1

Palm Oil for Food Why We Must Improve Our Quality

Standards?

Muhammad Mohan

PORAM

2

Presentation Outline

1. Creating Value in the Supply Chain

2. Deterioration of CPO Quality & addressing 3 MCPD Ester & GE issues

3. Segregating Palm Oil for Different Applications

4. Trial results on CPO washing to mitigate 3 MCPD Esters

5. Why Malaysian Palm Oil Industry should set higher quality standards

Cultivation

& harvest

Oil extraction

& storage

Oil refining

& storage

Oil

processing

QC

QC

QC

QC

FFB quality

CPO quality

RBDPO quality

3

Food Oil Quality of Palm Oil –Cradle to Grave

QC

QC

CPO Quality

FFA

DOBI (Deterioration of Bleachability

Index)

Chlorine (after washing)

M&I (moisture &

Impurities)

Today’s Debate: Re-defining crude palm oil quality → new commercial standard for food oil

Select high quality CPO for food in the POM

Avoid recycling of low quality PO in CPO

(eg. sludge PO, PPF PO, sterilizer condensate

& EFB Residue)

Max 5%

Max 3%

Min 2.3

Min 2.8

Max 0.25%

Max 2 ppm

Reserve lower quality CPO for oleo chemicals

Process bad quality CPO into biodiesel

(incl. PFAD, sludge PO, PPF PO, …)

Palm oil use

~70-80&%

4

New standards should be accepted by and applied for whole CPO industry

5

What is known today on 3 MCPD Esters & Glycidol Esters

• What we know today

main precursors for 3‐MCPD Esters & GE are known

mechanisms' of 3‐MCPD & GE formation (mostly) understood

various solutions to reduce or limit 3‐MCPD & GE formation

official analytical methods validated and published (AOCS)

scientific opinion of EFSA about toxicity released in April 2016

-EU regulations came into force on the 19 March 2018

-standards for 3 MCPDE & GE already established in Codex in 2019.

-3‐MCPDE & GE cannot be ignored anymore

We should fight any attempt to ban palm oil from food!

Infant Food

Food

Personal care

Oleochemicals

Biodiesel

Palm Oil

Objective parameters

FFA < 3.0% ?

DOBI > 2.8?

Chlorine < 2 ppm?

Good CPO Quality Needed for Food Processing

6

Deterioration of Malaysian CPO Quality

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

86-87 97-98 2015-2016

Fe Content (ppm)

0

5

10

15

20

25

86-87 97-98 2015-2016

Phosphorus Content in CPO (ppm)

14.1

20.9

Year

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

86-87 97-98 2015-2016

FFA Content (%)

3.57

Year Year

11.0

5.9 4.6

13.5

3.17

3.90

Deterioration of CPO quality over the years; we need better quality at source

Source : MPOB

Name of sample Total Chlorine (ppm)

Sterilizer condensate 2.566 (± 0.267)

Empty fruit bunch 4.588 (± 0.128)

Sludge oil 1.958 (± 0.059)

Source of Chlorine from the milling sector

Name of sample Total Chlorine (ppm)

Before purifier (CPO) 6.917 (± 0.235)

Oil filter after purifier 1.298 (± 0.026) 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

before washing after washing

Total Chorine level (ppm) in CPO

Results from industrial trial (ii):

Washing of CPO

Reduction of 81.2% 6.917

1.298

Trial Results of CPO Washing at the POM

Source: Anonymous

Chlorine levels in Secondary oils & CPO

Total Chorine level (ppm) in CPO

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

before washing after washing

12.09

1.60

Reduction of 86.8%

Level of 3-MCPDE & GE (ppm) in Refined Palm Oil

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

3-MCPDE GE GE-PostRefining

POo PS

1.005

7.328

1.872 1.53

0.796

Fractionation Refining

Mitigation of 3-MCPDE and GE Using Physical Refining

Source: Anonymous

Chemical refining produces palm

oil products with low 3-MCPDE and GE

Mitigation of 3-MCPDE and GE Using Chemical Refining

Source: Anonymous

17%

40%

5%

17%

11%

5%

4%

1% 3-MCPDE (ppm)

0.00 - 0.99

1.00 - 1.99

2.00 - 2.49

2.50 - 2.99

3.00 - 3.99

4.00 - 4.99

5.00 - 5.99

6.00 - 6.99

Level of 3-MCPDE based on sample size

Total Sample: 141 No. ofcompanies:42 38% > 2.50 ppm

62% < 2.50 ppm

40% of the companies can produceRBDPO with 1.0 – 2.0 ppm 3-MCPDE

17%of the companies can produce< 1.00 ppm 3-MCPDE in RBDPO

Source: MPOB

Trial on 300t/day washing –Costs/CPO

Utilities Unit cost Quantity (per MT) Cost (per MT) CPO

Water RM 1.20 / m3 0.06 m3 RM 0.07

Electricity RM 0.30 / kWh 6 kWh RM 1.80

Steam RM 0.06 / kg 40 kg RM 2.40

Oil Loss @0.6%-RM2,500/T - - RM 1.50

TOTAL RM 5.77

Cost of CPO Washing a 90t/hr Mill & Oil Losses

Source : Anonymous

Oil Loss 0.6% (WB) @10% water

Specifications as a Licensing Condition-MPOB

No

. Parameters *Standard CPO

1 FFA 5% max

2 Moisture and

Impurities 0.25% max

3 DOBI 2.31 min

4 Phosphorus

(P) (max) --

5 Iron (Fe) (max) --

6 Chlorine (Cl)

(max) 2.0 ppm

No. Parameters Refined Palm Oil &

Fractions

1 3-MCPD Esters 2. 5 ppm –Jan 2021

1.25 ppm –Jan 2022

2 Glycidol Ester (GE) 1.0 ppm- Jan 2021

*Effective 1/1/2020

Industry Must Raise the Bar on Palm Oil Quality for FOOD

Food Safety-Not Negotiable

Special Quality Specifications for CPO-Proposed

No. Parameters SQ CPO

Specifications

1 FFA 3% max

2 Moisture and

Impurities 0.25% max

3 DOBI 2.80 min

4 Phosphorus (P) (max) 10 ppm

5 Iron (Fe) (max) 5 ppm

6 Chlorine (Cl) (max) 2.0 ppm Trials by desmet ballestra

Thank You