Browse publications by year: 2016

Fulltext Adopting industrialisation in the construction environment: meeting the requirements of sustainability

Muhamad Faiz Musa, Mohd Reeza Yusof, Noor Sahidah Samsudin, Faridah Muhamad Halil

Scientific Research Journal, 2016;13(2):0-0.
MyJurnal

The construction industry should move from conventional construction method and adopt the
industrialisation concept, to increase productivity and deliver quality construction end products.
Industrialisation is the combination of a large market to divide into fractions the investment in
strategies and innovation, in return, of simplifying the production and, therefore, reducing the costs.
The introduction of Degree of Industrialisation by Roger-Bruno Richard is critical to the construction
industry. The five degrees of industrialisation are prefabrication, mechanisation, automation, robotics
and reproduction. Richard’s Degree of Industrialisation is in line with the Malaysian government’s
vision to be a developed nation by 2020, to push forward the use of innovative technologies in most
industries including the construction industry. The adoption of industrialisation and innovations in
the Malaysian construction industry has the potential to solve the current problems in the
construction industry. The problems are the inferior quality of products and processes, a poor site
working conditions, low construction productivity, high construction cost, relying on foreign workers
and lack of skill labours. The adoption of industrialisation and innovations promote sustainability in
the construction environment. The objectives of the study are to investigate whether the adoption of
industrialisation in the construction environment promotes sustainability and to identify the current
level of industrialisation of the Malaysian construction industry. The methodologies of the study are
semi-structure interview and observation. The Malaysian construction industry is ready to embrace
industrialisation in construction environment in limited areas and industrialisation promotes
sustainability in the construction environment.
Effect of solar radiation to the building materials properties: a review

Raihana Mohamad Hata, Rohana Hassan, Fadzil Arshad, Haslin Idayu

Scientific Research Journal, 2016;13(2):0-0.
MyJurnal

This paper provides a review on the effect of solar radiation to the different building materials properties.
Solar radiation; watt per meter square [W/m2
] is one of the cause for thermal gain in building envelopes.
Buildings envelopes comprises of various materials. Different materials have different rate of heat
absorption depends on their emissivity and other parameters. The three materials studied in this paper
are concrete, timber and composites materials. According to the radiation heat equation, heat rate are
affected by the surface area of exposed envelope (A) measure in meter (m), emissivity of the building
exposed surface (ε) and the temperature difference between envelope exposed surface (Ts) and
temperature of equivalent atmosphere (Tsky) measure in 0C. Based on the parameters, research
methodology were adopted either by software simulation or test field experimental. Solar radiation
affects the materials in various ways, depends on parameters considered, location of testing and type of
materials.
Fulltext Vitex species: review on phytochemistry and pouch design for nutritional benefits

Nur Rejai Salmah Abdul Hakeem, Nuruljannah Md Yusof, Aisyah Hasyila Jahidin, Mizaton Hazizul Hasan, Hannis Fadzillah Mohsin, Ibtisam Abdul Wahab

Scientific Research Journal, 2016;13(2):0-0.
MyJurnal

Vitex trifolia or locally known as lemuni, is well documented for its medicinal properties including
anticancer, antibacterial and wound healing. For years, the leaves and flowers were consumed for antiaging
and general well-being. It is also commonly served as nutraceuticals to post-partum women during
their confinement period. Previous study showed that V. trifolia possesses high antioxidant properties that
could prevent oxidative stress related diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes and many more.
From the literature, V. trifolia leaves are used as poultice for rheumatic pains, sprains, antithelmintics and
inflammations. Meanwhile, the fruits are utilised in amenorrhea. The roots, on the other hand, are used for
the treatment of cough and fever. The plant is known to possess pharmacologically-active constituents such
as the essential oil, halimane-type diterpenes, flavonoids, triterpenes, lignans, iridoids and ecdysteroids.
Review papers were consistently published to justify the non-exhaustive biological exploration of this genus.
Nevertheless, only 11 per cent of the total Vitex species were phytochemically examined. Apart from being
eaten raw or blanched, Vitex is also taken as a food colourant in preparing lemuni rice. The process of
making lemuni rice is quite tedious. First, the leaves and flowers are picked and washed. Both parts are then
ground with water and sieved to give a bluish extract which is then mixed with rice and boiled to cook.
Hence, the Vitex pouch is introduced to provide an easy way to prepare lemuni rice. This packaging is
designed to enclose Vitex samples in a pouch that simply can be placed together with rice and boiled to
cook. Such instant preparation will hopefully promote the consumption of lemuni rice among busy locals.
Future plans include international marketing and production of other Vitex nutritional products.
Fulltext Analysis of pandanus extracts by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography

