Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 31 in total

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  1. Ojukwu M, Tan HL, Murad M, Nafchi AM, Easa AM
    Food Sci Technol Int, 2023 Dec;29(8):799-808.
    PMID: 36000280 DOI: 10.1177/10820132221121169
    In a bid to produce rice flour noodles with improved texture and reduced cooking time, rice flour-soy protein isolate noodles (RNS) were structurally enhanced by a combined treatment (COM) of microbial transglutaminase (MTG) with glucono-δ-lactone (GDL). The RNS-COM was either dried using superheated steam (SHS) to yield RNS-COM-SHS or steamed for 10 min (S10) before air drying to produce RNS-COM-S10 noodles. Control samples were SHS-dried rice flour (RN-SHS) and air-dried RN-S10 noodles. In general, textural and microstructural properties indicated higher textural properties and a more robust network in RNS-COM-SHS and RNS-COM-S10 than in other noodles. However, optimum cooking time (P < 0.5) was in the order; RN-SHS, RNS-COM-SHS < RN-S10 < RNS-COM-S10. As a result of the COM treatment, structurally enhanced noodles were more resistant to cooking. As applied in RNS-COM-SHS noodles, SHS was able to improve cooking quality, probably through the formation of bigger and evenly spread pores that had promoted faster gelatinisation of starch, with a high order of relative starch crystallinity.
  2. Alrosan M, Tan TC, Easa AM, Gammoh S, Alu'datt MH, Aleid GM, et al.
    Food Chem, 2023 Mar 15;404(Pt B):134614.
    PMID: 36444092 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134614
    The utilisation of quinoa protein concentrates (QPCs) is limited due to their poor protein digestibility (78.54 %). In this study, QPCs (1 % w/v) were fermented in 5 % (v/v) water kefir grains (WKG) for 5 days at 25 °C. The protein quality of the fermented QPCs was enhanced, whereby the protein digestibility increased significantly (P 
  3. Alrosan M, Tan TC, Koh WY, Easa AM, Gammoh S, Alu'datt MH
    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2023;63(25):7677-7691.
    PMID: 35266840 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2049200
    Demands for high nutritional value-added food products and plant-based proteins have increased over the last decade, in line with the growth of the human population and consumer health awareness. The quality of the plant-based proteins depends on their digestibility, amino acid content, and residues of non-nutritive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, anti-nutritional compounds, antioxidants, and saponins. The presence of these non-nutritive compounds could have detrimental effects on the quality of the proteins. One of the solutions to address these shortcomings of plant-based proteins is fermentation, whereby enzymes that present naturally in microorganisms used during fermentation are responsible for the cleavage of the bonds between proteins and non-nutritive compounds. This mechanism has pronounced effects on the non-nutritive compounds, resulting in the enhancement of protein digestibility and functional properties of plant-based proteins. We assert that the types of plant-based proteins and microorganisms used during fermentation must be carefully addressed to truly enhance the quality, functional properties, and health functionalities of plant-based proteins.Supplemental data for this article is available online at here. show.
  4. Maghazechi A, Mohammadi Nafchi A, Tan TC, Easa AM
    Food Sci Nutr, 2022 Nov;10(11):3801-3813.
    PMID: 36348806 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.2977
    Fouling deposition in the coconut cream emulsion (CCE) is considered a severe technical issue in the industry. Since the fouling deposition results from the heating effect on the CCE bulk, the heat-induced structural changes in the CCE bulk at different temperatures were rheologically investigated in the first part of this study. The second part applied different heat treatment conditions to investigate generated fouling deposition (GFD). Chemical composition, FTIR, and SEM imaging were used to explore GFDs thoroughly. The increase in viscosity and storage modulus (G') reflect such heat-induced changes over the experimental conditions. More structural changes were predicted at around ≥85°C, accompanied by a sharp increase in viscosity and (G'), which was associated with the gelation of CCE. The conformational transition, fat agglomeration in CCE bulk, generated fouling deposits (GFDs) were significant around 70°C. The chemical composition of the GFD has shown an increasing trend in the protein, carbohydrates, and ash, meanwhile fluctuation in the fat contents with increasing temperature. The FTIR peaks showed novel peaks around temperature ≥85°C, which implied new amide groups or new protein conformation. The SEM images provided the different microstructures of GFDs at high-temperature levels. More likely the GFDs appeared at temperature ≥85°C are a gel deposit layer. These findings strongly suggest that emulsion gelation was the primary cause of coconut cream fouling.
  5. Alrosan M, Tan TC, Easa AM, Gammoh S, Alu'datt MH
    J Food Sci, 2021 Dec;86(12):5282-5294.
