KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MOB) has today announced that Palm Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction (TRF), a vitamin E sourced from palm oil with a high tocotrienol content, has been classified as an additional nutrient allowed for food products.
MPOB chairman Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha said the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MoH) approved the certification of the nutrient function claim after rigorous technical reviews, backed by the latest evidence from clinical and population studies.
"This nutrient function claim can be used for food products that contain at least 10 milligrams per 100 millilitres of TR for liquid food, or containing at least 10 milligrams per 100 grams of TRF for solid food," he said at MPOB's media appreciation do here today.
According to Mohamad Helmy, TRF has many benefits and among them, it is an antioxidant that can help reduce oxidative stress and improve cognitive functions.
With the recognition, he said food processing manufacturers that use palm-based tocotrienol can now label their products with the TRF functional claim.
"It is attractive to consumers, thereby increasing public awareness of the various benefits of TRF on consumer health through their products," he added.
Mohamad Helmy said all parties in the palm oil production chain need to commit to improving the quality of the country's palm oil production.
This is by eliminating the content of trans fatty acids (TA) in food products, including by using palm oil as a source of fat and oil in their products.
He said the approval of the MoH was in line with the call of the World Health Organisation for all countries to eliminate the content of trans fatty acids from food products.
"This implementation is expected to help deal with the rate of trans fatty acid production by the national food industry with the limit of fatty acid intake in edible oil and fat not exceeding 0.5 gram per 100 millilitres of liquid or 100 grams of solid.
It also must not exceed 0. 1 gram per 100 millilitres of liquid or 100 grams of solid in the content of other foods," he added.