Hannis Fadzillah Mohsin, Ratni Suriyani Jalal, Ibtisam Abdul Wahab, Abdul Rasyid Zulkifli, Muhammad Faxrurrazy Sadiran

Scientific Research Journal, 2016;13(2):0-0.
MyJurnal

The Pandanus species (Pandanaceae family) was investigated, in order to set up a library of their chromatographic profiles. From a literature review, the most common Pandanus plant that was greatly examined was P. amaryllifolius (the fragrant screw pine), followed by P. sanderi. Here, the chromatographic data from an extract of a relatively unfamiliar Pandanus is also presented. The leaves of P. monotheca were extracted by using methanol. Later, the extract was filtered, prior to a Reversed-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) experiments. The automated system was set to run by gradient elution (acetonitrile:water). The flow rate was maintained at 1 ml/min, otherwise stated in a number of attempts. The ultra-violet absorbance of the Pandanus’ constituents was measured via Multiple Wavelength Detector. From the chromatogram, the major peaks for Pandanus’ compounds were eluted (λ = 220, 260 and 360 nm) and the retention times were recorded. The lower absorbance readings of other minor peaks could be due to various minor secondary metabolites, such as the furolignan. The different elution time depends on the polarity of the composition. In short, Pandanus’ phytochemicals could be obtained via alcoholic extraction. The utilisation of modern chromatographic applications enables the scientists to discover and subsequently, purify single component of the complex natural mixtures. This finding can be beneficial to the research areas in botanical study, pharmacognostical assessment and biotechnology industry. It is aimed that more
Pandanus species could be learnt for the future.
Fulltext Zika – a pandemic in progress?

Fauziah Mohamad Idris

Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2016;23(2):70-72.
MyJurnal

The emerging threat of Zika virus outbreak with associated neurological abnormalities
needs to be assessed in perspective in terms of its ability to cause a pandemic. This article attempts
to throw some light on the issue.
Response Surface Methodology Modelling of an Aqueous Two-Phase System for Purification of Protease from Penicillium candidum (PCA 1/TT031) under Solid State Fermentation and Its Biochemical Characterization

Alhelli AM, Abdul Manap MY, Mohammed AS, Mirhosseini H, Suliman E, Shad Z, et al.

Int J Mol Sci, 2016 Nov 11;17(11).
PMID: 27845736

Penicillium candidum (PCA 1/TT031) synthesizes different types of extracellular proteases. The objective of this study is to optimize polyethylene glycol (PEG)/citrate based on an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to purify protease from Penicillium candidum (PCA 1/TT031). The effects of different PEG molecular weights (1500-10,000 g/mol), PEG concentration (9%-20%), concentrations of NaCl (0%-10%) and the citrate buffer (8%-16%) on protease were also studied. The best protease purification could be achieved under the conditions of 9.0% (w/w) PEG 8000, 5.2% NaCl, and 15.9% sodium citrate concentration, which resulted in a one-sided protease partitioning for the bottom phase with a partition coefficient of 0.2, a 6.8-fold protease purification factor, and a yield of 93%. The response surface models displayed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) response which was fit for the variables that were studied as well as a high coefficient of determination (R²). Similarly, the predicted and observed values displayed no significant (p > 0.05) differences. In addition, our enzyme characterization study revealed that Penicillium candidum (PCA 1/TT031) produced a slight neutral protease with a molecular weight between 100 and 140 kDa. The optimal activity of the purified enzyme occurred at a pH of 6.0 and at a temperature of 50 °C. The stability between different pH and temperature ranges along with the effect of chemical metal ions and inhibitors were also studied. Our results reveal that the purified enzyme could be used in the dairy industry such as in accelerated cheese ripening.

