Volvariella volvacea (Family: Plutaceae), also more commonly known as paddy straw mushroom, is an edible mushroom with high nutritional content. It is usually cultivated using lignocellulosic-based materials for enhanced production. However, V. volvacea is highly perishable and easily deteriorates in terms of quality and appearance after harvest. The present paper thus aimed to provide a critical review on aspects related to the production of V. volvacea using palm oil empty fruit bunch as cultivation substrate. The different stages of V. volvacea development are also highlighted. The present review also provides some information on the preservation techniques and appropriate postharvest management in extending V. volvacea shelf life to further boost the paddy straw mushroom industry
The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance have been of serious concern to human health and the management of bacterial infectious diseases. Effective treatment of these diseases requires the development of novel therapeutics, preferably free of side effects. In this regard, natural products are frequently conceived to be potential alternative sources for novel antibacterial compounds. Herein, we have evaluated the antibacterial activity of the epicarp extracts of the Malaysian cultivar of yellow rambutan fruit (Nephelium lappaceum L.) against six pathogens namely, Bacillus subtilis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella enterica. Among a series of solvent extracts, fractions of ethyl acetate and acetone have revealed significant activity towards all tested strains. Chemical profiling of these fractions, via HPLC, LC-MS and GC-MS, has generated a library of potentially bioactive compounds. Downstream virtual screening, pharmacological prediction, and receptor-ligand molecular dynamics simulation have eventually unveiled novel potential antibacterial compounds, which can be extracted for medicinal use. We report compounds like catechin, eplerenone and oritin-4-beta-ol to be computationally inhibiting the ATP-binding domain of the chaperone, DnaK of P. aeruginosa and MRSA. Thus, our work follows the objective to propose new antimicrobials capable of perforating the barrier of resistance posed by both the gram positives and the negatives.
Introduction: Nutrition education is crucial to promote healthy eating behaviours and lifestyle that can prevent nutrition related non-communicable diseases. Young children are known to be amenable to nutrition education programmes and the school setting provides ideal opportunity for young children to learn. It is important to measure the impact of such programmes to determine its usefulness. Thus, the current study described the impact of a short-term nutrition education programme in kindergarteners. Methods: This pre and post-test design study involved 20 kindergarteners (aged 6 years) at Pusat Minda Lestari, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. The participants of the programme received a nutrition education module at school which comprised of nutrition lessons on key messages in the Ma-laysian Dietary Guidelines and related hands-on activities for 30min/day on 10 consecutive school days. Main outcomes were children’s nutrition knowledge and attitude, their preference for fruits and/or vegetables in a meal and types of physical activity most frequently done. These were all measured using established age-appropriate methods and tools. Results: After receiving the nutrition module; study participants’ mean score for overall nutrition knowledge significantly improved by 60%, self-reported attitude towards healthy foods were more positive and the majority of participants (85% combined) reported that they would prefer to include either vegetables, fruits or vege-tables & fruits in their meal rather than none at all (65% preferred no fruits and vegetables at baseline). The number of participants who said they preferred doing healthier types of physical activities rather than sedentary activities increased by 40% after the programme. Conclusion: This short-term nutrition programme appeared to increase kin-dergarteners’ interest in making healthy food choices and doing moderate to high intensity physical activities. Thus, the nutrition education module used in this programme may be useful in promoting healthy eating behaviours and physical activity in young children.
The combustion characteristics of Karanj fruit hulls char (KFH-char) was investigated with thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The TGA outlined the char combustion thermographs at a different heating rate and isoconversional methods expressed the combustion kinetics. The Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) methods authenticated the char average activation energy at 62.13 and 68.53kJ/mol respectively, enough to derive the char to burnout. However, the Coats-Redfern method verified the char combustion via complex multi-step mechanism; the second stage mechanism has 135kJ/mol average activation energy. The TGA thermographs and kinetic parameters revealed the adequacy of the KFH-char as fuel substrate than its precursor, Karanj fruit hulls (KFH).
Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic and occasional drug-resistant influenza strains have highlighted the need to develop novel anti-influenza therapeutics. Here, we report computational and experimental efforts to identify influenza neuraminidase inhibitors from among the 3000 natural compounds in the Malaysian-Plants Natural-Product (NADI) database. These 3000 compounds were first docked into the neuraminidase active site. The five plants with the largest number of top predicted ligands were selected for experimental evaluation. Twelve specific compounds isolated from these five plants were shown to inhibit neuraminidase, including two compounds with IC50 values less than 92 μM. Furthermore, four of the 12 isolated compounds had also been identified in the top 100 compounds from the virtual screen. Together, these results suggest an effective new approach for identifying bioactive plant species that will further the identification of new pharmacologically active compounds from diverse natural-product resources.
