• Can process technologies improve the quality of palm oil produced?
  • However, the process technologies and the quality of palm oil produced have remained stagnant for the past decades. This paper reviews the latest development in the process technologies that can be applied in the palm oil milling process to improve the sustainability and efficiency of palm oil production, as well as the quality of the oil produced.
  • How to improve the sustainability of palm oil production?
  • The global demand for palm oil will continue to rise, owing to the growing population and economy. Presently, tremendous efforts have been devoted to improving the sustainability of palm oil production. One strategy is to improve the oil extraction rate (OER) during the milling process.
  • Can a sustainable palm oil milling process improve oil quality?
  • This study will be beneficial for the development of a sustainable palm oil milling process with improved oil quality. The authors are grateful for the support from the Sime Darby Plantation Research, Monash-Industry Palm Oil Education and Research Platform, Monash University Malaysia, and Sime Darby Foundation.
  • What are the basic operations associated with palm oil processing?
  • The basic unit operations associated with palm oil processing include fruit sterilization, fruit loosening/stripping, digestion, oil extraction and clarification. Fruit sterilization denotes heat rendering and moisture absorption. The aim is to inactivate the lipolytic enzymes in the fruit mesocarp.
  • What are the different methods of palm oil processing?
  • They are the traditional methods, small-scale mechanical units, medium-scale mills and large industrial mills (Poku, 2002). The basic unit operations associated with palm oil processing include fruit sterilization, fruit loosening/stripping, digestion, oil extraction and clarification.
  • Can enzymatic biotechnology improve palm oil production?
  • By effectively breaking down the cell walls of palm fruit, enzymes boost oil extraction efficiency without compromising the quality of crude palm oil. Several palm oil companies have either experimented with or fully adopted enzymatic biotechnology, resulting in a noteworthy increase in oil production [8, 9].