Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB)
The oils and fats sector has always exhibited a very common feature of volatility. This is true of the palm products for which the upswing and downswing of their prices imply that there are different factors affecting them at different times of the year. In 2009, speculations on the low production of palm oil in […]
In the early years of commercial production, the crude palm oil was processed into refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm oil (PO). The light colour of the oil met the consumers’ expectation based on the traditional appearance of the classic cooking oils like soya, sunflower and groundnut oils. The refining process produced palm fatty acid […]
In the past six decades, a number of epidemiological studies have shown a clear association between certain dietary fatty acids and the risk of cardiovascular disease. A 2% increase in energy intake from partially hydrogenated fats or trans fatty acids is associated with a 23% increase in the incidence of cardiovascular heart disease. Replacement of […]
Biodiesel is one of the liquid biofuels that has been successfully evaluated as diesel substitute and gained worldwide acceptance (Choo et al., 2005). Today, many countries have mandated or given incentives for the use of biodiesel, whether derived from palm, soyabean, rapeseed or other feedstock in their diesel fuel. The leading countries in producing and […]
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation or REDD is an initiative formulated to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from deforestation and forest degradation. REDD was originally proposed in 2005 to the 11th Conference of Parties (COP-11) by the governments of Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica through the Coalition of Rainforest Nations to […]
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment by United Nations (2005) defines biodiversity as the diversity among living organisms in terrestrial, marine other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part. The loss of biodiversity has garnered a significant amount of media and scientific attention both negative and positive in the past decade, with a […]
The cardiovascular system also known as the circulation system, involves the heart and all the blood vessels. These blood vessels can be referred to as the transport system of our body. They transport nutrients, oxygen, vitamins and minerals to the entire body and remove the waste materials. Hence, any damage or injury to the blood […]
ISO/IEC 17025 Standard is a general requirement for competence of testing and calibration laboratories. It is accepted and applied globally as a quality standard by any testing and calibration laboratories to ensure their tests and results are internationally recognized. This international standard includes two major components which comprise a management system and a technical system […]
The European Union (EU) which covers a land area of 4.32 million square kilometres comprises 27 member states with a total population of 501 million. With an annual per capita usage of over 41 kg, the EU is a leading user of oils and fats, with an annual consumption exceeding 30 million tonnes. The EU […]
The Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources (Renewable Energy Directive – RED) entered into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (EU) on 5 June 2009. The Directiveimposed a mandatory target […]