Segregation of oil palm fruit ripeness using color sensor

Oil palm is an important industry that has contributed to income and support to the economic sector especially for Malaysia and Indonesia. However, most of the equipment in the oil palm industry is still operated manually. This work developed a system to separate bunches of oil palm fruit using color sensors according to maturity level. Fruit color plays a decisive point in determining fruit maturity. Here, a specific threshold point of red green blue (RGB) was obtained for the determination of the maturity level of oil palm fruit. Point values of < 120, 120 < x < 150 and > 150 represent the maturity levels of unripe, under ripe and ripe, respectively. This paper is the first to report the RGB points for use in the development of automated oil palm segregation system in the oil palm plantation industry. Thus, this paper will pave the way in producing an accurate and reliable oil palm separation system, which in turn has a positive effect in reducing human error. In the future, a set of sensors is proposed to detect a bunch of the oil palm fruits. This further can speed up the segregation process and more suitable for adaptation to the industry.

A review of oil palm fruit fiber reinforced composites

Oil palm fibers have been developed as reinforcement in the composite. These fibers can be produced from fruit, trunk, and frond of oil palm. In this review, the oil palm fruit fiber for reinforcing composite was focused. Oil palm fruit fibers consist of empty fruit bunch (EFB) and mesocarp fruit (MF) fibers. The chemical composition and characteristics of oil palm fruit fiber are described. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the composite are reported to be related to the surface treatment of EFB and MF fibers. Applications of such fiber composite are included in this review. From some researches, the surface treatment methods for MF and EFB fibers as reinforcement composite was conducted with using alkali, silane, acryilic acid, acetic anhydride, hydogen peroxide, microwave, and superheated steam. The effect of these surface treatments on oil palm EFB and MF fibers displayed the improvement of the mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and impact strengths) of the composite due to enhance the interface adhesion between fiber and matrix after treatment of fibers.

The Impact of Different Drying Techniques on the Physicochemical and Quality Characteristics of Oil Palm Fruit Mesocarp (Elaeis guineensis)

Drying is one of the traditional means of preserving food. However, various drying methods can influence the nutritional and bioactive constituents of the food product. This study is aimed at evaluating the effect of different drying methods on the proximate composition, physicochemical properties, and minor constituents of palm oil fruit mesocarp. Two varieties of fresh oil palm fruit (dura and tenera) were processed to separate the mesocarp from the other part of the fruit. The fresh fruit mesocarp was divided into five groups and subjected to different drying methods. Proximate and physicochemical characteristics of the oil palm fruit mesocarp were determined. The dried mesocarp had low moisture content (1.49-3.28%), high crude fat content (78.10-90.60%), carbohydrate (4.41-15.12%), crude protein (0.93-3.40%), and ash (0.53-1.15%). The free fatty acid (FFA) (1.06-3.54) and acid value (AV) (2.17 to 8.83 mgKOH/g) were lower because the samples were heated at 100°C for 30 min. The lower pH, FFA, AV, titratable acidity, moisture content, and high antioxidant activity of the oil palm fruit products could be an indication of shelf stability against microbial contamination and rancidity.

Abscisic Acid Improves Linoleic Acid Accumulation Possibly by Promoting Expression of EgFAD2 and Other Fatty Acid Biosynthesis Genes in Oil Palm Mesocarp

