Overview

The University Roadshow is organised by UKM Chemical Engineering Student Club (CheSC). It is supported by POPSIG in conjunction with MPOC. The roadshow aims to provide an understanding about the upstream and downstream operations of the palm oil industry, and the sustainable development in palm oil industry through a series of interactive events.

Theme

Malaysian Youth Drives Change for the Future of Palm Oil Industry.

Objectives

1. To provide an understanding about the ongoing and planned development in palm oil industry through a series of interactive events.
2. To provide a platform to exchange views and suggestions between the students and the professionals.
3. To provide an opportunity for the students to visit the industry to understand applications of the learned knowledge.
4. To deliver about the latest technological development in palm oil industry to address the challenges during the roundtable discussion.

Topics

Palm Oil is Nature's Gift

This presentation will be delivered by Yang Berbahagia Academician Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Augustine S H Ong, MOSTA.

Futureproofing the Palm Oil Industry through Nature-based Solutions

Mandatory sustainability compliance imposed on the palm oil industry is perceived as a bane to the industry, on top of other commitments pledged by Malaysia to the international community e.g. net-zero emission by 2050 and reducing CO2 intensity against GDP by 45% by 2030. Shouldering these commitments require the industry to be agile in changing status quo and adopting new approaches as well as technologies to work within the realms of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rating system to guarantee palm oil’s future sustainability. Nature-based solutions underpin sustainable development as it leverages natural processes and ecosystems to address the challenges faced by the industry. The talk will touch on augmenting nature-based solutions with technology for posterity of the palm oil industry.

This presentation will be delivered by Dr Meilina Ong-Abdullah, MPOB.

Revolutionise Upstream Operations: Moving Towards Plantation 4.0

Plantations are labour intensive industry that is often looked upon as the 3 D;s, (dirty, dangerous and demeaning).  Locals have shied away from the industry from decades ago and these jobs have been filled with foreign labour. Would technology enable the industry to become attractive for locals to join?  What would need to be done to revolutionise the industry?  This paper will share some initiatives undertaken by Sime Darby Plantation to fully mechanise all of its operations and to how this has led to more locals being attracted to jobs in the industry.

This presentation will be delivered by Dr Harikrishna Kulaveerasingam, Sime Darby Plantation Berhad.

Dispelling Misconceptions and Countering Negative Labels Surrounding Palm Oil

Addressing misconceptions about palm oil is vital for fostering an accurate and informed dialogue on its production and use. Despite being a versatile and widely consumed vegetable oil, palm oil is unfairly associated with concerns such as unhealthy diets, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and social issues, leading to the use of discriminatory labels. This paper focuses on dispelling food and nutrition misconceptions about palm oil and highlights the negative impact of discriminatory labelling.

Discriminatory labels, like "no palm oil" or "without palm oil," are misleading, creating an unwarranted perception of palm oil as unsafe for consumption. Scientifically, there is no substantial evidence supporting the notion that palm oil poses health risks. Media claims of palm oil contributing to deforestation and biodiversity loss are countered by the extensive conservation efforts in palm-oil producing countries. The entire palm oil chain undergoes rigorous certification processes, making it the most certified sustainable vegetable oil.

To counter negative labels, collaboration among stakeholders, including producers, environmental organizations, and governments, is crucial. Raising awareness about sustainable palm oil practices through transparent communication channels is essential to combat misinformation. This approach encourages responsible palm oil sourcing by businesses and consumers, contributing to a more balanced and informed perspective on palm oil that recognizes its economic significance while addressing environmental and social challenges.

This presentation will be delivered by Ms Areej Taufik, MPOC.

Plenary Speaker

Yang Berbahagia Academician Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Augustine S H Ong, President of Malaysian Oil Scientists' and Technologists' Association

Academician Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Augustine S.H. Ong is a graduate of University of Malaya (B.SC. Hons First Class, M.Sc) and University of London King’s College (Ph.D in Organic Chemistry).

He is the Fulbright-Hays Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); former Director-General, the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM) that is now Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).

He is the founder President of the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS) since 1987 and still is the Society’s President. He is recognized both nationally and internationally in the field of lipid Chemistry being elected as the Chairman, International Society for Fat Research (ISF) in 1997. He is the founder President and still is the President of The Malaysian Oil Scientists’ and Technologists’ Association.

Tan Sri Ong was conferred the Senior Fellow of the Academy of Sciences, Malaysia, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry London, Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences, Tokoh Inovasi Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Emeritus Professor, University Science Malaysia (USM), Palm Oil Industry Leadership (PILA) Award, Hon. Doctor of Science, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Hon. Doctor of Science, The University of Nottingham, Merdeka Award for Health, Science & Technology, Pioneer in Tocotrienol Research from The Oxygen Club of California, Anugerah Tokoh Akademik Negara, Distinguished Science Alumni Award from National University of Singapore, Fellow, King’s College, London and International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA) Grand Gold Medal & Certificate for Altruistic Promotion of Inventors. He is cited Scientist, Malaysia in Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical Dictionary.