    PMID: 34796499 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.15974
    Poor solubility is a substantial factor that restricts the production of high value-added lentil proteins (LPs). In this study, whey protein isolates (WPIs), which have high solubility and are used in various food industries, were mixed with LPs at pH 12 to create LP-WPI protein complexes with improved water solubility properties using pH-recycling approach (maintained at pH 12.0 for 60 min and then readjusting to pH 7.0). LP-WPI protein complexes produced in this study have gained high surface charge, increased in the solubilization of protein complexes to ≈92%, as well as improved resistance against protein aggregation. The ratio of LPs to WPIs has a significant effect on the generation of unique tertiary and secondary protein structures based on the protein-protein interaction (PPI) technique via pH-recycling. The protein interaction between LPs and WPIs resulted in alteration on the surface morphology of the produced protein complexes. This study showed that electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic force, and hydrogen bond appear as major molecular forces in this PPI. The efficacy of the pH-recycling method used in this research indicates that this approach could be a robust approach to enhance the functional properties of food proteins. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The pH-recycling technique is a proven technique for protein complexation in creating novel protein complexes with improved functional properties. Even though lentils are a rich source of plant-based protein, its utilization by food industries is restricted due to the poor water solubility of lentil proteins (LPs). However, by using complexing lentil proteins with whey protein isolates (WPIs), that is, LP-WPI protein complex, was developed. The water solubility of LP-WPI protein complex was significantly higher than LPs, up to approximately 92%. In addition, this could improve the utilization of lentil seeds in food application as an alternative for animal-based proteins.
  6. Hassan NSM, Hossain MS, Balakrishnan V, Zuknik MH, Mustaner M, Easa AM, et al.
    Foods, 2021 Nov 17;10(11).
    PMID: 34829117 DOI: 10.3390/foods10112838
    Palm oil is known to be rich in carotenoids and other phytonutrients. However, the carotenoids and phytonutrients degrade due to high heat sterilization of oil palm fruits. The present study was conducted to produce carotenoid-rich virgin palm oil (VPO) using cold-press extraction. Herein, the influence of sterilization of oil palm fresh fruits in the production of cold-pressed VPO was determined with varying sterilization temperatures, times, and amounts of palm fruits in sterilization. The experimental sterilization conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) based on the maximum VPO yield and minimum FFAs in cold-pressed VPO. The optimal sterilization experimental conditions of oil palm fruits were determined to be a sterilization temperature of 62 °C, a time of 90 min, and an amount of oil palm fruits of 8 kg. Under these experimental conditions, the maximum cold-pressed VPO yield and the minimal content of free fatty acids (FFAs) obtained were 27.94 wt.% and 1.32 wt.%, respectively. Several analytic methods were employed to determine cold-pressed VPO quality and fatty acids compositions and compared with the crude palm oil. It was found that cold-pressed VPO contains higher carotenoids (708 mg/g) and unsaturated fatty acids compared with the carotenoid (343 mg/g) and fatty acid compositions in CPO. The findings of the present study reveal that the sterilization temperature potentially influences the carotenoid and nutrient contents in VPO; therefore, the optimization of the sterilization conditions is crucial to producing carotenoid- and phytonutrient-rich VPO.
  7. Ojukwu M, Ofoedu C, Seow EK, Easa AM
    J Sci Food Agric, 2021 Jul;101(9):3732-3741.
    PMID: 33301191 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.11004
    BACKGROUND: Rice flour does not contain gluten and lacks cohesion and extensibility, which is responsible for the poor texture of rice noodles. Different technologies have been used to mitigate this challenge, including hydrothermal treatments of rice flour, direct addition of protein in noodles, use of additives such as hydrocolloids and alginates, and microbial transglutaminase (MTG). Recently, the inclusion of soy protein isolate (SPI), MTG, and glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) in the rice noodles system yielded rice noodles with improved texture and more compact microstructure, hence the need to optimize the addition of SPI, MTG, and GDL to make quality rice noodles.

    RESULTS: Numerical optimization showed that rice noodles prepared with SPI, 68.32 (g kg-1 of rice flour), MTG, 5.06 (g kg-1 of rice flour) and GDL, 5.0 (g kg-1 of rice flour) gave the best response variables; hardness (53.19 N), springiness (0.76), chewiness (20.28 J), tensile strength (60.35 kPa), and cooking time (5.15 min). The pH, sensory, and microstructure results showed that the optimized rice noodles had a more compact microstructure with fewer hollows, optimum pH for MTG action, and overall sensory panelists also showed the highest preference for the optimized formulation, compared to other samples selected from the numerical optimization and desirability tests.

