3-Monochloropropane-1, 2-diol (3-MCPD) Esters in Edible Oils and in other Foods: Is There a Need for Concern?

In today’s global demand for healthy and safe foods, consumers are looking for foods without or with least contaminants. Foods produced from either small farms or large corporations are as much subjected to the same growing consumer demands for healthy, nutritious foods. Convenient foods have led to continuous improvement of existing food processing techniques, all […]

Significance of the SN-2 Hypothesis

The body uses fats for long-term energy storage because they provide about six times as much energy as an equal weight of stored, hydrated glycogen (McMurray, 2000). Many different fats and oils exist as sources of triacylglycerols in the human diet. These oils originate from fruits (palm oil and olive oil) or from seeds (corn […]

Interesterified Palm Products For Solid Fat Applications

Interesterification (IE) is a powerful tool for modifying the physical and chemical properties of oils and fats. IE involves redistribution and interchange of fatty acids (FAs) within and between the triaclglycerol (TAG) molecules, which make up all oils and fats. The result is a significantly changed TAG composition and onsequently altered melting and crystallization behaviours […]

Palm-based Esterquats as an Active Ingredient in Fabric Softeners

The search for renewable resources, specific requirements by certain ethnic communities and growing concern for the environment have increased interest in using plant-based raw materials in household consumer products. The fabric softeners market, which belongs to the luxury product category, is expanding proportionally with the Gross National Products (GNP) and living standards with an annual […]

Quality of some fatty acids produced in Malaysia: An update

Today’s market is becoming more and more demanding of fatty acids with high quality. The fatty acid industry is one of those that are experiencing rapid growth in the Malaysian oil palm industry. It has expanded significantly since the first fatty acid plant was established in 1979. Nowadays, many new fatty acid plants have been […]

An Introduction to Random Interesterification of Palm Oil

Interesterification (IE) is the process of re-arranging the fatty esters within and between triglycerides resulting in most cases, a change in the physical properties of the oil/fat. It is a useful modification method to give the oil/fat the functionality required for a finished product. However, because of several reasons, IE has not been given due […]

Applications of Palm-based Interesterified Fats

The physical characteristics of oils and fats are determined by their chemical properties, i.e., the chain length and unsaturation of the fatty acids as well as their distribution among the three hydroxyl groups of glycerol. By changing them through hydrogenation, fractionation, blending or interesterification (IE), the physical properties can be changed as well, hence, widening […]