MeSH terms: Enzyme Stability; Fermentation; Fungal Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors; Fungal Proteins/isolation & purification*; Fungal Proteins/chemistry; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Penicillium/enzymology*; Peptide Hydrolases/isolation & purification*; Peptide Hydrolases/chemistry; Polyethylene Glycols/chemistry; Chemical Precipitation; Protease Inhibitors/chemistry; Liquid-Liquid Extraction
Epidemiological Characteristics of Strongyloidiasis in Inhabitants of Indigenous Communities in Borneo Island, Malaysia

Ngui R, Halim NA, Rajoo Y, Lim YA, Ambu S, Rajoo K, et al.

Korean J Parasitol, 2016 Oct;54(5):673-678.
PMID: 27853126

Epidemiological study on strongyloidiasis in humans is currently lacking in Malaysia. Thus, a cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis infection among the inhabitants of longhouse indigenous communities in Sarawak. A single stool and blood sample were collected from each participant and subjected to microscopy, serological and molecular techniques. Five species of intestinal parasites were identified by stool microscopy. None of the stool samples were positive for S. stercoralis. However, 11% of 236 serum samples were seropositive for strongyloidiasis. Further confirmation using molecular technique on stool samples of the seropositive individuals successfully amplified 5 samples, suggesting current active infections. The prevalence was significantly higher in adult males and tended to increase with age. S. stercoralis should no longer be neglected in any intestinal parasitic survey. Combination of more than 1 diagnostic technique is necessary to increase the likelihood of estimating the 'true' prevalence of S. stercoralis.

MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Animals; Blood/parasitology; Borneo/epidemiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Feces/parasitology; Female; Humans; Infant; Male; Microscopy; Middle Aged; Serologic Tests; Strongyloidiasis/epidemiology*; Prevalence; Strongyloides stercoralis/isolation & purification*; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Population Groups; Young Adult
Fulltext Pre-pregnancy community-based intervention for couples in Malaysia: application of intervention mapping

Norris SA, Ho JC, Rashed AA, Vinding V, Skau JK, Biesma R, et al.

BMC Public Health, 2016 11 17;16(1):1167.
PMID: 27855663

BACKGROUND: Malaysia is experiencing a nutrition transition with burgeoning obesity, particularly in women, and a growing prevalence of non-communicable disease. These health burdens have severe implications not only for adult health but also across generations. Pre-conception health promotion could address the intergenerational risk of metabolic disease. This paper describes the development of the "Jom Mama" intervention using Intervention Mapping (IM). The Jom Mama intervention aims to improve the health of young adult couples in Malaysia prior to conception.

METHODS: IM comprises of five steps prior to the last one, which involves the evaluation of the intervention. We used the five steps to develop the Jom Mama intervention.

RESULTS: Both the process and evidence is documented providing the rationale to the selection of the key objectives of the intervention: (i) increasing healthy dietary practice; (ii) increasing physical activity levels, (iii) reducing sedentary activity; and (iv) improving social support to offset stressful lifestyles. From the IM process, Jom Mama will be health-system centred approach that uniquely combines both community health promoters and an electronic-health platform to deliver the complex intervention.

