KUALA LUMPUR: Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the private sector should be involved in the commercialisation of palm oil technologies developed by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), especially in refining them, so that the technologies can be used by the industry.
In a statement today, MPOB said it has successfully developed 714 technologies covering all sectors in the oil palm industry, including formulation of palm-based food and non-food products.
A total of 233 technologies or 32.7 per cent of these technologies have been commercialised and adopted by local industries and entrepreneurs.
"We can request the private sector such as FGV Holdings Bhd and Sime Darby Bhd to collaborate with MPOB to do the trial," he said.
The minister visited the MPOB's research and development (R&D) facilities located within the organisation's headquarters in Bangi, yesterday.
Johari and his delegation were briefed on the MPOB Research and Technology Commercialisation by MPOB director general Datuk Dr. Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir.
Johari also said that MPOB's technology in producing food formulations such as palm-based Mozzarella cheese analogue is a promising product that can be used in pizza making in Malaysia. Palm-based Mozzarella cheese analogue is formulated using palm oil as a substitute for milk fat, and does not contain cholesterol and trans fatty acids.
This analogue has the same quality and functionality as commercial milk-based Mozzarella cheese and is suitable for pizza making.
He also hoped that MPOB's success in producing feed pellet formulation for beef cattle can reduce Malaysia's import of animal feed by at least 10 per cent, and enable the country to export the product.
The technology, which uses oil palm products, offers an alternative to raw materials that contribute to the high production cost of animal feed.
The commercial trials of the product found that it does not compromise the nutritional value of the feed pellet.
This feed pellet formulation contains more than 80 per cent of palm-based ingredients, which include palm kernel cake, empty fruit bunch and crude palm oil, a complete nutritional component for the growth of beef cattle in accordance with the nutrient specification.
Johari and his delegation toured the MPOB's R&D facilities which included the Margarine Pilot Plant, the Advanced Biotechnology and Breeding Centre (ABBC) and the oil palm gallery.