We conducted a case-control study of nasopharyngeal carcinoma among Malaysian Chinese to test inhalants, salted fish consumption, and use of tobacco, alcohol, and nasal ointments as risk factors for the disease. Interviews with 100 cases and 100 controls indicated that salted fish consumption during childhood was a significant risk factor (relative risk, 3.0; p = 0.04); childhood daily consumption of this food item compared to nonconsumption carried a relative risk of 17.4 [95% confidence interval = (2.7, 111.1)]. Occupational exposure to smokes (relative risk, 6.0; p = 0.006) and to dusts (relative risk, 4.0; p less than 0.001) was also significantly associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The two risk factors (consumption of salted fish and exposure to smoke and/or dust) were independent of each other. There was no association between nasopharyngeal carcinoma and tobacco, alcohol, or nasal ointments.
Matched MeSH terms: Fish Products/adverse effects*
Total lipids were extracted from 22 species of Malaysian fish and the constituent fatty acids were analysed by gas chromatography. Malaysian fish generally contained high levels of saturated fatty acids (range 36-55% total fatty acids) and contained variable amounts of monounsaturates, chiefly palmitic and stearic acids, but only trace levels of 20:1 and 22:1. Unlike fish caught in colder northern hemisphere waters, Malaysian fish were found to contain arachidonic acid (20:4 omega 6, range 2-12%) in addition to the expected eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 omega 3, range 1-13%) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 omega 3, range 6.6-40.4%).
Live eels and processed fish products from Malaysia are routinely checked for microbial pathogens before export to Japan. The eels and water from the ponds are screened for Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella spp, whereas the processed fish products are tested for microbial contamination (aerobic plate count), coliforms, E. coil and Vibrio cholerae. Results showed that live eels and water samples were negative for Vibrio cholerae but Salmonella spp were isolated occasionally. Various types of processed fish products had counts below 1.0 x 10(5) whilst coliforms, E. coli and Vibrio cholerae were absent. Records available showed that procedures involved in the production and transportation of live eel, preparation and processing of fish products have resulted in relatively safe food products.
Fermented fish and meat samples were purchased from supermarket and wet market for microbiological analysis of Listeria species and Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Listeria species were isolated from 17 (73.9%) of 23 samples of imported frozen beef, 10 (43.5%) of the 23 samples of local beef and 14 (56%) of the 25 samples of fermented fish from wet market. Listeria monocytogenes occurred in 15 (75%) of the frozen beef samples, 6 (30.4%) of the 23 samples of local meat and 3 (12%) of the 25 samples from fermented fish. Listeria species was not isolated from any of the 23 samples of imported frozen beef from supermarket and from the 5 samples of buffalo meat examined. This highlights the possibility of Listeria spp or L. monocytogenes to persist in meat and fermented fish in wet market and raises the problem of illness due to the handling and consumption of Listeria-contaminated meat or fermented fish are likely as evidence by the high contamination rates of samples sold at the wet market.
The status ofhve l1eavy metals: cadmium, lead copper, zinc and mercury were determined in seafood and its products imported_ti·om Thailand via Bukit Kayu Hiram, Kedah, Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer was used to determine the level of these heary metals except for mercury, where the cold vapor technique was used, Randomized sampling was done according to a predetermined sampling plan based on the previous years consignments. Data collected were compared with the maximum permitted level of -metal contaminants in fish and fish products- ofthe Fourteenth Schedule (Regulation 38) of Food Act I983 and Food Regulations I 985 to ascertain compliance. lt was noted form this study, that the level of metals detected in seafood and its products had a very wide range, The levels detected for cadmium was at a range of 0. 00] - 3.9/2, 0.07 — 0.29, 0,04 - 4,4 mg/kg in fish, shellfish and cuttlefish respectivelv. In general, cadmium level in some samples was notably higher particularly in shellfish. All samples had lead level less than the permitted value except for fish where the highest value detected was 3.28 mg/kg. The level of copper and zinc was higher than the permitted value in octopus, prawn and crab, Mercury level in all samples analvzed was found to be below the detection level. As for fish samples, zinc level was found to be higher whereas copper was within the limit. However, it was also noted that the level of all the heavy metals in jiozen jish was within the permitted limit.
