Starch from Oil Palm Trunks for Food and Non-food Applications to Reduce Oil Palm Footprint

Summary

Oil palm trees need to be replanted when productivity reduces at 20 to 30 years after planting. Generally, the old trees are chopped and left in the field to decay. However, it is estimated that the oil palm trunks (OPT) contain 2 to 6 ton of starch per hectare. Roughly 60% of the starch is located in the top 1/3 of the trunk. Extraction and using the starch from OPT for biobased and food applications will result in land sparing and will reduce the footprint of oil palm. The objective of this study was to experimentally determine the starch and glucose content of OPT top samples. In addition starch and glucose were extracted and purified to determine its properties in order to determine its potential applications.