In this paper the transesterification of palm oil with methanol in the presence of NaOH as a catalyst was conducted in an experimental biodiesel installation. The kinetics of base-catalyzed transesterification of palm oil based on parameters such as oil and alcohol ratio, catalyst concentration and temperature were investigated to optimize the biodiesel production rate. Although, transesterific...

The purpose of this study was to test if replacement of trans fatty acids by palmitic acid in an experimental margarine results in unfavourable effects on serum lipids and haemostatic factors. We have compared the effects of three different margarines, one based on palm oil (PALM-margarine), one based on partially hydrogenated soybean oil (TRANS- margarine) and one with a high content of polyun...

This paper aims to study decomposition behavior in pyrolytic environment of four lignocellulosic biomass (oil palm shell, oil palm frond, rice husk and paddy straw), and two commercial components of biomass (pure cellulose and lignin), performed in a thermogravimetry analyzer (TGA). The unit which consists of a microbalance and a furnace flowed with 100 cc (STP) min Nitrogen, N2 as inert. Heati...

Diabetes and hypertension are closely associated with impaired endothelial function. Studies have demonstrated that regular consumption of edible palm oil may reverse endothelial dysfunction. The present study investigates the effect of palm oil fractions: tocotrienol rich fraction (TRF), alpha-tocopherol and refined palm olein (vitamin E-free fraction) on the vascular relaxation responses in t...

Oil palm is one of the most important oil bearing crops, being by far the highest oil yielder per unit land area in the world. In order to facilitate oil palm genome analysis leading to physical mapping, identification of molecular markers associated with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and map-based cloning, we attempted to develop the tools and techniques needed to construct a bacterial artifi...

Palm tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF), an extract from palm oil containing both tocotrienol and tocopherol, is known for its antioxidant effect. The present study investigated the effect of palm TRF on the stomach using a water immersion restraint stress (WRS) model. Fortytwo male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups and were administered 60 mg/kg/d of palm TRF, α-tocopherol or veh...

Oil palm monoculture comprises one of the most financially attractive land-use options in tropical forests, but cropland suitability overlaps the distribution of many highly threatened vertebrate species. We investigated how forest mammals respond to a landscape mosaic, including mature oil palm plantations and primary forest patches in Eastern Amazonia. Using both line-transect censuses (LTC) ...

Intensive land expansion of commercial oil palm agricultural lands results in reducing the size of peat swamp forests, particularly in Southeast Asia. The effect of this land conversion on macrofungal biodiversity is, however, understudied. We quantified macrofungal biodiversity by identifying mushroom sporocarps throughout four different habitats; logged peat swamp forest, large-scale oil palm...