KL Kepong expands downstream activities

KL Kepong expands downstream activities
By Sharen Kaur
sharen@nstp.com.my


April 2 2007


PLANTATION group Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK) is expanding its downstream operations, including investing in new state-of-the-art technologies for the extraction of vitamin E tocotrienols from palm oil.



In nature, vitamin E occurs as tocopherols and tocotrienols, which differ in their structures.


While all edible oils contain tocopherols, tocotrienols are abundant only in palm and rice bran oil.


The palm tocotrienols have unique physiological and health properties that are not apparent with tocopherols.


Research has demonstrated that tocotrienols can reduce blood cholesterol levels and protect against the risk of coronary heart disease.


KLK chairman Datuk Seri Lee Oi Hian said tocotrienols are present in palm oil in significant quantity, and it has been proven in the market to lower cholesterol and work as an antioxidant.


He said KLK is working with a US-based cancer research institute on the effectiveness of tocotrienols in the prevention of cancer.


He also said tocotrienols have other proven health attributes and research collaborations with leading research institutes are on-going to discover other new possibilities which can help prevent the onset of degenerative diseases.


"Industry players already have plantations that have invested in the extraction of tocotrienols from palm oil for sale to nutraceutical companies worldwide," he told Business Times.


Lee, who is also the chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), said many trials are going on now to prove that the product can work as antioxidant, anti-cholesterol and possibly, anti-cancer.


"Consumers with marginally high cholesterol have started taking this natural antioxidant. It is basically already in the palm oil they consume everyday because of its high content in palm oil," he added.


MPOC chief executive officer Tan Sri Datuk Dr Yusof Basiron said the attributes of palm oil is still not fully appreciated by the consumer.


Yusof said tocotrienols are very effective vitamin E isomers that helps protect the body against oxidative deterioration from the aging process and it is 50 to 60 per cent more effective than the normal vitamin E tocopherols.


He said in the palm cooking oil we consume daily, there is at least 450-500 mg of tocotrienols in each kilogram of oil.


"These vitamin E tocotrienols present a unique niche market whose potentials are only now being discovered. Already the palm tocotrienols command a much higher price than tocopherols," he said.


Yusof added that tocotrienols are much in demand in the nutraceutical (nutrition supplement and health products) and functional food markets.