Abscisic acid plays an important role in fruit development. However, the effect of ABA on fatty acid biosynthesis in oil palm is still unknown. In this study, ABA treatments (CK, A1–A4) were applied to oil palm fruit at 16 WAP (weeks after pollination), and fatty acids in the mesocarp at 24 WAP were analyzed by GC-MS. Results showed that linoleic acid content under treatment A2 (20 μM ABA) was significantly higher (slightly increased by 8.33%) than the control. Therefore, mesocarp samples of A2, and the control at 16, 20, and 24 WAP was sampled for RNA-Seq. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that 43 genes were differentially expressed in the fatty acid biosynthesis pathway, of which expression of EgFAD2 (unigene 105050201) under 20 μM ABA treatment was 1.84-fold higher than in the control at 20 WAP. Further sequence analysis found that unigene 105050201 had more ABA-responsive elements (ABRE), complete conserved domains, and a C-terminal signaling motif among two FAD2 copies. Furthermore, WGCNA and correlation analysis showed co-expression of EgFAD2 (unigene 105050201) with transcription factors (TFs) (WRI1, AP2-EREBP, bZIP, bHLH, C2C2-Dof, MYB, NAC, and WRKY), ABA signaling genes (PYR, PP2C, SnRK, and ABI5), and other genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis (FATA, FATB, LACS, SAD, Oleosins, and so on). These results indicated that ABA treatment promoted the expression of FAD2 and other genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis, which possibly resulted in the accumulation of linoleic acid. This study will be helpful for understanding the possible mechanisms through which ABA affects fatty acid biosynthesis and their accumulation in the mesocarp of oil palm.

DELAMINATED CELLS FOR NANO-ENABLED INKJET PRINTABILITY

Nanometer scale cells delaminated from oil palm fruit bunch (EFB) microfiber cell walls were coated on commercial A4 and laboratory sheets prepared from virgin fibers. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed the cells as translucent laminae of fibrils (TRX) bound together in a 5 nm to 100 nm thick web with dendritic edges. Coating of TRX onto the commercial A4 paper improved inkjet printability by up to 80%. The nano-enabled printability occurred as a summed effect of TRX forming (1) a canopy on or “loose-masking” of the protruding inorganic fillers, (2) capillary bridging of micro-voids formed by TRX fibrillary ends, (3) partial bridging of micro-gaps, (4) masking of the fiber surface, and (5) nano-grip arising from dendritic ends slipping into the micro-voids. The TRX-coated virgin pulp network revealed improved nano-enabled coverage by significantly reducing the stray and by print uniformity. The results provided an insight into the possibility of interfacing TRX with the paper surface for an improved inkjet print and economy through high-precision printing, also providing a pleasurable reading experience.

ANALISIS KEBUTUHAN ALAT ANGKUT TBS DI PT. BERAU KARETINDO LESTARI KECAMATAN SEGAH KABUPATEN BERAU PROVINSI KALIMANTAN TIMUR

This research is motivated by the processing of palm oil, transportation factors get special attention.The transportation of palm fruit from the garden to the factory should be as fast as possible so that thefruit harvested today can be processed directly so that free fatty acids are not high. Extensive oil palmplantations and garden conditions far from the factory, it will be more difficult to regulate the entry ofFresh Fruit Bunches (TBS) to the Palm Oil Factory (PKS), so that the company must have a goodmanagement system that can run effectively and efficiently so that it needs proper transportation forperushan so that it can transport all tbs harvested by minimizing time, cost and maintain the quality ofTBS.From the description above, the formula that can be formulated in this study is to know the time oftransportation, the needs of transport equipment and what obstacles are encountered at the time of TBStransportation. While the limitations of the problem there is tbs transport research contained in fadelingBrafo, Alfah and Delta with different distances (near, medium and farthest). The purpose of this researchis to know the process of planning the needs of TBS conveyances, as well as knowing the obstacleswhen transporting TBS.The results of research conducted at PT. Berau Karetindo Lestari shows that tbs transportationplanning includes the production of TBS per day, TBS transport time, availability of conveyance,transportation needs and constraints in transportation. In Bravo afdeling requires 2 units of tarktor, forafdeling Alfah 4 units taktor, and afdeling Delta requires 3 units of tractor. As for the needs of the truckon Loading ramp 1 as many as 10 units and Loading ramp 2 to 8 units. This is obtained after calculatingthe number of transport equipment needs to transport TBS every day. For the overall needs of thecompany, tractors are needed as many as 17 and DT as many as 18 units. As for the obstacles at thetime of tbs transportation, namely, the road conditions in TPH are not good and the distance of thefactory is so far that it takes so much time to get to the factory.