Introduction: The use of email and website as channels for workplace health
information delivery is not fully explored. This study aims to describe the
rationale, design, and baseline findings of an email-linked website intervention
to improve modifiable cancer risk factors. Methods: Employees of a Malaysian
public university were recruited by systematic random sampling and randomised
into an intervention (n=174) or control group (n=165). A website was developed
for the intervention and educational modules were uploaded onto the website.
The intervention group received ten consecutive weekly emails with hypertext
links to the website for downloading the modules and two individual phone
calls as motivational support whilst the control group received none. Diet,
lifestyle, anthropometric measurements, psychosocial factors and stages of change
related to dietary fat, fruit and vegetable intake, and physical activity were
assessed. Results: Participants were predominantly female and in non-academic
positions. Obesity was prevalent in 15% and 37% were at risk of co-morbidities.
Mean intake of fats was 31%, fruit was ~1 serving/day and vegetable was <1
serving/day. Less than 20% smoked and drank alcohol and about 40% were
physically inactive. The majority of the participants fell into the Preparation
stage for decreasing fat intake, eating more fruit and vegetables, and increasing
physical activity. Self-efficacy and perceived benefits were lowest among participants in the Precontemplation/Contemplation stage compared to the Preparation
and Action/Maintenance stages. Conclusion: Baseline data show that dietary and
lifestyle practices among the employees did not meet the international guidelines
for cancer prevention. Hence the findings warrant the intervention planned.
Keywords: Cancer, risk factors, email, website, worksite
Derivation of activated carbon from biomass wastes for energy storage applications such as fuel cells and supercapacitors are attracting wide attractions as the world is now demand for other sustainable energy that can help to explore new technologies especially for energy conversion and storage. This is important because the world now is facing a rapid depletion of fossil energy. In this review, an outline of recent trends towards biomass-derived specifically from fruit-based biomass wastes is explained in a holistic manner. Thanks to their high carbon content, high specific surface area and developed porous structure, biomass-derived chars can be treated and converted into carbon. The performance of activated carbon in terms of Brunette Emmet Teller (BET) surface area, micropore volume, total pore volume and specific capacitance has been reported. This review showed that higher BET surface will contribute to higher pore volume in the activated carbon that makes them good candidates for the fabrication of electrodes in supercapacitor applications. This study was focused on providing a detailed comparison of published studies that utilized different physical and chemical routes and their effect of modification such as various activation temperatures and the ratio of activating agents towards the performance of the activated carbon under different parameters. Implementing chemical routes with an ideal 600°C – 850°C and inclusion ratio might be effective to produce high performance activated carbon.
Removal of oil spillage from the environment is a global concern. Various methods, including the use of fibers as sorbents, have been developed for oil spill control. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber is a plant biomass that may be acetylated by acetic anhydride using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as a catalyst; here, the extent of acetylation may be calculated in terms of weight percent gain (WPG). The modified fiber was used to remove Tapis and Arabian crude oils. The optimum time, temperature, and catalyst concentration were 4 h, 120 °C, and 3 %, respectively, and these parameters could achieve an 11.49 % increase in WPG. The optimized parameters improved the adsorption capacity of OPEFB fibers for crude oil removal. The acetylated OPEFB fibers were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy to observe the functional groups available and morphology. Kinetic and isotherm studies were conducted using different contact times and oil/water ratios. The rate of oil sorption onto the OPEFB fibers can be adequately described by the pseudo-second-order equation. Adsorption studies revealed that adsorption of crude oil on treated OPEFB fiber could be best described by the Langmuir isotherm model.
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of different storage conditions of star fruit (Averrhoa carambola) juice on the activity of acetylcholinesterase in various organs of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The effect of oral administration of star fruit on serum lipid profiles was also examined in this study. A total of 15 female rats were assigned into three groups with five animals per group (n=5). The first group served as control group and given only distilled water (vehicle) while the other two groups were given different star fruit preparations, i.e. freshly prepared star fruit juice and after 3 hours storage, respectively. From the results obtained, a significant decrease in the hepatic acetylcholinesterase activity was observed in rats treated with star fruit juice. In conclusion, the star fruit juice at different storage conditions is selectively targeted on the acetylcholinesterase activity in rat liver but not in kidney and heart.
