Code of Practices (CoP) Certification Scheme -

MPOB
This audit promoting sustainability, food safety and product quality. Document and Standard
Operating Procedure Guidelines for CoP Auditing of Palm Oil Mills :-

1. Weighbridge (manager/office staff)

1. Yearly calibration and certification.
2. Weight discrepancy ex-mill and delivered weights (out).
3. Fresh fruit bunch (FFB) purchases consignment chits (in).
4. FFB weighing record.
5. CPO weight ex-mill and delivered weight (out).
6. Weighing of sludge oil (out) sales.
7. Weighing of EFB –sales.
8. Weighing of bunch ash (out).
9. Weighing of incoming items (in).
10. Palm kernel ex-mill sales (out).
11. Palm kernel shell ex-mill sales (out).
12. Palm kernel mesocarp fibre sales.
13. Weighing routine cleaning.
14. Weighbridge maintenance electronics / mechanical.
15. Load cell damage by lightening / others.
16. Others.
2. Approach Road and Hopper Apron and Hopper (supervisor)
1. Approach road washing.
2. Approach road – surface repair.
3. Cleaning of side drains.
4. Hopper of side drains.
5. Hopper apron cleaning.
6. Hopper apron re-surfacing.
7. Hopper cleaning identifies bays cleaned.
8. Hopper bottom loose fruit recovery.
9. Hopper maintenance – mechanical / electrical.
10. Corrosion of structural steel visual observation (maintenance).
11. Hydraulic / pneumatic system overhauls (maintenance).
3. Fresh Fruit Bunches Grading (office/manager)
1. Grading operators office inspection log (upkeep).
2. Grading documentation (list documents).
3. Record of analysis (actual).
4. Record of rejected bunches (estimates).
5. Quality assessment (visual).
6. Others (list).
4. Cage Filling / Sterilization (supervisor)
1. Cages filed at hourly interval with details on level of filling / overfilling, etc.
2. Changes pushed into sterilizer numbers at hourly interval – time in/time out.
3. Hourly sterilizer temperatures.
4. Sterilizer pressure chart (already installed).
5. Record of sterilization regime change based on quality of crop, e.g. regime 1 –
overripe crop – 50 min cycle.
6. Breakdown data, e.g. no steam supply – boiler shut down. Digester full – press
breakdown – causes.
7. Defects noted like – steam blowing at door, pressure gauge faulty the report.
8. Inadequate safety in working area, e.g. slipping (due to oil) flooding of work area, etc.
Should be recorded.
9. Safety warning notices in key areas, if missing should be recorded and manager
notified.
5. Threshing and Pressing (supervisor)
1. Thresher cleaning report.
2. Sterilizer bunches elevator breakdown record.
3. Overhead hoist operating hours.
4. Fruit conveyors, elevators weekly inspection reports (maintenance).
5. Digester level and shutting down data when empty.
6. Digester temperature and level.
7. Digester liner renewal interval / dates (maintenance).
8. Digester blades renewal interval / dates (maintenance).
9. Press cone pressure and kWhr.
10. Press screw / cage renewal interval with new weight as well as worn out ones
(maintenance).
11. Crude oil dilution data.
12. Press operation, date, number of presses operating on/off time with operating hours.
13. Press cleanliness – who cleaned and when.
14. Defects report data (defect reported to supervisor).
15. Press station general inspection data including, gutter, conveyors, pump, etc. A
complete inspection must be made in every shift and observations recorded. In a book from which
supervisors can extract data for writing his shift log.
16. Shift take-over log. How the condition was when taken over.
6. Oil Station (supervisor)
1. Cleaning of the station by each shift operator.
2. Tank level (a) C.S. tank (b) sludge tank (c) pure oil tank per shift.
3. C.S Tank temperature (once/shift).
4. Vacuum readings (once/shift).
5. Palm oil pump pressure and temperature.
6. Sludge centrifuge – shutting down due to chokage – data (when and why).
7. Purifier / decanter operating hour, shut down data.
8. Storage tank temperature.
9. C.S tank differential head (oil skimmer level and sludge level) (onces/shift).
10. Defects log – observed during shift.
7. Nut Station (supervisor)
1. Press cake condition – moisture level comment by touching.
2. Condition of nuts in polishing drum – fibre attachment.
3. Nut breakage in press cake – observation / comments.
4. Nut cracking broken kernel by quick analysis / shift comments.
5. Hydrocyclone / clay bath kernel loss quick analysis – comments.
6. Kernel losses in shell – quick analysis comments.
8. Effluent (supervisor)
1. Oil in sludge underflow.
2. Oil in sterilizer condensate.
3. Oil in de-oiling tank.
4. Oil in final effluent.
5. Fat oil recovered and recycled.
6. Comments by operators.
7. Defects noted.
9. Effluent Digestion(supervisor)
1. Temperature of cooling pond.
2. Oil content in cooling pond estimation (high/low/overage).
3. BOD of cooling, anaerobic, aerobic and final discharge.
4. COD of cooling, anaerobic, aerobic and final discharge.
5. Observation defect, etc.
10. Boiler House / Power (supervision)
1. Boiler operational log – hourly reading start with water level gauge tested
temperature, pressure, flow rate etc.
2. Blow down record.
3. Shut down record.
4. Turbine receiver data log – load, pressure, oil tempt, tank, safety valve lifting etc.
(separator record).
5. Flue gas continuous analysis chart (Ringelman chart).
6. Flue gas 3rd party analysis (yearly for others).