CONCLUSION: IM is an iterative process that systematically gathers "best" evidence, selects appropriate theories of behaviour change, and facilitates formative research so as to develop a complex intervention. Though the IM process is time consuming, complex, and costly, it has enriched the Jom Mama intervention with a number of notable advantages: (i) intervention fashioned on formative work with stakeholders and in the target group; (ii) intervention combines research evidence with theory; (iii) intervention acknowledges multiple dynamics of influence; and (iv) intervention is embedded within health service priorities in Malaysia for greater scale-up possibility.

MeSH terms: Adult; Community Health Services; Delivery of Health Care; Diet*; Family Characteristics*; Female; Health Promotion/methods*; Humans; Life Style; Malaysia; Metabolic Diseases/etiology; Metabolic Diseases/prevention & control*; Obesity/etiology; Obesity/prevention & control*; Parents; Pregnancy; Research Design; Risk Factors; Social Support; Program Evaluation; Health Behavior; Exercise*; Preconception Care*; Young Adult
Re-evaluation of individual diameter : height allometric models to improve biomass estimation of tropical trees

Ledo A, Cornulier T, Illian JB, Iida Y, Kassim AR, Burslem DF

Ecol Appl, 2016 Dec;26(8):2374-2380.
PMID: 27907254 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1450

Accurate estimation of tree biomass is necessary to provide realistic values of the carbon stored in the terrestrial biosphere. A recognized source of errors in tree aboveground biomass (AGB) estimation is introduced when individual tree height values (H) are not directly measured but estimated from diameter at breast height (DBH) using allometric equations. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of 12 alternative DBH : H equations and compare their effects on AGB estimation for three tropical forests that occur in contrasting climatic and altitudinal zones. We found that fitting a three-parameter Weibull function using data collected locally generated the lowest errors and bias in H estimation, and that equations fitted to these data were more accurate than equations with parameters derived from the literature. For computing AGB, the introduced error values differed notably among DBH : H allometric equations, and in most cases showed a clear bias that resulted in either over- or under-estimation of AGB. Fitting the three-parameter Weibull function minimized errors in AGB estimates in our study and we recommend its widespread adoption for carbon stock estimation. We conclude that many previous studies are likely to present biased estimates of AGB due to the method of H estimation.

MeSH terms: Carbon; Trees*; Tropical Climate*; Biomass; Forests
Prediction of breast cancer risk based on common genetic variants in women of East Asian ancestry

Wen W, Shu XO, Guo X, Cai Q, Long J, Bolla MK, et al.

Breast Cancer Res, 2016 12 08;18(1):124.
PMID: 27931260

BACKGROUND: Approximately 100 common breast cancer susceptibility alleles have been identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The utility of these variants in breast cancer risk prediction models has not been evaluated adequately in women of Asian ancestry.
METHODS: We evaluated 88 breast cancer risk variants that were identified previously by GWAS in 11,760 cases and 11,612 controls of Asian ancestry. SNPs confirmed to be associated with breast cancer risk in Asian women were used to construct a polygenic risk score (PRS). The relative and absolute risks of breast cancer by the PRS percentiles were estimated based on the PRS distribution, and were used to stratify women into different levels of breast cancer risk.
RESULTS: We confirmed significant associations with breast cancer risk for SNPs in 44 of the 78 previously reported loci at P

MeSH terms: Algorithms; Asia/epidemiology; Breast Neoplasms/genetics*; Breast Neoplasms/epidemiology*; Female; Humans; Population Surveillance; Risk Factors; Genetic Variation*; Models, Statistical; Odds Ratio; Case-Control Studies; Risk Assessment; Genetic Predisposition to Disease*; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics*; Genome-Wide Association Study; Genetic Association Studies*
Fulltext Lumbar sympathectomy techniques for critical lower limb ischaemia due to non-reconstructable peripheral arterial disease

Karanth VK, Karanth TK, Karanth L

Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2016 12 13;12:CD011519.
PMID: 27959471 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011519.pub2