    CONCLUSION: Optimization of the levels of SPI, MTG, and GDL yielded quality noodles with improved textural, mechanical, sensory, and microstructural properties. This was partly due to the favourable pH value of the optimized noodles that provided the most suitable conditions for MTG crosslinking and balanced electrostatic interaction of proteins. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

  8. Alrosan M, Tan TC, Easa AM, Gammoh S, Alu'datt MH
    PMID: 33455424 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1871589
    The application of protein-protein interaction (PPI) has been widely used in various industries, such as food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical. A deeper understanding of PPI is needed, and the molecular forces governing proteins and their interaction must be explained. The design of new structures with improved functional properties, e.g., solubility, emulsion, and gelation, has been fueled by the development of structural and colloidal building blocks. In this review, the molecular forces of protein structures are discussed, followed by the relationship between molecular force and structure, ways of a bind of proteins together in solution or at the interface, and functional properties. A more detailed look is thus taken at the relationship between the various influencing factors on molecular forces involved in PPI. These factors include protein properties, such as types, concentration, and mixing ratio, and solvent conditions, such as ionic strength and pH. This review also summarizes methods tha1t are capable of identifying molecular forces in protein and PPI, as well as characterizing protein structure.
  9. Seow EK, Tan TC, Lee LK, Easa AM
    J Texture Stud, 2020 12;51(6):909-916.
    PMID: 32537814 DOI: 10.1111/jtxs.12544
    Hardening issue in starch-based products that arises during storage, is ascribed to the long-term starch retrogradation which involves the recrystallisation of amylopectin. Present study aimed to delay storage hardening with the addition of high diastase honey bee honey (HBH) and low diastase kelulut bee honey (KBH) into glutinous rice flour (GRF) gels. As compared to KBH, retardation of texture deterioration by HBH was more prominent as evidenced by the significantly (p 
  10. Ojukwu M, Tan JS, Easa AM
    J Food Sci, 2020 Sep;85(9):2720-2727.
    PMID: 32776580 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.15357
    A process for enhancing textural and cooking properties of fresh rice flour-soy protein isolate noodles (RNS) to match those of yellow alkaline noodles (YAN) was developed by incorporating microbial transglutaminase (RNS-MTG), glucono-δ-lactone (RNS-GDL), and both MTG and GDL into the RNS noodles (RNS-COM). The formation of γ-glutamyl-lysine bonds in RNS-COM and RNS-MTG was shown by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Scanning electron microscope showed that compared to others, the structure of RNS-COM was denser, smoother with extensive apparent interconnectivity of aggregates. The optimum cooking time was in the order: YAN > RNS-COM > RNS-MTG > RNS-GDL > RN (rice flour noodles); tensile strength was in the order: YAN > RNS-COM > RNS-MTG > RNS-GDL > RN; and elasticity were in the order: YAN > RNS-COM > RNS-MTG, RNS-GDL > RN. Overall, RNS-COM showed similar textural and structural breakdown parameters as compared to those of YAN. Changes in microstructures and improvement of RNS-COM in certain properties were likely due to enhanced crosslinking of proteins attributed to MTG- and GDL-induced cold gelation of proteins at reduced pH value. It is possible to use the combination of MTG and GDL to improve textural and mechanical properties of RNS comparable to those of YAN. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Combined MTG and GDL yield rice flour noodles with improved textural properties. The restructured rice flour noodles have the potential to replace yellow alkaline noodles.
  11. Chong WK, Mah SY, Easa AM, Tan TC
    J Food Sci Technol, 2019 Sep;56(9):4371-4379.
    PMID: 31478006 DOI: 10.1007/s13197-019-03905-4
    Time and temperature parameters of superheated steam (SHS) treatment were optimised using response surface methodology (RSM) for specific lipoxygenase (LOX) activity in soya beans and crude protein content in soya milk. The optimal SHS treatment was obtained at 9.3 min and 119 °C. The predicted values of specific LOX activity and crude protein content by RSM were 0.0098 μmol/(min mg protein) and 3.2%, respectively. These values were experimentally verified to be 0.0081 ± 0.0002 μmol/(min mg protein) and 3.0 ± 0.1%, respectively. Sensory evaluation showed that the beany flavour of soya milk produced from SHS treated soya beans was significantly weaker (P 
  12. Seow EK, Gan CY, Tan TC, Lee LK, Easa AM
    J Food Sci Technol, 2019 Apr;56(4):2105-2114.