The following records to be maintained by the executive staff :

1. Record of the training of all personnel in the mill including the senior staff, clerical staff, non-
clerical staff and process workers.
2. Minutes of meetings held with trade union.
3. Safety meeting record and action taken.
4. Minutes of meetings with plantation executives.
5. Minutes of meetings with other crop suppliers.
6. Comments by regulatory bodies, e.g. DOSH,MPOB,DOE etc. Log book.
7. Process log book, laboratory records and any other records.
8. Water treatment records (third party test results).
9. Any other record.
The creation of standard operating procedures (sop) - some tips
Factors to be considered :-

1. Safety aspects like safety shoes, ear plugs, helmets etc.

2. Cleaning requirements .
3. In case of incidents, the procedure to follow.
4. Reporting the findings or station data, losses etc.
Example of standard operating procedures (sop)

Weighbridge
1. System boundary. Procedures for FFB reception, oil despatch etc.
2. Calibrated yearly by Department of Weights and Measures. A copy of certificate must
displays outside weighbridge. Operator to remind on expiry date.
3. Weighbridge operator minimun requirement : SPM, computer literacy, training certificate
issue by mill manager.
4. Loading into cages is a careful operation involving the loading of the correct number of
bunches so that bunches is level with the top edge of the cages and at the same time fruits shall not
spill out to the ground from the chute during filling.
5. As far as possible all cages shall have the same weight of FFB so that it is easier to estimate
the weight of cages not processed. lf by any chance fruits happen to spill on the ground they must
be re-covered as soon as possible and put back in the cage.
6. If any cages or the hopper door mechanism are found to be needing repair this must be
noted down and the supervisor notified.
Sterilization
1. Ensure that all mechanisms associated with safety of personnel are free from defects and
they are operational by actually testing them.
2. Ensure the regulatory approvals are in place and the expiry date and registration number
clearly stamped on each sterilizer.
3. Do not get into a sterilizer for hooking detached hooks unless the following procedure is
strictly followed. All sterilizer doors must have a ring welded on to it so that a chain can be attached
to it with other and locked o similar ring welded to a column.The operator who goes into the sterilizer
must keep the key in his possession. In addition,a prominent signboard must be displayed in front of
the sterilizer with the words, DO NOT CLOSE DOOR-OPERATOR INSIDE. The supervisor also
must station himself or his trusted assistant in front of the sterilizer for the entire duration of the time
the operator is inside. If the operator does not exit from the sterilizer must assign another person to
go inside and investigate. This special SOP must be displayed in front of the sterilizer and no
compromise must be allowed to make it simpler.
4. The interior of the sterilizer must be free from bunches, fruits and other contaminants
that could obstruct the condensate discharge. This will be treated under routine cleaning.
. The sterilization regimes catering for the three types of crop namely overripe, under-ripe and ripe
must be established and used when necessary. The sterilization peaks should not be
allowed to reduce to zero pressure during blow down operation as this will result in wastage of
steam. The sterilization programme should not cause the individual peak pressure to drop to zero. A
reasonable pressure drop is no more than 60% of the peak as by then most of the air would have
blown out. The sterilizer condensate should be continuously bled through a by-pass line installed
parallel to the main condensate pipe. This is to evacuate the air
released from bunches when they are subjected to prolonged heating within the sterilizer.

