1.2Development of Crude Palm Oil in Malaysia.

Oil palm or its specific name, (Elaeis guineensis jacq.) actually comes from South Africa. Four oil palm seeds were brought from Africa in 1848 and planted in the Botanical Garden Bogor, Indonesia. Then, the seeds are taken to Deli, Sumatera in 1880s to be planted as ornamental plant. In 1911, the seeds are then taken to Rantau Panjang, Kuala Selangor, as well as ornamental plants. Palm trees may grow up to sixty feet and more in height. Thetrunks of young and mature trees are wrapped in frondswhich give them a rather rough appearance. The older trees have smoother trunksapart from the scars left by the fronds which have withered and fallen off.

Figure 1: Palm oil tree

The history of the oil industry in Malaysia started in 1917, when the Dura oil palm seed (shell thickness) of Rantau Panjang, Malaysia began to be grown in farm Tennamaran, Kuala Selangor. By doing some research methods and understand the inheritance of oil palm fruit, commercial cultivation of Dura was changed to breed hybrid of Dura x Pisifera (DxP) which form Tenera (palm with thin shell). Pisifera is a fruit that does not have a shell, and known as a female sterile fruit as the premature bunches fall before it develop into fruit. The oil palm trees of DxP breed type is lower and it has very large clusters. The oil palm plantation in Malaysia, has been dominated mostly by palm trees DxP type.

Figure 2: Types of palm oil seeds (Dura, Pisifera, and Tenera)

Palm oil Cultivation in Malaysia

Oil palm cultivation in Malaysia was introduced by the government in order to eradicate poverty among the rural population. In 1960, the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) has opened up new lands for oil palm plantations. Development in the palm oil industry is promising with emphasis on research in order to produce new methods of cultivation technology, seed production quality and production of new products based on palm oil. The government has set up several agencies responsible for matters relating to the plant. Department of Agriculture was established in 1912 and assigned to implement agricultural policies that have been outlined by the government. Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) was established to coordinate the opening of new lands and the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM) and also serves to focus greater efforts in research and development (R & D) thus, increased the output. Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) also plays an important role in efforts to promote and introduce the benefits and use of palm oil in the world.

There are two types of oils that produced by the oil palm which are crude palm oil (CPO) and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO). Although both oils originate from the same fruit, palm oil is chemically and nutritionally different from palm kernel oil. It is one of the only two mesocarp oils available commercially, the other being olive oil. 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.

Figure 3: Palm oil processing flow chart

The crude palm oil may be further refined (second stage of processing) to get a wide range of palm products of specified quality. The partly and wholly processed grades require little further treatment before use, offering 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 a variety of food and non-food products.