Bioactive compounds in oil palm Ravigadevi Sambanthamurthi, Ng Mei Han and Choo Yuen May, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Malaysia

1 Introduction

2 Lipid-soluble bioactives

3 Water-soluble bioactives

4 Bioactive properties of OPP

5 Bioactives in different palm sources

6 Future trends

7 Conclusion

8 References

Bioactive compounds in plants are defined as substances that elicit pharmacological or toxicological effects in humans and animals. They are typically secondary metabolites produced by the plant in addition to the primary metabolites such as amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids required for growth and development. Unlike primary metabolites which participate in nutrition and essential metabolic processes within the plant, secondary metabolites are considered non-essential for sustaining life but crucial for the survival of the producing organism (Hadacek, 2002). They influence ecological interactions between plants and their environment and are often involved in defence mechanisms to protect the plant against biotic and abiotic stresses. They are ubiquitous in plants on account of their important protective biological functions. The oil palm being a tropical crop is exposed to high temperature and intense sunlight that result in the generation of reactive oxygen species that elicit oxidative stress responses. The palm has thus evolved cellular and metabolic processes and produces bioactive compounds as protective measures against the ravages of the weather as well as the surrounding ecosystem. While plants are the prime source of bioactive compounds for drug discovery and development of functional foods and nutraceuticals, supply of these compounds is often curtailed by the low content and limitation in supply. The tremendous productivity of the oil palm and the abundance of cultivated palms on a global scale, however, provide an abundant source of lipid-and water-soluble bioactives. A major environmental advantage

of palm bioactives is that they are readily available products of palm oil milling and refining processes. This can play a key role in value addition and improved sustainability of the oil palm. The palm fruit which represents one of only a few oleaginous fruits is poised to play an increasingly substantiated role in nutrition and health, not only through the delivery of important dietary fats but also its distinct bioactive compounds.