biochar–clay (HBC). The four types of briquettes recorded shorter start-up time (< 5 min) than charcoal (10 min). The average flame temperatures of HBF, HBS, and HBO during the first 20 min were higher (898 °C) than the average temperature of charcoal (546 °C). The characteristics of HBF and HBO briquettes provide the best option for consumers, especially those in the rice parboiling industry, as these briquettes recorded the following values for hardness (170 and 101 N, respectively), start-up time (2 and 3 min), burning rate (126 and 145 g/min), specific fuel consumption (121 and 136 g/l), and flame temperature (684 °C and 728 °C). It was concluded that briquettes could be produced from rice-milling by-products with acceptable quality using this affordable technology.

Evaluation of the feeding value of palm press fibre using in vitro digestibility techniques.

Palm press fibre (PPF) was obtained from two sources, a small-scale oil palm processing unit and a large-scale factory processing unit, and its chemical composition was determined. In vitro digestibility techniques were used to assess the feeding value of untreated, defatted and sodium hydroxide-treated PPF. For the NaOH treatment, 0.5 g oven-dried PPF was treated for 24 h with 5% NaOH in three ways: treated and not washed (NaNW); treated and washed (NaW); and treated after milling (NAD). The results indicate that, on a dry matter basis, PPF is low in nitrogen (12-13 g/kg), moisture (37-90 g/kg) and ash (53-62 g/kg), but high in ether extract (269-355 g/kg), neutral detergent fibre (532-768 g/kg), acid detergent fibre (375-548 g/kg) and lignin (219 g/kg). The in vitro dry matter digestibility values were low for the samples from both sources, but the large-scale factory-processed PPF had higher in vitro dry matter digestibility (0.215 vs 0.166) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (0.196 vs 0.145). Defatting the PPF and treating it with 5% NaOH solution significantly (p < 0.01) improved both the dry matter and organic matter digestibility. Washing the NaOH-treated PPF resulted in a higher digestibility of dry matter as against NaNW or NAD. These results suggest that defatting and treatment with 5% NaOH would improve the feeding value of PPF.

98/02181 Substituting natural gas heating for electric heating: Assessment of the energy and environmental effects in Ontario

Palm oil production is one of the major industries in the south of Thailand. A study of the quantity and potential usage of palm oil mill wastes was carried out. Sixteen palm oil mills in the region generate 386,930 tons/yr 165,830 tons/yr and 110,550 tons/yr of empty fruit bunches, palm press fiber and palm kernel shell, respectively. In addition, 1,202,260 tons/yr of waste water is being treated anaerobically. Only the pericarp fiber is used for boiler feed. Empty fruit bunches and the shell are disposed of by the land filling method, which is very costly. In some factories the empty fruit bunches are burnt in the furnaces, which causes air pollution. The study suggests potential usages of the solid and liquid wastes.

Biomass residues from palm oil mills in Thailand: An overview on quantity and potential usage

Palm oil production is one of the major industries in the south of Thailand. A study of the quantity and potential usage of palm oil mill wastes was carried out. Sixteen palm oil mills in the region generate 386,930 tons/yr 165,830 tons/yr and 110,550 tons/yr of empty fruit bunches, palm press fiber and palm kernel shell, respectively. In addition, 1,202,260 tons/yr of waste water is being treated anaerobically. Only the pericarp fiber is used for boiler feed. Empty fruit bunches and the shell are disposed of by the land filling method, which is very costly. In some factories the empty fruit bunches are burnt in the furnaces, which causes air pollution. The study suggests potential usages of the solid and liquid wastes.

