Fruit Harvesting Quality
In the Malaysian oil palm industry, there is an adage that says that oil quality is made
in the field and not in the mill. This is a reflection of the harvesting standards used to
gauge fresh fruit bunch ripeness, handling of the bunches in the field, and the fruit
reception area in the mill and the speed with which the fruit bunches are sent to the
mill. Harvesting under-ripe bunches would increase the free fatty acid (FFA) of the
extracted oil beside reducing the amount of extractable oil from the bunch [lower oil
extraction rate (OER)]. This is due to the incomplete biosynthesis of triacylglycerols.