The future of palm oil and palm oil product quality, safety and integrity in food technology
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission deadline
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 1, SDG 2 and SDG 12.
The future of palm oil and palm oil product quality, safety and integrity is at a crossroads, driven by several underlining issues from production to consumption. More sustainable practices, improved quality, and enhanced safety standards as well as advanced systems for proving authenticity are major needs for the industry. Palm oil is one of the most versatile and widely consumed oils, it is a key ingredient in numerous food products, from cooking oils to processed foods. However, its global production and usage has been under scrutiny over concerns of its environmental impacts, and recently on the safety, and product quality. In response to these challenges, both the industry and food technologists are pursuing innovative ways to secure its future while meeting the rising local and global demands for healthier, more sustainable products.
This Collection at npj Science of Food, npj Sustainable Agriculture, Communications Earth and Environment, Scientific Reports explores innovations in quality and safety, and developments that ensures sustainability palm oil while enhancing product standards in food technology.
We welcome Original Research Articles and Reviews on the following topics:
- Advanced analytical techniques to detect impurities, adulteration, and moisture content in palm oil, ensuring that only high-quality products reach consumers.
- Machine learning algorithms that have been integrated with big data to create predictive models that improve quality control, thereby enabling rapid, non-destructive testing.
- Sustainability, the use of eco-friendly agricultural practices, reducing deforestation, and ensuring fair labour practices in the supply chain.
- Technological advancements such as precision agriculture and satellite monitoring that are employed to optimize land use, reduce water and pesticide usage, and monitor the environmental footprint of palm oil plantations.
- Agroforestry models that integrate palm oil cultivation with other crops, maintaining biodiversity while increasing productivity.
- Nutritional profile of palm oil and palm oil products to meet consumer demands for healthier products.
- Ways to modify palm oil’s fatty acid composition to reduce its saturated fat content while preserving its functional properties, including blending palm oil with other vegetable oils or using enzymatic processes to create healthier fats.
- Improving traceability and transparency in the palm oil supply chain.
- Digital technologies for tracking palm oil from plantation to shelf, ensuring that consumers can verify the origins of the products they purchase and confirm that they meet ethical and environmental standards.