Matched MeSH terms: Fruit and Vegetable Juices; Fruit
BACKGROUND: Swietenia macrophylla King. (Meliaceae) seeds (SMS); commonly known as sky fruit and locally known in Malaysia as Tunjuk Langit; have been used in traditional Malay medicine for the treatment of diabetes and hypertension. The people eat only a tiny amount of raw seed, weighing not more than 5 mg.
AIM: To evaluate the safety of Swietenia macrophylla seeds (SMS) at a single-dose oral administration of 2 g/kg body weight (bw) in sprague dawley (SD) rats.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight-week old male and female SD rats were administered a single-oral dose of 2g/kg bw. The rats' general behavior, and toxic signs were observed throughout the 14-day study period. The food and water intake by rats and their body weight were monitored during the study period. At the end of the study period, the relative weights of the organs (lung, liver, spleen, heart, kidney, testis, stomach); the hematological and biochemical parameters were measured; the architecture and histology of the organs (liver, kidney and lungs) were observed.
RESULTS: Oral administration of SMS to rats did not affect, either food or water intake; relative organ weight of vital organs; the hematological and biochemical parameters; did not show significant changes in the architecture and histology of vital organs. Overall, there were neither signs of toxicity nor deaths recorded during the study period.
CONCLUSION: The rat dose of 2 g/kg bw is equivalent to the human dose of 325 mg/kg bw, which is well below the usual amount consumed by people, did not show any signs of toxicity in rats.
KEYWORDS: Diabetes; Swietenia macrophylla; sky fruit; toxicity; traditional Malay medicine; tunjuk langit
We report two cases of acute renal failure that followed the ingestion of jering. Features of jering poisoning included clinical presentation of bilateral loin pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, oligo-anuria, haematuria and passage of sandy particles in the urine. Blood urea (40.8 mmol/l; 21.9 mmol/l) and serum creatinine (1249 mumols/l; 693 mumols/l) were markedly elevated. With conservative therapy which included rehydration with normal saline and alkalinisation of the urine with sodium bicarbonate, the acute renal failure resolved.
This study was conducted to investigate the potential application of oil palm empty fruit branches (OPEFB) as adsorbents to remove organic methylmercurry, MeHg(II), and inorganic Hg(II) from aqueous solution. The OPEFB was functionalized with amine containing ligand namely 3-ureidopropyltriethoxysilane (UPTES) aiming for better adsorption performance towards both mercury ions. The adsorption was found to be dependent on initial pH, initial concentraton, temperatures, and contact time. The maximum adsorption capacities (Qm.exp) of Hg(II) adsorption onto OPEFB and UPTES-OPEFB were 0.226 and 0.773 mmol/g, respectively. The Qm.exp of MeHg(II) onto OPEFB, however, was higher than UPTES-OPEFB. The adsorption kinetic data obeyed the Elovich model and the adsorption was controlled by the film-diffusion step. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicate an endothermic adsorption process. Adsorption data analysis indicates that the adsorption mechanism may include ion-exchange, complexation, and physisorption interactions. The potential applications of adsorbents were demonstrated using oilfield produced water and natural gas condensate. The UPTES-OPEFB offered higher selectivity towards both mercury ions than OPEFB. The regenerability studies indicated that the adsorbent could be reused for multiple cycles.
The removal of toxic herbicide from wastewater is challenging due to the availability of suitable adsorbents. The Langsat empty fruit bunch is an agricultural waste and was used in this study as a cheap precursor to produce activated carbon for the adsorption of herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) at different initial concentrations ranging from 50 to 400 mg/L. The produced Langsat empty fruit bunch activated carbon (LEFBAC) was mesoporous and had high surface area of 1065.65 m(2)/g with different active functional groups. The effect of shaking time, temperature and pH on 2,4-D removal were investigated using the batch technique. The adsorption capacity of 2,4-D by LEFBAC was decreased with increase in pH of solution whereas adsorption capacity increased with temperature. The adsorption data was well described by Langmuir isotherm followed by removal capacity of 261.2 mg/g at 30 °C. The results from this work showed that LEFBAC can be used as outstanding material for anionic herbicide uptake from wastewater.
The adsorption of rhodamine B (RhB) using acid modified banana peels has been examined. Chemical characteristics of the adsorbents were observed in order to determine active functional groups. The major functional groups on the surface were OH, C = O, C = C and C-O-C. Interactions between operational parameters were studied using the central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM). The predictions of the model output indicated that operational factors influenced responses at a confidence level of 95% (P<0.05). The optimum conditions for adsorption were pH 2 at a 0.2 g/L dose within 60 minutes of contact time. Isotherm studies were carried out using the optimized process variables. The data revealed that RhB adsorption fitted the Langmuir isotherm equation while the reduction of COD followed the Freundlich isotherm. Kinetic experiments fitted the pseudo second order model for RhB removal and COD reduction. The adsorption mechanism was not the only rate controlling step. Diffusion through the boundary layer described the pattern of adsorption.