BACKGROUND: Critical lower limb ischaemia (CLI) is a manifestation of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) that is seen in patients with typical chronic ischaemic rest pain or patients with ischaemic skin lesions - ulcers or gangrene - for longer than 2 weeks. Critical lower limb ischaemia is the most severe form of PAD, and interventions to improve arterial perfusion become necessary. Although surgical bypass has been the gold standard for revascularisation, the extent or the site of disease may be such that the artery cannot be reconstructed or bypassed. These patients require other modalities of treatment, for example, vasodilatation by drugs or lumbar sympathectomy to relieve pain at rest and to avoid amputations. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials is required to evaluate the effects of lumbar sympathectomy in treating patients with CLI due to non-reconstructable PAD.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review is to assess the effects of lumbar sympathectomy by open, laparoscopic and percutaneous methods compared with no treatment or compared with any other method of lumbar sympathectomy in patients with CLI due to non-reconstructable PAD.
SEARCH METHODS: The Cochrane Vascular Information Specialist (CIS) searched the Specialised Register (January 2016) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2015, Issue 12). In addition, the CIS searched clinical trials databases for details of ongoing and unpublished studies.
SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing any of the treatment modalities of lumbar sympathectomy, such as open, laparoscopic and chemical percutaneous methods, with no treatment or with any other method of lumbar sympathectomy for CLI due to non-reconstructable PAD were eligible. To decrease the bias of including participants that may be incorrectly diagnosed with CLI, review authors defined CLI as persistently recurring ischaemic rest pain requiring regular analgesia for more than two weeks, or ulceration or gangrene of the foot or toes, attributable to objectively proven arterial occlusive disease by measurement of ankle pressure of < 50 mmHg or toe pressure < 30 mmHg. We defined non-reconstructable PAD as a resting ankle brachial index (ABI) < 0.9 when no reasonable open surgical or endovascular revascularisation treatment option is available, as determined by individual trial vascular specialists.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed studies identified for potential inclusion in the review. We planned to conduct data collection and analysis in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Review of Interventions.
MAIN RESULTS: We identified no studies that met the predefined inclusion criteria. To decrease the bias of including participants who may be incorrectly diagnosed with CLI, we based our inclusion criteria on objective tests, as described above. The randomised trials identified by the literature search were performed before such objective criteria for selection were applied and therefore were not eligible for inclusion in the review.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We identified no RCTs assessing effects of lumbar sympathectomy by open, laparoscopic and percutaneous methods compared with no treatment or compared with any other method of lumbar sympathectomy in patients with CLI due to non-reconstructable PAD. High-quality studies are needed.

MeSH terms: Chronic Disease; Humans; Ischemia/etiology; Ischemia/surgery*; Lumbosacral Plexus/surgery*; Sympathectomy/methods*; Sympathectomy, Chemical; Lower Extremity/blood supply*; Peripheral Arterial Disease/complications*
The Effects of Annatto Tocotrienol on Bone Biomechanical Strength and Bone Calcium Content in an Animal Model of Osteoporosis Due to Testosterone Deficiency

Chin KY, Gengatharan D, Mohd Nasru FS, Khairussam RA, Ern SL, Aminuddin SA, et al.

Nutrients, 2016 Dec 14;8(12).
PMID: 27983628

Osteoporosis reduces the skeletal strength and increases the risk for fracture. It is an underdiagnosed disease in men. Annatto tocotrienol has been shown to improve bone structural indices and increase expression of bone formation genes in orchidectomized rats. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of annatto tocotrienol on biomechanical strength and calcium content of the bone in orchidectomized rats. Thirty three-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to five groups. The baseline control (BC) group was sacrificed at the onset of the study. The sham-operated group (SHAM) received olive oil (the vehicle of tocotrienol) orally daily and peanut oil (the vehicle of testosterone) intramuscularly weekly. The remaining rats were orchidectomized and treated with three different regimens, i.e., (1) daily oral olive oil plus weekly intramuscular peanut oil injection; (2) daily oral annatto tocotrienol at 60 mg/kg plus weekly intramuscular peanut oil injection; (3) daily oral olive oil plus weekly intramuscular testosterone enanthate injection at 7 mg/kg. Blood, femur and tibia of the rats were harvested at the end of the two-month treatment period for the evaluation of serum total calcium and inorganic phosphate levels, bone biomechanical strength test and bone calcium content. Annatto-tocotrienol treatment improved serum calcium level and tibial calcium content (p < 0.05) but it did not affect femoral biomechanical strength (p > 0.05). In conclusion, annatto-tocotrienol at 60 mg/kg augments bone calcium level by preventing calcium mobilization into the circulation. A longer treatment period is needed for annatto tocotrienol to exert its effects on bone strength.