Omega-3 fatty acid nutrition is widely recognised as essential to health and general well-being. However, health professionals and the general public in Malaysia may lack knowledge on the sources or the amounts of these essential fat components in foods. This paper attempts to correct this scenario by identifying the potential sources of omega-3 fatty acids [a-linolenic acid (ALA), or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] in the Malaysian diet and calculating the amounts of these “nutrients†provided per serving of a wide variety of foods. The information generated provides Malaysian health professionals and consumers with options in food choices or meal planning with the goal towards achieving the recommended nutrient intakes for omega-3 fatty acids. The findings in the present study revealed that the potential sources of omega-3 fatty acids in the Malaysian diet in decreasing order are: edible oils (ALA), fish and fish products (EPA+DHA), vegetables (ALA), meat and eggs (EPA+DHA), and milk/milk products (EPA+DHA). Edible oils which are exceptionally high in ALA such as flaxseed oil and perilla oil are presently unavailable at local retail outlets and supermarkets. However, consumers can still meet the recommended nutrient intakes (RNIs) for omega-3 fatty acids of 0.3 to 1.2% energy (equivalent to 0.67g-2.67g) by choosing a wellbalanced diet prepared preferably with a cooking oil blend containing ALA, and one or more servings daily from at least three of the following food groups: (i) fish (“jelawatâ€, “siakapâ€, sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon)/seafoods (shrimps, crab)/meat, (ii) vegetables/soybean/ soybean-based products/beans and peas, (iii) omega-3 enriched/fortified foods (eg. “omega-3 eggsâ€), and (iv) ready-to-drink omega-3 milk preparations/soybean milk.
Total lipid contents and fatty acid composition of 13 marine fish species namely, "jenahak" (Lutianus agentimaculatus), "kebasi" (Anadontostoma chacunda), "duri" (Arius cumatranus), "tenggiri batang" (Scomberomorus commersoni), "kembong" (Rastrelliger kanagurta), "kintan" or "sebalah" (Psettodes crumei), "kerisi" (Pristipomodes typus), "kerapu" (Epinephelus sexfasciatus), "gelama kling" (Sciaena dussumieri), "malong" (Congresax talabon), "laban" (Cynoglossus lingua), "yu 9" (Scolidon sorrakowah) and "bagi" (Aacnthurs nigrosis) commonly found in Pulau Tuba, one of the islands surrounding the popular tourist destination Langkawi in Malaysia were determined. All fish showed a considerable amount of unsaturated fatty acids particularly those with 4, 5 and 6 double bonds. Two physiologically important n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), i.e. eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docasahaexaenoic acid (DHA), made up of more than 50% of the total PUFAs. For saturated fatty acids, palmitic was found to be the major one in all types of fish studied. Based on DHA, EPA and arachidonic acid (AA) contents, "gelama kling" was found to be the best source (23, 11 and 7%, respectively) followed by "kerapu" (21, 10, 9%) and "sebalah" (19, 14, 4%).
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding fermented fish (FF) to layers on laying performance, and polyunsaturated fatty acid and cholesterol levels in eggs and plasma. A total of 96, 13-week-old Babcock B380 pullets were used in this study. They were randomly assigned to four numerically equal groups with eight replicates per treatment, three birds per replicate. All the birds were housed in individual cages. The dietary treatments were: Control diet, without FF; FF3 diet containing 3% (w/w) FF, FF6 diet containing 6% (w/w) FF and FF9 diet containing 9% (w/w) FF. The study was carried out for 16 weeks inclusive of two weeks of adjustment. Weekly feed intake and egg production were recorded. Blood plasma cholesterol and fatty acid profiles were assayed at the end of the experiment. FF did not enhance (P > 0.05) egg mass but (P < 0.05) decreased egg weight slightly. However, egg yolk cholesterol and plasma cholesterol concentrations were reduced (P < 0.05) by FF. The n-6:n-3 fatty acids ratio in the egg yolk (Control = 7.9, FF9 = 6.2) and plasma (Control = 10.6, FF9 = 6.2) were decreased by feeding FF. Moreover, FF was able to increase (P < 0.05) the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentrations in egg yolk and plasma. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that FF increased DHA and reduced egg yolk cholesterol in poultry eggs.
