What Are Palm Oil Loose Fruits (Brondolan)?
Palm oil loose fruits (brondolan) is a term used in the oil palm plantation industry to refer to individual oil palm fruits that have become detached from the fresh fruit bunch (FFB), either because they are overripe or because they fell off during harvesting. These small fruits are called “brondolan” and usually collect around the palm tree after the FFB has been harvested.
In practice, these loose fruits must be collected promptly after harvest because they have a high oil contentoften higher than the fruits still attached to the FFBwhich can increase the crude palm oil (CPO) yield when processed together.
Optimal collection and management of loose fruits is an important part of harvest management in oil palm plantations, because if left unattended, the remaining loose fruits not only reduce palm oil production output but can also encourage weeds and nutrient competition, affecting plant productivity.
Characteristics and Importance of Palm Oil Loose Fruits
- Origin of the term: Oil palm fruits that “membrondol” (come loose) from the bunch.
- Oil content: Generally have a higher oil content than regular FFB, making them important in determining CPO yield.
- Impact on harvest: Loose fruits that are not collected can cause economic losses due to lost oil potential.
Notes
In palm oil literature, this term is often used in the context of “fruits detached from the bunch”which automatically means the fruit is sufficiently ripe or fell off during harvesting.
References
“Palm oil loose fruits are part of the palm fruit that become detached”, Thesis repository.unhas.ac.id PDF link
“Ripe fruit that falls off the bunch is called loose fruit”, InfoSAWIT Link
“Palm oil loose fruits are often considered trivial affecting quality and productivity”, Pkt-group.com Link