Fermentation and recovery of glutamic acid from palm waste hydrolysate by Ion‐exchange resin column

Glutamic acid produced from palm waste hydrolysate by fermentation with Brevibacterium lactofermentum ATCC 13869 is produced with a remarkably high yield compared with that produced from pure glucose as a carbon source. The produce yield is 70 g/L with glucose, wherease, when palm waste hydrolysate is the fermentation medium in the same bioreactor under same conditions, it is 88 g/L. The higher yield may be attributed to the fact that this organism has the ability to convert sugars other than only glucose present in the hydrolysate. Bioreactor conditions most conducive for maximum production are pH 7.5, temperature of 30 degrees rmentation period of 48 h, inoculum size 6%, substrate concentration of 10 g per 100 mL, yeast extract 0.5 g per 100 mL as a suitable N source, and biotin at a concentration of 10 pg/L. Palm waste hydrolysate used in this study was prepared by enzymic saccharification of treated palm press fiber under conditions that yielded a maximum of 30 g/L total reducing sugars. Glutamic acid from fermentation broth was recovered by using a chromatographic column (5cm x 60 cm) packed with a strong ion-exchange resin. The filtered broth containing glutamic acid and other inorganic ions was fed to the fully charged column. The broth was continuously recycled at a flow rate of 50 mL/min (retention time of 55 min) until glutamic acid was fully adsorbed on the column leaving other ions in the effluent. Recovery was done by eluting with urea and sodium hydroxide for total displacement of glutamic acid from the resin. The eluent containing 88 g/L of glutamic acid was concentrated by evaporation to obtain solid crystals of the product. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Effect of agricultural by-product diets on carcass characteristics of four types of cattle in the feedlot

Five type of formulated diet from agricultural by-products (ABP) were fed to four breedtype of cattle in feedlot. The ABP used are palm kernel cake (PKC), palm press fibre (PPF), palm oil mill effluent (POME), cocoa pod (COP), coffee pulp (COF) and pineapple waste (PAP). The formulated diets are PS (52% PKC, 15% PPF and 30% POME), PF (57% PKC, 20% PPF and 20% POME), PA (2% PKC and 55% PAP), CO (42% PKC and 55% COP) and CF (67% PKC and 30% COF) with 1% urea, 1% NaCl and 1% vitamins premix. The cattle breedtypes are Kedah-Kelantan (KK), Brahman-KK (BK), Hereford-KK (HK) and Sahiwal-Friesian (SF). The result showed that breedtype significantly affect all the carcass characteristic except dressing percentage. Each breedtype has it`s specific carcass characteristics. HK cattle gave high marbling, BK has high % of carcass bone, KK has high % of carcass meat and low % of carcass fat (lean meat type) and SF has high % of carcass fat. Diet-type significantly affect the deposition of fat in the carcass. High moisture diets (PA and CO) produced significantly higher % carcass bone, the lowest % carcass fat and the highest % carcass meat (65.3%). PF, CF, PA and CO diets produced 63.4%, 59.9%, 55.3% and 54.1% carcass meat respectively.

Micorbial colonization and digestion of feed materials in cattle and buffaloes II. Rice straw and palm press fibre

Degradation of rice straw was observed to be higher (p<0.01) in the buffaloes than in cattle. At 48 h, the dry matter (DM) loss of straw for buffaloes was 53.6 ± 0.8% and that for cattle was 48.7 ± 2.6%. Palm press fibre (PPF) was poorly degraded in the rumen of both animal species. A loss of about 21% DM was observed in both cattle and buffaloes after 48 h of incubation in the rumen. The pattern of bacterial and fungal colonization of straw and PPF seemed to be similar in both cattle and buffaloes. Microbial colonization was restricted by plant structures like the silica crystals in both straw and PPF. The predominant bacteria colonizing both straw and PPF fragments were the rods. Eroded zones and digestion pits were pronounced in straw fragments after 1 h of incubation. The PPF fragments appeared undergraded even after 6 h of incubation. Fungal colonization of straw was rapid and extensive in both cattle and buffaloes. The sporangia observed in straw were mainly spherical or oval in shape, but fusiform sporangia with acuminate tip were predominantly seen in PPF fragments.