Keropok lekor is an important fish product in Malaysia. The customer demands for keropok lekorhave been increasing. This study was conducted to analyze the microbiological quality of keropok lekor in every stage of its processing, namely mincing, mixing, kneading, boiling and cooling. When processing keropok lekor, the boiling of keropok lekor at 100°C for 10 min reduced the Total Plate Counts (4.38±0.47 log10 cfu/g), psychrotrophic counts (2.00 ± 0.00 log10 cfu/g), mesophilic sporeformer counts (1.26 ± 0.34 log10 cfu/g) and total coliform counts (1.71±0.51 log Most Probable Number/g) significantly (p>0.05). However, the microbial counts were found to increase significantly (p
Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) is the most widely used method for determining protein quality. The studies involved a few category of products as raw materials namely poultry products, beef burger products, fish and fish products, soy products and palm kernel cake in animal diet preparation were compiled to compare the data. Data from the proximate analysis showed that protein content in soy protein isolate (SPI) was the highest (95.00%) followed by meat such as mackerel fish (89.09%) and beef (88.60%). Results from feed consumption and total protein consumed showed that the rats fed with mechanically deboned poultry meat (MDPM) products (excluding broiler back) consumed more feed, ranging from 469.2g to 422.3g during the study while the lowest total feed consumed (157.7g) was recorded in the rat fed a diet of fermented palm kernel cake (fPKC). The total protein consumed by rat for diets of fish and fish products such as canned sardine was 62.36g, mackerel 61.76g and anchovy at 58.91g, followed by MDPM products. Tempeh (14.72g) and fPKC diet (16.3g) were among the lowest total protein consumed by the rats. Growth and PER data for rats fed a diet of canned sardine, anchovy and mackerel, as well as mechanically deboned turkey meat (MDTM) and mechanically deboned chicken meat (MDCM) had higher mean body weight (154.80g, 145.20g, 144.81g, 148.7g and 142.5g respectively) compared to rats fed with plant protein diet such as SPI, tempeh and PKC (34.79g, 16.34g and 16.60g respectively) whereas rats fed diets containing fPKC had a mean body weight loss of 24.4g. MDPM showed higher PER value (ranging from 3.01 to 3.34) compared to hamburger group, pure beef and fish group. Tempeh and SPI had lower PER of 1.02 and 1.52 respectively while the lowest PER of 0.50 and -1.50 were shown in PKC and fPKC. The highest digestibility was shown in mackerel (96.99%), followed by canned sardine (96.88%), tempeh (91.41%), meat (90.79%) and pure beef burger (90.04%) while digestibility of PKC and fPKC were much lower (45.70% and 22.60%). Lipid profile of rats fed with palm based fat beef burger showed that palm fat(PF) and red PF did not affect the total cholestrol concentration but resulted in higher high density lipoprotein (HDL)- cholesterol concentration in their blood serum. In summary, the utilization of PF and red PF in beef burger increased the HDL-cholesterol and has no effect on the concentration of total cholesterol in rat blood serum.
Bacteria with amine oxidase activity have become a particular interest to reduce biogenic amines concentration in food products such as meat and fish sausages. However, little information is available regarding the application of these bacteria in fish sauce. Hence, our study was aimed to investigate the effect of such starter cultures in reducing biogenic amines accumulation during fish sauce fermentation. Staphylococcus carnosus FS19 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FS05 isolated from fish sauce which possess amine oxidase activity were used as starter cultures in this study. Fermentation was held for 120 days at 35 °C. The pH value increased in all samples, while salt concentration remained constant throughout fermentation. Aerobic bacteria count was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the control than in inoculated samples as a result of starter cultures addition. However, it decreased during fermentation due to the growth inhibition by high salt concentration. Proteolytic bacterial count decreased during fermentation with no significant difference (p > 0.05) among samples. These bacteria hydrolyzed protein in anchovy to produce free amino acid precursors for amines formation by decarboxylase bacteria. The presence of biogenic amines producing bacteria in this study was considered to be indigenous from raw material or contamination during fermentation, since our cultures were negative histamine producers. Amino acid histidine, arginine, lysine and tyrosine concentration decreased at different rates during fermentation as they were converted into their respective amines. In general, biogenic amines concentration namely histamine, putrescine, cadaverine and tyramine increased throughout fermentation. However, their concentrations were markedly higher (p < 0.05) in the control (without starter cultures) as compared to the samples treated with starter cultures. Histamine concentration was reduced by 27.7% and 15.4% by Staphylococcus carnosus FS19 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FS05, respectively. Both cultures could also reduce other amines during fermentation. After 120 days of fermentation, the overall biogenic amines concentration was 15.9% and 12.5% less in samples inoculated with Staphylococcus carnosus FS19 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FS05, respectively, as compared to control samples. These findings emphasized that application of starter cultures with amines oxidase activity in fish sauce fermentation was found to be effective in reducing biogenic amines accumulation.
Channa (C.) striatus (Malay-Haruan), is a fresh water snakehead fish, consumed as a rejuvenating diet in post-parturition period in local Malay population. The aqueous extract of C. striatus fillet (AECSF) was reported to act through serotonergic receptor system in a previous study. There is no scientific report on neuropharmacological effects of C. striatus. Based on these data, the antidepressant-like effect of C. striatus was evaluated in mice models of depression.
Budu is a famous Malaysian fish sauce, usually used as seasoning and condiment in cooking. Budu is produced by mixing fish and salt at certain ratio followed by fermentation for six months in closed tanks. In this study, four commercial brands of Budu were analyzed for their chemical properties (pH, salt content and volatile compounds). The pH of Budu samples ranged from 4.50-4.92, while the salt (NaCl) content ranged between 11.80% and 22.50% (w/v). For tentative identification of volatile flavor compounds in Budu, two GC columns have been used, DB-WAX and HP-5MS. A total of 44 volatile compounds have been detected and 16 were common for both columns. 3-Methyl-1-butanol, 2-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanal, dimethyl disulfide, 3-(methylthio)-propanal, 3-methylbutanoic acid and benzaldehye have been identified as the aroma-active compounds in Budu due to their lower threshold values.