Cobalt Supported on Activated Biochar as Catalyst for Green Diesel Production

Green Diesel (diesel-like hydrocarbon) can be produced from biomass resources that contain fatty acids, such as palm fruit, palm kernel, and soybean, through deoxygenation reaction. In this study, the catalytic activity of cobalt catalyst supported on activated biochar in deoxygenation of fatty acid (stearic acid) is investigated. Stearic acid is used as a model compound of vegetable oil. The obtained results show cobalt supported on activated biochar exhibited higher catalytic activity compared to cobalt supported on unactivated biochar.

Histological and proximate analysis of ash produced from sesame, palm fruit and Parkia on albino rats

The customary puerperal usage of Natron consumption has been identified as one of the risk factors in the cause of high blood pressure in human as well as kidney diseases and abortion in early pregnancies in female. This study was done to determine the effect of Natron and other Natron alternatives on the histology of kidney and liver in male Wistar Albino rats Twenty-five Wistar albino rats of the same sexes (male) weighing 100- 140 kg body weights were used and were divided into five groups. Group 1, 2, 3 and 4 were fed with feed mixed with natron powder, feed mixed with wood ash, feed mixed with sesame ash, feed mixed with palm fruit bunch ash respectively, while group 6 served as a normal control (fed with plain feed). The animals were kept in plastic cages, allowed to acclimatize for two weeks before the commencement of the experiment. They were fed with pelletized growers’ feed (Vital feed) and were allowed access to water. The rats were fed with 25kg of feeds for 12 days to allow them stabilized and recover from stress. Then the rats were fed with the pelletized feed for four weeks to all the groups. The animals were anaesthetized with chloroform vapour after 4 weeks and blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture into labeled tubes for electrolyte analyses. The labeled centrifuge tubes were allowed to stand for 30 minutes to clot and centrifuged at 4000 g for 10mm and the serum obtained was pipette into labeled tubes. The organs were subjected to histology. The liver tissues were embedded in paraffin wax, sectioned at 5μm and stained by hematoxylin and eosin. Proximate analysis showed that natron, palm bunch ash, sesame stem ash, and parkia wood ash had crude protein values of 0.03%, 0.05%, 0.07%, and 0.09% respectively. Fat and fiber were not present in both Natron and its alternatives. The appreciable amount of ash content in the food additives indicated good mineral preservation capacity. Parkia wood ash may contain toxic chemical substances that may affect the kidney and liver.

Influence of Fresh Palm Fruit Sterilization in the Production of Carotenoid-Rich Virgin Palm Oil

Palm oil is known to be rich in carotenoids and other phytonutrients. However, the carotenoids and phytonutrients degrade due to high heat sterilization of oil palm fruits. The present study was conducted to produce carotenoid-rich virgin palm oil (VPO) using cold-press extraction. Herein, the influence of sterilization of oil palm fresh fruits in the production of cold-pressed VPO was determined with varying sterilization temperatures, times, and amounts of palm fruits in sterilization. The experimental sterilization conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) based on the maximum VPO yield and minimum FFAs in cold-pressed VPO. The optimal sterilization experimental conditions of oil palm fruits were determined to be a sterilization temperature of 62 °C, a time of 90 min, and an amount of oil palm fruits of 8 kg. Under these experimental conditions, the maximum cold-pressed VPO yield and the minimal content of free fatty acids (FFAs) obtained were 27.94 wt.% and 1.32 wt.%, respectively. Several analytic methods were employed to determine cold-pressed VPO quality and fatty acids compositions and compared with the crude palm oil. It was found that cold-pressed VPO contains higher carotenoids (708 mg/g) and unsaturated fatty acids compared with the carotenoid (343 mg/g) and fatty acid compositions in CPO. The findings of the present study reveal that the sterilization temperature potentially influences the carotenoid and nutrient contents in VPO; therefore, the optimization of the sterilization conditions is crucial to producing carotenoid- and phytonutrient-rich VPO.