Compositional analyses and rumen degradability of selected tropical feeds

The chemical composition (nitrogen fractions, fibre components, phenolic compounds, neutral sugars and uronic acids) and rumen degradability of the dry matter (DMD) and neutral detergent fibre (NDFD) of six crop by-products (raw palm oil mill effluent (POME), dried POME, palm kernel cake, palm press fibre, cocoa pods and rice straw) and the leaves of two legumes ( Leucaena leucocephala and Gliricidia sepium) were measured. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used to compare and classify the feeds according to chemical composition and degradability. Lignin poorly differentiated between feeds and was poorly related to 48 h DMD; the major anomalies were with rice straw and Gliricidia (low lignin, low DMD) and cocoa pods (high lignin, high DMD). The xylose: arabinose ratio, an indicator of hemicellulose digestion, was higher in the legumes than in the by-products. The ratio of rapidly degradable (arabinose + glucose) to slowly degradable (xylose + uronic acids) sugars was not a good indicator of cell wall digestion; the correlation with 48 h NDF degradability (NDFD) was only 0.69. Cluster analysis showed that conventional classification of the feeds into by-products and legumes did not reflect their compositional or degradability attributes. These attributes were also poorly related to each other. Two unusual feeds were identified, cocoa pods and palm kernel cake.

Fungal colonization of rice straw and palm press fibre in the rumen of cattle and buffalo

Fungal colonization and development in rice straw and palm press fibre (mesocarp of oil palm fruit after the extraction of oil) were very similar in both cattle and buffalo. In both animal species, attachment to rice straw by rumen fungal zoospores was rapid, within 15 min of rumen incubation. At 6 h of rumen incubation, thin- and thick-walled tissues were colonized by fungal hyphae and by 24 h fungal colonization was extensive. Fungi were predominantly those with spherical and ovoid sporangia. Fusiform sporangia were in fewer numbers. Fungal colonization was also extensive at 48 and 72 h. The colonization and development of the fungi on the palm press fibre, both untreated and treated with ammonium hydroxide and ether, was slow.

Effect of gamma irradiation on microorganisms and components in empty fruit bunch and palm press fibre of oil palm wastes

AbstractThe effects of irradiation on microbiological load and chemical components of empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm press fibre (PPF) were investigated as the preliminary study for upgrading of oil palm wastes to animal feeds by fermentation. The initial contamination of microorganisms in both EFB and PPF was very high and there is no significant difference between the samples collected from various palm oil mills. The dose required to eliminate below the detectable level was more than 15 kGy for total aerobic bacteria, but 5–6 kGy is enough for fungi. The contents of holocellulose and lignin were c 60% and 25%, respectively, in both EFB and PPF, and the change in components by irradiation was small. EFB and PPF have a high water holding capacity suggesting that they are suitable substrates for fermentation. These results show that the irradiation by 5–10 kGy on EFB and PPF is applicable for the pasteurisation of fermentation media without any significant change in components.

Composting of palm press fibre

The effects of composting palm press fibre alone, palm press fibre supplemented with poultry layer deep-litter and urea, and palm press fibre supplemented with poultry broiler floor-litter and urea were studied. The initial C:N ratios of the three mixtures were 40:1, 33:1 and 26:1, respectively. After 8 weeks of composting the C:N ratios of the mixtures were 26:1, 17:1 and 16:1, respectively. The temperature in the heaps rose to 60–70°C in the first 3 weeks of composting but stabilized at between 30 and 40°C after 8 weeks. The ratio of thermophilic to mesophilic fungi increased during composting, and even after the compost had cooled the thermophilic fungal counts remained high. The mesophilic bacteria were not influenced by temperature fluctuation in the heaps and bacterial numbers remained high even during the peak heating phase. Decreases in cellulose and carbon corresponding with increases in nitrogen, lignin and ash were evident after composting. Preliminary studies indicate that the compost mixed in sand and loam may enhance crop production.