Surimi refers to concentrated myofibrial protein extracted from fish flesh by washing process. Surimi powder, is normally prepared in a dried form, and potentially useful as a raw material for preparation of seafood products. Surimi powder offers many advantages in industrial application, such as easy handling, low distribution cost, and physically convenient for addition to dry mixtures. In order to prevent the denaturation of the protein during drying, dryoprotectants such as sucrose and polyols can be added. Surimi powder is classified as fish protein concentrate type A because its protein content is higher than 65%. Surimi powder has good functional properties, such as gelation, water holding capacity, and emulsifying and foaming properties. Gel-based fish products and fish snacks are common products that can be made from surimi powder.
Salted fish is a locally processed raw food which is used in everyday cooking among Malaysians. Previous studies suggested that salted fish intake was a risk of nasopharyngeal cancer. Hence, this study was carried out to evaluate gene mutation effects through the induction of mutagenic effect of aqueous and methanol extracts of salted fish from Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Balik Pulau was chosen for sampling purpose due to its popularity as a commercial centre for local raw fisheries in Malaysia. Evaluation of mutagenic effect was carried out by hprt Gene Mutation Assay towards V79 lung fibroblast cells. It was found that the aqueous and methanol extracts of salted fish were not cytotoxic towards V79 lung fibroblast cells. It was also found that the extracts of salted fish from Balik Pulau were not mutagenic towards hprt gene of V79 lung fibroblast cells as the mutation frequency of the extracts did not exceed 3 times of the value for negative control mutation frequency. In conclusion, both aqueous and methanol extracts of salted fish from Balik Pulau did not have gene mutation effect towards hprt gene in vitro. However, other toxicological profile could be assessed to determine the mechanism of toxicity of salted fish.
To improve textural attributes of puffed corn-fish snack, the effects of 1%, 1.5%, and 2% of calcium carbonate, magnesium silicate (talc), sodium bicarbonate as well as 5% and 10% of wheat bran (as the nucleating materials) on textural attributes were studied. Sensory evaluation, bulk density, expansion ratio, maximum force, and count peaks were measured using the Kramer test. The results showed that all of the additives except bran significantly enhanced the texture. Among them, talc at 0.5% was the best to enhance the density and expansion ratio. Effects of using 0.5% talc on puffed corn-fish snack microstructure were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The average cell diameter of 109 ± 48 μm and cell numbers per square centimeter of 67.4 for talc-treated products were obtained, while for nontalc-treated extrudates, average cell diameter of 798 ± 361 μm and cell numbers per square centimeter of 13.9 were found. Incorporation of 0.5% w/w of magnesium silicate reduced (7-fold) the average cell diameter while increased (4-fold) the cell number.
Ikan pekasam is a fermented fish product produced in Malaysia and is usually made from freshwater fish with ground roasted uncooked rice as the main source of carbohydrate. In this study, the amino acid, biogenic amine, and trans- and cis-urocanic acid (UCA) contents of fifteen commercial samples of Ikan pekasam made from Javanese carp and black tilapia, that had undergone either natural or acid-assisted fermentation, were quantified. The latter includes either tamarind (Tamarindus indica) pulp or dried slices of Garcinia atroviridis fruit in the fermentation process. Results showed that there are no significant differences in most of the biogenic amines including histamine, while there are significant differences in total UCA content, and trans- and cis-UCA contents between the two samples. Differences in the amino acid contents were largely fish-dependent.
Avoidance of dairy products due to lactose intolerance can lead to insufficiency of calcium (Ca) in the body. In an approach to address this problem, tuna bone powder (TBP) was formulated as a calcium supplement to fortify bakery products. In a study, TBP recovered by alkaline treatment contained 38.16 g/100 g of calcium and 23.31 g/100 g of phosphorus. The ratio of Ca:P that was close to 2:1 was hence comparable to that in human bones. The availability of calcium in TBP was 53.93%, which was significantly higher than most calcium salts, tricalcium phosphate (TCP) being the exception. In vitro availability of calcium in TBP-fortified cookies or TCP-fortified cookies were comparable at 38.9% and 39.5%, respectively. These values were higher than the readings from TBP-fortified bread (36.7%) or TCP-fortified bread (37.4%). Sensory evaluation of bakery products containing TBP or TCP elicited comparable scores for the two additives from test panels. Hence, TBP could be used in the production of high calcium bakery products that would enjoy consumer acceptance.