MeSH terms: Androgens/administration & dosage; Animals; Bone and Bones/drug effects*; Bone and Bones/chemistry; Calcium/analysis*; Calcium/blood; Carotenoids/pharmacology*; Disease Models, Animal; Femur/drug effects; Male; Orchiectomy; Osteoporosis/drug therapy*; Osteoporosis/etiology; Osteoporosis/physiopathology; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*; Random Allocation; Testosterone/administration & dosage; Testosterone/analogs & derivatives; Testosterone/deficiency; Tibia/drug effects; Bone Density/drug effects; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tocotrienols/pharmacology*; Bixaceae; Rats
Fulltext Fluorescence spectroscopy for analysing deterioration of palm olein in batch deep-fat frying

Ibrahim, N.U.A., Abd Aziz, S., Zude, M.

International Food Research Journal, 2016;23(101):45-50.
MyJurnal

Palm olein has been commercially used as frying medium in batch deep-fat frying. During
frying, the oil usually deteriorates due to the exposure to high temperature. In this study, a
fluorescence spectroscopy technique was applied to monitor the deterioration of refined,
bleached, and deodorized palm olein (RBDPO) in batch deep-fat frying. 22.5 kg of French fries
were used as the frying material. In 30 batches, the french fries were intermittently fried at 185
± 5°C for eight hours a day over five consecutive days capturing 40 hours. The fluorescence
intensity of the RBDPO was recorded with excitation at 390 nm and resulting emission of 465
nm. The fluorescence intensity of the RBDPO over five days of frying decreased considering
the wavelength range of emission 430-640 nm and excitation 360-430 nm. The decreased in
intensity of fluorescence emission and excitation spectra were inversely correlated with the FFA
content of the oil samples. This study demonstrates the potential of fluorescence spectroscopy
in monitoring the deterioration of RBDPO during batch deep-fat frying.
Fulltext Optimization of food waste utilization in the RDF recovery energy facility

Abdul Rashid, Z., Alias, A.B., Ku Hamid, K.H., Wan Abdul, K. G.

International Food Research Journal, 2016;23(101):37-43.
MyJurnal

It is well known that there is a significant increased in the quantity of Municipal Solid Waste
(MSW) generated every year. Therefore, the management of MSW must be handled carefully
by experts. Malaysia as one of the developing country with population nearly 30 millions
also facing problems related to MSW management and this issue is quite critical. Even though
various programmes were established and few model technologies were introduced by the
government to manage MSW effectively, but the impact remain unsatisfaction. For example,
the energy facility recovery project which use MSW gathered around Kajang as an alternative
fuel still not successful to provide energy according to the design capacity of that particular
facility. This failure was observed due to the impact composition of MSW collected which
consists huge amount of food waste (57%), 16% plastic, 15% diaper, 9% mixed papers and
the remaining 3% textile. The existing process technology at Refused Derived Fuel (RDF)
facility is no designed to create a new economic benefit from abundant incoming food waste
to the facility. Therefore in this paper, the analysis and suggestion of technology on existing
RDF recovery energy facility will be discussed especially on how to overcome the abundant
composition of food waste.
Fulltext The use of machine vision technique to classify cultivated rice seed variety and weedy rice seed variants for the seed industry

Aznan, A.A., Rukunudin, I.H., Shakaff, A.Y.M.,, Ruslan, R.,, Zakaria, A., Saad, F.S.A.