Bunch Lifting / Transfer and Threshing

1. The operator must check the bunch tipper frame foundation to rule out the possibility of the
tipper breaking loose from the foundation and its condition must be logged every day. If defective
this must be reported to the supervisor.
2. The duration of the tipper rotation for complete bunch discharge must be established and
number of cages tipped hourly logged with comments if there are discrepancies arising from lack of
fruits or machinery breakdowns.
3. In the case of cage hoist, ensure that the regulatory approvals are in place. The expiry date
must be clearly stamped on the hoist control car or the body where it can be clearly seen. If about to
expire remind the manager.
4. Make weekly inspection of the drum, endless chain joist (I-beam), other wear parts and log
the condition as accurately as possible. If worn out dangerously, report the finding to the manager.
5. Ensure that no personnel stand under the active zone of the hoist when it is in
operation.
6. Provide sirens during the hoist movement so that personnel standing underneath
can get out of the way. Ensure that all the safety instructions
are displayed in Prominent areas.

roduction
Process  
  A brief description of the production process to produce CPO and PK is set out below:  
Weighing and recording of FFB
FFB transported from the estates are weighed at the weighing bridge and recorded before being transported
to the mill.  The FFB are then graded according to degree of freshness and ripeness, size of the bunch,
length of the bunch stalk, percentage of loose fruits and formation of the FFB in accordance with the
standards set by MPOB.  The FFB must be processed as soon as possible to ensure the production of better
quality palm oil.

Sterilisation of FFB
Sterilisation of FFB is a process whereby the FFB is steamed in a steriliser under a temperature of about 145
degree celsius for 90 minutes in order to deactivate lipolytic enzymes, which is responsible for the increase
of the undesirable free fatty acids contents in the FFB.  This process also removes external impurities,
loosening fruits from the bunch, softening the mesocarp of the fruits and pre-conditions the nuts for easier
kernel recovery.

Threshing
The sterilised FFB is auto-fed to the rotary drum stripper in this process.  The purpose of threshing is to
separate the fruits from the oil absorbent bunch stalk (to prevent any absorption of oil) through repetitive
lifting and dropping of the bunch by gravity forces.  The detached fruit will slip through the perforation on
the drum wall to be transferred to digesters.  After separation, the empty fruit bunch is then sent back to the
estates to be recycled as much as it contains nutrients.

Digestion and Pressing

The digester is a vertical cylindrical vessel with rotating shaft bearing a number of stirring arms.  The
purpose of the digestion process is to mash-up the fruits under a high temperature of about 95 degree
celsius and precondition the mash for subsequent pressing.  This process will break up the oil-bearing cells in
the mesocarp to form mash.  The oil is then extracted from the mash through twin screw pressing process. 
The leftover is a compact dried mass comprising nuts and fibres called press cake.

Clarification and Purification

Crude oil from the pressing process contains approximately 43% oil, 22% water and 35% sludge and solid. 
In order to reduce the viscosity of the slurry crude oil, hot water is added and the mixture is then pumped
into clarification tank and left for about 5 hours to let the denser impurities settle at the base.  The oil is
continuously skimmed from the top to a content of 0.6% water and 0.2% impurities.  A high temperature of
95 degree celsius is kept in the tank to enhance the separation process.  The oil is then passed through
high-speed centrifuge and vacuum dryer to reduce the impurities and moisture level to not more than
0.15%.  The sludge is put through a second separation process in order to maximise oil recovery.  The
recovered oil is pumped back into clarification tank.  The remaining sludge is transported to effluent
 treatment plant

CPO Storage
The purified and dried oil or simply known as CPO is then pumped into the existing 5 units of 2,000 Mt
capacity each properly designed steel tanks with proper heating system.  The tanks are maintained at a
temperature of between 45 and 50 degree celsius

Winnowing and Depericarper

The press cake from the pressing process is conveyed to the depericarper for separation by the pneumatic
column process.  The fibre separated will be used as fuel for the boilers.  The leftover nuts are conveyed to a
de-stoner to remove other solid objects which are heavier.

Drying of nuts
The nuts are then kept in a silo with regulated hot air for a period of 14 hours to dry the nuts.  The regulated
temperature prevents discolouration of the nuts.  This drying process also serves the purpose of separating
the kernel from the shell to facilitate the nut cracking process.

Shells separation
The dried nuts are transported into ripple mills to crack the shells and passed through winnower to separate
the shells through pneumatic process.  Whole kernels are then separated through a kernel grading drum. 
The leftover mixture of broken kernel and leftover shells are fed into hydrocyclone, which will complete the
separation process through centrifugal force of water.  The shells from this process are also used as fuel.

Kernel storage
Kernels are dried in the kernel drying silo.  The time and temperature are regulated to ensure consistency in
the level of dryness.  The dried nuts are then transferred to kernel bulking silos.  The mill has 3 units of 145
Mt capacity properly designed steel silo for PK storage.