INNOVATION AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TO GROW MALAYSIA AS THE COCOA PRODUCER FOR ASIA Lee C.H. and Sabariah S. SUMMARY Malaysia has been trying her best to improve the availability of locally produced cocoa beans to meet the huge gap for her grinding needs which currently are met by imports. Despite this, the R&D&I undertaken give equal importance for both upstream and downstream. This is the strategy adopted in trying to maintain and sustain Malaysia to be a main cocoa producer for Asia. Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB) as the guardian and custodian of the Malaysian cocoa industry, has identified and developed many products that can be produced from polyphenol compounds like flavonoid procyanidins and flavan-3-ols; phenolic acids, and simple phenols, which are present in minor amounts in cocoa; for functional foods, neutraceuticals and pharmaceutical products, which are all halal. Also developed are products in the cosmetic and toiletries for everyday use. The phytochemical constituents of methanolic cocoa leaf extract and hexanolic cocoa leaf partitioned fraction of Theobroma cacao are saponins, flavonoids, triterpenes and steroids. MCB hopes these compounds can be isolated, developed and produced innovative products in the future. MCB has a role to develop small and medium entrepreneurs through ‘mantee-mentorship’ on a micro-scale. She has also set-up infrastructural facilities to facilitate downstream production lines for cocoa products such as cocoa gel, shampoo, lipstick cocoa eye shadow, blush makeup and oral care and rinse, cocoa foot scrub and cream, body wash and scrub, shaving cream and after-shave product for men from her R&D&I. She has also facilities for analytical services accredited with MS ISO/IEC 17025, sensory evaluation, Cocoa & Chocolate Pilot Plant and Cocoa Cosmetic & Over the Counter (OTC) Products Pilot Plant. MCB caters for downstream industry with physical, chemical and microbiology testings’ on cocoa and cocoa products. She also conduct tests and checks including determination of pesticide residues, heavy metals, proximate analysis, crystallization and melting profile for cocoa butter and others. |