Oil palm FFB dry heat sterilization through electromagnetic radiation

Abstract

Sterilization processes in palm mills demand high energy, intensive water use, and excessive waste. Moreover, the process involves the use of a pressurizing chamber, and hence, extended the time required to complete the batch. Sterilization aims to deactivate the enzyme in the fruits Mesocarp and loosen the fruitlet to ease detachment from the bunch. This study proposes an alternate process with a similar aim and result while reducing the resources required, water in particular. The methods include exposing the oil palm Fresh Fruits Bunch (FFB) with electromagnetic radiation in different power and exposure time. The results showed by presenting the FFB with 180 Watt electromagnetic radiation in 16 minutes, the oil in the Mesocarp extracted as much as 66.71% of total weight. Furthermore, the properties of extracted oil (DOBI number, carotene content, and FFA level) were superior to the unmodified sterilization process. However, the cost of processing the FFB with electromagnetic radiation remains high, and further study required to economize the cost.