International Food Research Journal, 2016;23(101):31-35.
MyJurnal

Seed purity is a crucial seed quality parameter in the Malaysian rice seed standard. The use of
high quality cultivated rice seed, free of any foreign seeds, is the prerequisite to sustaining high
yield in rice production. The presence of foreign seeds such as weedy rice in the cultivated rice
seeds used by the farmers can adversely affect growth and yield as it competes for space and
nutrients with the cultivated rice varieties in the field. Being the most dominant and competitive
element compared to the cultivated rice seeds, the Malaysian seed standard prescribed that the
maximum allowable of weed seeds in a 20-kilogram certified rice seed bag produced by local
rice seed processors is 10 weed seeds per kilogram. The current cleaning processes that rely
mostly on the difference in physical traits do not guarantee effective separation of weedy rice
seeds from the lots. Seed bags found to contain more than 10 weed seeds upon inspection by
the enforcing agency will not be approved for distribution to farmers. The paper describes a
study carried out to explore the use of machine vision approach to separate weedy rice seed
from cultivated rice seeds as a potential cleaning technique for the rice seed industry. The mean
classification accuracies levels of the extracted morphological feature model were achieved at
95.8% and 96.0% for training and testing data sets respectively.
Fulltext Energy usage and drying capacity of flat-bed and inclined-bed dryers for rough rice drying

Ghiasi, M., Ibrahim, M. N., Kadir Basha, R., Abdul Talib, R.

International Food Research Journal, 2016;23(101):23-29.
MyJurnal

The evaluation of a dryer performance in terms of energy consumption, drying capacity and
quality of final product is the main concern of rice milling industry at any time. A study was
implemented to investigate on the benefits of common drying practices by studying the drying
performances of flat-bed and inclined-bed dryers which are popular in rice industry in Malaysia
and neighbouring countries. For this purpose, flat-bed dryer (FBD) and inclined-bed dryer
(IBD) were designed, fabricated and operated in the laboratory based on actual industrial
drying conditions. The results revealed that inclined-bed drying significantly increased drying
capacity (ton m-2 h-1) of up to 25 % at drying temperature of 42-43°C and almost 29 % at 38-
39°C drying air temperature compared to flat-bed drying. Furthermore, overall drying energy
consumption in IBD was found to vary between 78.6 to 91.97 kW.h ton-1, while for FBD the
energy consumption was more than 200 kW.h ton-1 for both levels of drying air temperatures.
Both dryers were found to produce rice with desired/ acceptable commercial quality index,
even though the head rice yields of FBD were higher than that of IBDs.
Fulltext Design and fabrication of a heat exchanger for portable solar water distiller system

Abduhamed, A.J., Adam, N. M., Hairuddin, A. A., Kareem, H. K.

International Food Research Journal, 2016;23(101):15-22.
MyJurnal

Heat exchanger H.X.s is the equipment used to transfer the thermal energy between two or more
fluids at varying temperatures. The nature of this paper is an experimental study of the optimum
design for shell and tube heat exchanger as a condenser with high productivity of drinking
water for portable solar water distiller. The elaboration covers the aspects of considerations,
design, fabrication, and test of the shell and tube H.X. as a portable condenser for solar water
distiller system. The system consists of a portable stainless steel condenser, which is able to be
dismantled and assembled without tools. The experimental result establishes that the condenser
is able to produce 3.8 liter /hour of distilled water from vapor at 99.7˚C of inlet temperature and
4 liter/hour vapor flow rate, with 130 liter /hour as a condenser coolant water flow rate. The heat
efficiency of the condenser can be increased by means of minimizing the tube’s thickness and
vapor inlet pressure. There is no back pressure effect on the system and the pressure drop in
both sides of the condenser is reportedly of very low value and negligible, therefore, no need
for a pressure pump is to be eliminated.
Fulltext Food waste handling in Malaysia and comparison with other Asian countries

Lim, W. J., Chin, N. L., Yusof, A. Y., Yahya, A., Tee, T. P.