Keynote speakers

Dr Meilina Ong-Abdullah, Director of Biology and Sustainability Research Division, Malaysian Palm Oil Board

Dr Meilina, a Senior Principal Research Officer with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board has, since May 2023, been appointed as the Director of Biology & Sustainability Research Division. She has been involved in oil palm biotechnology research for more than 24 years, where she led the Breeding and Tissue Culture Unit for 11 years before moving on to her current position. Her initial research concentrated mainly on understanding the molecular aspects of oil palm tissue culture, which sparked her curiosity in epigenetics. Her active involvement in the oil palm genome as well as, breeding and tissue culture programmes, have led to several major discoveries thus far. And this has further paved her interest in genomics and epigenetics research for crop improvement. Aside from that, leading a research discipline that deals with a deluge of data, she has cultivated a keen interest in big data management and digitization. The move to the new division and current position at the Biology & Sustainability Research Division, was deemed as the perfect progression as she can now expand her scope to include crop management which completes the upstream sector. Lastly, Meilina was inducted into the Academy of Science Malaysia as a Fellow in 2020.

Dr Harikrishna Kulaveerasingam, Chief Research and Development Officer, Sime Darby Plantation Berhad

Dr Harikrishna completed his first degree (B.Sc.) in Plant Sciences at the University of London (Wye College), UK, and his Ph.D. in Plant Developmental and Molecular Biology at the University of Leicester in the UK.

Dr Harikrishna joined the Sime Darby Technology Centre Sdn. Bhd. an R&D company within the Sime Darby R&D Centre in July of 2003. Currently, he is the Senior Vice President I and Chief Research and Development Officer of Sime Darby Plantation Bhd. Over his career, Dr Harikrishna has been a post-doctoral Fellow of University of California, Davis, USA; a lecturer in biotechnology at Universiti Putra Malaysia and a visiting scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA. He has over 30 years post-graduate experience in biotechnology and is a co-author on numerous publications and patents.  In 2012 he was inducted into the Malaysian Academy of Science as a fellow.  He is currently a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS), University Kebangsaan Malaysia since 2016 and a visiting Professor to the School of Biological Sciences, University of Nottingham, Malaysia.

Dr Harikrishna spearheaded the effort to sequence the oil palm genome at Sime Darby and in May 2009, Sime Darby announced that it had successfully sequenced, assembled, and annotated the oil palm genome exclusively using second generation sequencing technology.  In April 2016 Sime Darby announced the first commercial planting of genome select oil palm seedlings – making Sime Darby the world’s first company to achieve this scientific break-through using this technology.  In April 2017 Sime Darby Plantation’s Genome Select was announced as a winner for the Edison Best New Product Awards™ under the Sustainability Category.

Ms Areej Taufik, Senior Executive, Sustainability, Promotion and Communication Department, Malaysian Palm Oil Council

Areej Taufik joined Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) in 2020 and is currently working as Senior Executive. She obtained her Bachelor of Science (Hons) Food Studies from the Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and later completed her postgraduate studies at the School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds (LU), United Kingdom and has been awarded with Master of Science in Food Quality and Innovation. Her postgraduate research focused on the development of a microwavable pre-fried ice-cream dessert, catered to the British market. She has experience in science policy studies, halal food studies, as well as food safety, food quality, and product development. Having written more than 10 articles on palm oil, she continues to advocate for public awareness and literacy of science. She recently contributed to three chapters in the first edition of a book entitled “Innovation of Food Products in Halal Supply Chain Worldwide”. The book can be purchased on Elsevier’s website.

Chair of Forum

Professor DDr Lam Hon Loong, Professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Director in the Centre of Excellent for Green Technology, University of Nottingham Malaysia

Professor Dr Lam received his first PhD in Chemical Engineering, 2010 from University of Maribor, Slovenia and the second PhD in Information Technology, 2011 from University of Pannonia, Hungary. He is a full professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus and appointed as Director for Centre of Excellence for Green Technologies. Professor Lam's research focused on Process Integration, biomass utilisation and green supply chain synthesis. His work is highly recognised and being invited for book chapters, plenary session and keynote presentation at international level. He appointed as Editor for international journals, namely ENERGY (Elsevier), Energy, Sustainability and Society (Elsevier), Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy (Springer), Process Integration and Optimisation for Sustainability (Springer). Professor Lam is selected by Stanford List as World Top 2% Scientist for year 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The material presented in this webinar has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group (POPSIG). The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Acknowledgement

The organiser and POPSIG proudly acknowledge the support provided by Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) on the Palm Oil Educational Roadshow. POPSIG has collaborated with MPOC on Palm Oil Educational Roadshow since 2019. MPOC is a corporate body with a mission to promote the market expansion of Malaysian palm oil and its product by enhancing the image of palm oil and creating better acceptance through awareness of various technological and economic advantages (techno-economic advantages) and environmental sustainability.

POPSIG also gratefully acknowledges the support provided by Desmet Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur-Kepong Oleomas Sdn Bhd (KLK OLEO), Malaysian Oleochemical Manufacturers Group (MOMG) and Sime Darby Oils.

Disclaimer: IChemE will not be storing or controlling any data linked to this event.