    PMID: 30996444 DOI: 10.1007/s13197-019-03691-z
    Present study compared the rheological properties of glutinous rice flour (GRF) gel (33.3%, w/v) added with raw bee honey (RBH) or stingless bee honey (SBH) with/without heating treatment. RBH (diatase activity: 12.14 Schade) and SBH (1.53 Schade) significantly reduced the network of GRF gel by lowering the gel viscosity, with RBH having the highest rate of viscosity decrease (- 2.74 × 10-5 Pa). As the addition of heated-SBH or heated-RBH did not reduce gel viscosity, it was hypothesised that active diastase played a major role to weaken gel network. This was further supported by the significant and the lowest storage modulus (G') value of RBH-GRF gel (5.99 ± 0.02 Pa), as compared to SBH-GRF (6.27 ± 0.04 Pa) and control (6.33 ± 0.04 Pa). A detail of rheological behaviour of the gels was further explained using power law. Overall, this GRF gel model has successfully demonstrated the potential of honey diastase in weakening network of starch-based food.
  13. Lubowa M, Yeoh SY, Easa AM
    Food Sci Technol Int, 2018 Sep;24(6):476-486.
    PMID: 29600879 DOI: 10.1177/1082013218766984
    This study investigated the influence of pregelatinized high-amylose maize starch and chilling treatment on the physical and textural properties of canned rice noodles thermally processed in a retort. Rice noodles were prepared from rice flour partially substituted with pregelatinized high-amylose maize starch (Hylon VII™) in the ratios 0, 5, 10, and 15% (wt/wt). High-amylose maize starch improved the texture and brightness of fresh (not retorted) noodles. Chilling treatment led to significant (P ≤ 0.05) improvement in the texture of fresh noodles at all levels of substitution with high-amylose starch. The highest hardness was recorded at 15% amylose level in chilled nonretorted noodles. Retort processing induced a major loss of quality through water absorption, retort cooking loss, decreased noodle hardness, and lightness. However, the results showed that amylose and chilling treatment positively reduced the impact of retorting. For each level of amylose substitution, a low retort cooking loss and increased noodle hardness were associated with a chilling treatment. For both chilled and nonchilled noodles, retort cooking loss and hardness increased with increasing levels of amylose substitution.
  14. Zzaman W, Bhat R, Yang TA, Easa AM
    J Sci Food Agric, 2017 Oct;97(13):4429-4437.
    PMID: 28251656 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.8302
    BACKGROUND: Roasting is one of the important unit operations in the cocoa-based industries in order to develop unique flavour in products. Cocoa beans were subjected to roasting at different temperatures and times using superheated steam. The influence of roasting temperature (150-250°C) and time (10-50 min) on sugars, free amino acids and volatile flavouring compounds were investigated.

    RESULTS: The concentration of total reducing sugars was reduced by up to 64.61, 77.22 and 82.52% with increased roasting temperature at 150, 200 and 250°C for 50 min, respectively. The hydrophobic amino acids were reduced up to 29.21, 36.41 and 48.87% with increased roasting temperature at 150, 200 and 250°C for 50 min, respectively. A number of pyrazines, esters, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, carboxyl acids and hydrocarbons were detected in all the samples at different concentration range. Formation of the most flavour active compounds, pyrazines, were the highest concentration (2.96 mg kg-1 ) at 200°C for 10 min.

    CONCLUSION: The superheated steam roasting method achieves the optimum roasting condition within a short duration Therefore, the quality of cocoa beans can be improved using superheated steam during the roasting process. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  15. Idrus NFM, Zzaman W, Yang TA, Easa AM, Sharifudin MS, Noorakmar BW, et al.
    Food Sci Biotechnol, 2017;26(4):911-920.
    PMID: 30263619 DOI: 10.1007/s10068-017-0132-0
    Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is an important source of protein and lipid globally. The effect of superheated-steam roasting on quality of peanut oil was evaluated based on physicochemical quality parameters. Three roasting temperatures (150, 200, and 250 °C) were used for different periods of roasting time and the obtained results were compared with those of conventional roasting. At 250 °C, superheated-steam roasted peanuts yielded more oil (26.84%) than conventionally roasted peanuts (24.85%). Compared with conventional roasting, superheated-steam roasting resulted in lower oil color, peroxide, p-anisidine, free fatty acid, conjugated diene and triene, and acid values and higher viscosity and iodine values in the roasted peanut oil. These values were significantly different from each other (p 
  16. Reihani SF, Tan TC, Huda N, Easa AM
    Food Chem, 2014 Jul 15;155:17-23.
