KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) is offering its research and development (R&D) expertise to develop palm oil-based food products, leveraging the latest pilot plants and laboratory facilities in Bangi.
The agency said the oil and fats products development/manufacturing comprise the aspects of formulations, processing and preservation during storage and transportation.
MPOB researchers expertise include improving the manufacturers' existing palm oil-based products.
Director-General Dr Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir said the establishment of the pilot plant and laboratory facilities would help intensify MPOB's efforts for commercialisation and improve the existing mechanisms and infrastructures.
He said this would enhance connectivity with the industry and potential adopters, citing that MPOB invested heavily in the pilot plants, primarily located at its head office in Bangi.
"Our pilot plants and laboratory facilities are also rented out to manufacturers for preparation of palm oil-based food product samples for market development or trials of new or improved formulations.
"These facilities are also useful to oil and fat manufacturers for formulation and process optimisation," he said in a statement today.
MPOB's Perfector pilot plant can produce palm-oil-based fluid, soft, brick, cake and pastry margarine, fluid and solid shortenings, and vegetable ghee.
"Food manufacturers from Syria, Pakistan, India, Turkey, and Sweden have adopted palm oil-based food formulations developed by our researchers.
"These are mainly products such as palm oil-based margarine, shortenings, vegetable ghee (Vanaspati), animal fats replacers and confectionary fats," he said.
MPOB also conducted practical courses on margarine manufacturing for local and foreign participants, which provided them hands-on experience in using palm oil formulations for various fat products.
He also said that MPOB is developing facilities for and R & R&D services for the small and medium scale industries (SMI) and technology start-ups in Malaysia, which can be the agents to venture into more significant markets.
Dr Ahmad Parveez, these pilot plants are strategies in realising the full potential of MPOB as an R&D agency, pioneering in some of the innovations and possesses outstanding proven track records.