Sawit Kinabalu pioneers large-scale tocotrienols production

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah-owned Sawit Kinabalu, through its subsidiary Kunak Lipids Sdn Bhd, is poised to revolutionise tocotrienols production as Malaysia’s first company to extract it from palm oil waste on a large scale.

This large-scale production is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2025 and is aligned with the government’s vision to foster economic and environmental sustainability in Sabah.

Kunak Lipids employs proprietary technology and high-precision equipment to capture tocotrienols from refined byproducts, reducing environmental waste and creating wealth, thereby contributing to the state’s economic and environmental goals.

Tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E, is used for a variety of health and therapeutic purposes due to its potent antioxidant properties.

Recognising the high demand for tocotrienols in China, Kunak Lipids, with support from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and Palm Oil Research and Technical Services Institute Malaysia, identified significant market potential during initial marketing explorations.

Cosmetics manufacturers, in particular, are keen to obtain tocotrienols for their products.

Recently, Sawit Kinabalu, through Kinak Lipids, signed a memorandum of understanding with a Shanghai-based trading company, Boce Trade Service Company Ltd, to produce palm oil refinery byproducts and meet the Chinese market demand.

At the signing, Kunak Lipids was represented by its group managing director and chief executive officer Victor Ationg and Boce Trade Service Company Ltd by its general manager Qiu Rong Yu.

The ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Plantations and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin at Shangri-la Pudong Shanghai on June 13.