    PMID: 24594148 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.01.027
    In Malaysia, fresh ulam raja leaves (Cosmos caudatus) are eaten raw with rice. In this study, beef patties incorporated with extracts of ulam raja (UREX) and commercial green tea extract (GTE) added individually at 200 and 500 mg/kg were stored at -18°C for up to 10 weeks. Lipid oxidation, cooking yield, physicochemical properties, textural properties, proximate composition and sensory characteristics of the beef patties were compared between those incorporated with UREX, GTE and the control (pure beef patty). Incorporation of UREX or GTE at 500 mg/kg into beef patties reduced the extent of lipid oxidation significantly (P<0.05). UREX showed a strong lipid oxidation inhibitory effect, comparable with GTE. In addition, a significant improvement (P<0.05) in cooking yield and textural properties was also recorded. However, incorporation of UREX and GTE into beef patties showed no significant influence (P>0.05) on the colour, pH, proximate composition and overall sensory acceptability of the patties.
  17. Tan TC, Cheng LH, Bhat R, Rusul G, Easa AM
    Food Chem, 2014 Jan 1;142:121-8.
    PMID: 24001821 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.07.040
    Composition, physicochemical properties and enzyme inactivation kinetics of coconut water were compared between immature (IMC), mature (MC) and overly-mature coconuts (OMC). Among the samples studied, pH, turbidity and mineral contents for OMC water was the highest, whereas water volume, titratable acidity, total soluble solids and total phenolics content for OMC water were the lowest. Maturity was found to affect sugar contents. Sucrose content was found to increase with maturity, and the reverse trend was observed for fructose and glucose. Enzyme activity assessment showed that polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in all samples was more heat resistant than peroxidase (POD). Compared to IMC and MC, PPO and POD from OMC water showed the lowest thermal resistance, with D83.3°C=243.9s (z=27.9°C), and D83.3°C=129.9s (z=19.5°C), respectively.
  18. Nopianti R, Huda N, Ismail N, Ariffin F, Easa AM
    J Food Sci Technol, 2013 Aug;50(4):739-46.
    PMID: 24425976 DOI: 10.1007/s13197-011-0394-0
    Physicochemical properties of threadfin bream surimi with different levels of polydextrose (3%, 6%, 9% and 12%), raw surimi, raw surimi with addition sodium tripolyphosphate and commercial surimi (sucrose) during 6 months of frozen storage were investigated. The analyses included the measurement of Ca(2+)-ATPase, sulfhydryl contents, protein solubility, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. The Ca(2+)-ATPase, sulfhydryl content and protein solubility levels added with 3%, 6%, 9% and 12% polydextrose can be maintained until the 6 months of storage by 47.33%, 41.60% and 51.41%, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry showed decreases in thermal stabilization of myosin with regard to transition termperature. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the number of pores formed was increased after storage. This study suggested that surimi stored with the polydextrose as a cryoprotectant was able to maintain physicochemical of surimi better compared to raw surimi with no additives or raw surimi with sodium tripolyphosphate.
  19. Tan TC, AlKarkhi AF, Easa AM
    Food Chem, 2012 Oct 15;134(4):2430-6.
    PMID: 23442706 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.04.049
    The addition of ribose to bovine or porcine gelatine solutions followed by heating at 95 °C yielded brown solutions with different pH, colour (CIE L(*) and b(*)) and absorbance (A(420*) values. These differences were used for gelatine powder identification, differentiation and quality control. Differentiation analysis of the Maillard reaction parameters was conducted using cluster analysis (CA) and confidence intervals (CI). The potential use of the method as a quality control procedure was evaluated by using statistical process control (SPC). CA revealed that the two types of gelatine could be classified into two different groups. CI (95% confidence) revealed that the absorbance and colour values could be used as indicators for differentiation between the two types of gelatine because the intervals between the Maillard reaction parameters of the samples were far apart. The methodology demonstrated good reproducibility because it behaved predictably based on the X¯-S charts generated from the SPC charts.
  20. Alkarkhi AFM, Ramli SB, Yong YS, Easa AM
    Food Chem, 2011 Nov 15;129(2):312-318.
    PMID: 30634232 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.04.060
    Banana pulp and peel flour prepared from green and ripe Cavendish banana were assessed for physicochemical properties such as pH, total soluble solids (TSS), water holding capacity (WHC) and oil holding capacity (OHC) at 40, 60 and 80°C, colour values L∗, a∗ and b∗, back extrusion force (BEF) and viscosity. Data obtained were analysed by MANOVA, discriminant analysis and cluster analysis. All statistical analyses showed that physicochemical properties of flour prepared from pulp and peel, and green and ripe banana were different from each other. TSS, WHC40, WHC60 and BEF can be used to discriminate between peel and pulp flour, whilst TSS and viscosity can be used to discriminate between flour prepared from green and ripe banana.
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