International Food Research Journal, 2016;23(101):1-6.
MyJurnal

The increasing amount of food waste in Malaysia in recent years has brought many environmental
issues in the country where it affects the nation’s solid waste management framework. At the
moment, the government is limited to other alternatives of food waste disposal besides the
conventional landfill and incineration methods. This paper provides information on the current
status of food waste handling, management, regulations, and policies in Malaysia. It helps
to draw the problem and challenge to a clearer view in efforts of achieving sustainable and
integrative food waste handling in the country.

MeSH terms: Environment; Government; Malaysia; Refuse Disposal; Incineration; Waste Management; Solid Waste; Waste Disposal Facilities
Fulltext Stability of selected quality attributes of pink guava juice during storage at elevated temperatures

Aishah, B., Hannah, K., Zati Alyani, O.

International Food Research Journal, 2016;23(5):1918-1925.
MyJurnal

Quality degradation is normally judge by monitoring independently the loss of a certain quality
attribute during storage. However, the rate of degradation for each of the quality attributes
present in a food product is not the same. This study focus on deterioration of vitamin C,
lycopene, total phenolics and antioxidant activity of ready-to-drink pink guava juice (PGJ)
during storage at elevated temperatures. Kinetic order, rate constant (k), activation energy
(Ea) and temperature coefficient (Q10) of the degradation were derived by applying Arrhenius
equation. The results obtained showed that freshly made PGJ contain 39.79±2.18 mg/100 mL
of vitamin C, 3.17±0.27 mg/L of lycopene, 28.08±4.11 mgGAE/100 mL of total phenolic
content (TPC) and 13.20±1.91 mMTE/100 mL of ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP).
All quality attributes measured in this study showed zero-order kinetic reaction. The results
also showed that FRAP has the highest Ea of 49.52 KJ/mol and Q10 of 1.80, followed by
vitamin C (Ea=41.49 KJ/mol; Q10=1.64), lycopene (Ea=31.75 KJ/mol; Q10=1.46), and lastly
TPC (Ea=14.11 KJ/mol; Q10=1.18). The predicted total depletion of each quality attribute
at refrigerated storage (5o
C) were 266 days for antioxidant activity, 158 days for vitamin C
and lycopene, and 63 days for total phenolics. This study provide useful information on the
degradation rate and availability of health beneficial and bioactive compounds present in fruit
juice beverage during storage.

MeSH terms: Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Beverages; Carotenoids; Fruit; Temperature; Psidium
Fulltext Effects of squid ink as edible coating on squid sp. (Loligo duvauceli) spoilage during chilled storage

Karim, N.U., Sadzali, N.L., Hassan, M.

International Food Research Journal, 2016;23(5):1895-1901.
MyJurnal

The effects of squid ink at concentration of 0.10 and 0.25% on the total bacteria count and
chemical spoilage indicator; total volatile basis nitrogen (TVBN) and trimethylamine (TMA)
of squid (Loligo duvauceli) were analysed. The analysis were performed at interval of 5 days
during 15 days of chilled storage (4°C). This studies also investigate the antioxidant capacity
of the squid ink. The melanin-free squid ink were subjected to ferric reducing power (FRAP)
and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) analysis. The FRAP values found in squid ink were
0.04±0.01 µmole TE g-1 meanwhile DPPH values were recorded at 0.81±0.00 µmole TE g-1.
The squid ink at both 0.10 and 0.25% concentration showed a significantly (p

MeSH terms: Animals; Antioxidants; Bacteria; Biphenyl Compounds; Ink; Melanins; Methylamines; Nitrogen; Picrates; Decapodiformes; Loligo

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