The functionalization of surface charges on oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers was modified by grafted carboxylic
acid and polymer amine groups. Single and binary adsorption of Cu(II), Ni(II), Mo(VI) and As(V) were investigated
by competitiveness in the adsorbents. The mechanism of each metal ion was deliberately studied on kinetics-diffusion
(intraparticle diffusion) and isotherm adsorption models (Langmuir and Freundlich). Competitiveness of metal ions was
found in the selectivity of Cu(II) > Ni(II) and Mo(VI) > As(V) in the binary solution. The regeneration of adsorbents
was performed up to five cycles of an adsorption/desorption process and the reduction of adsorption performance was
less than 14.5%. Therefore, this promises low-cost adsorbents for metal ion uptake, showing potential for removal and
recovery in industrial wastewater treatment.
Minimally processed fresh produce is one of the fastest growing segments of the food industry due to consumer demand for fresh, healthy, and convenient foods. However, mechanical operations of cutting and peeling induce the liberation of cellular contents at the site of wounding that can promote the growth of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. In addition, rates of tissue senescence can be enhanced resulting in reduced storage life of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Chlorine has been widely adopted in the disinfection and washing procedures of fresh-cut produce due to its low cost and efficacy against a broad spectrum of microorganisms. Continuous replenishment of chlorine in high organic wash water can promote the formation of carcinogenic compounds such as trihalomethanes, which threaten human and environmental health. Alternative green and innovative chemical and physical postharvest treatments such as ozone, electrolyzed water, hydrogen peroxide, ultraviolet radiation, high pressure processing, and ultrasound can achieve similar reduction of microorganisms as chlorine without the production of harmful compounds or compromising the quality of fresh-cut produce.
Since α-mangostin in mangosteen fruits was reported to be the main compound able to provide natural antioxidants, the microwave-assisted extraction process to obtain high-quality α-mangostin from mangosteen pericarp (Garcinia mangostana L.) was optimized using a central composite design and response surface methodology. The parameters examined included extraction time, microwave power, and solvent percentage. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of optimized and non-optimized extracts was evaluated. Ethyl acetate as a green solvent exhibited the highest concentration of α-mangostin, followed by dichloromethane, ethanol, and water. The highest α-mangostin concentration in mangosteen pericarp of 121.01 mg/g dry matter (DM) was predicted at 3.16 min, 189.20 W, and 72.40% (v/v). The verification of experimental results under these optimized conditions showed that the α-mangostin value for the mangosteen pericarp was 120.68 mg/g DM. The predicted models were successfully developed to extract α-mangostin from the mangosteen pericarp. No significant differences were observed between the predicted and the experimental α-mangostin values, indicating that the developed models are accurate. The analysis of the extracts for secondary metabolites showed that the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) increased significantly in the optimized extracts (OE) compared to the non-optimized extracts (NOE). Additionally, trans-ferulic acid and catechin were abundant among the compounds identified. In addition, the optimized extract of mangosteen pericarp with its higher α-mangostin and secondary metabolite concentrations exhibited higher antioxidant activities with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 20.64 µg/mL compared to those of the NOE (28.50 µg/mL). The OE exhibited the highest antibacterial activity, particularly against Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, the microwave-assisted extraction process of α-mangostin from mangosteen pericarp was successfully optimized, indicating the accuracy of the models developed, which will be usable in a larger-scale extraction process.
More than 200 different cultivars of durian exist worldwide but Durio zibethinus or Musang King (MK) is the most premium and prized durian fruit among the recommended varieties. Early identification of this premium variety is critical to protect from non-authentic MK durian cultivars. However, the MK variety's morphological traits are nearly identical to other varieties. Currently, the identification of durian varieties is mostly performed via evaluation of leaf shape, fruit shape, aroma, taste and seed shape and this requires trained personnel for the morphology observation. To enable the rapid identification of the MK variety, PCR amplification of ten durian varieties using six gene candidates from the chloroplast genome was first performed to obtain DNA probes that were specific to the MK durian variety. PCR amplification of ten durian varieties using primers designed confirmed that the nadhA gene sequence showed an obvious difference in the MK variety from other durian varieties. The unique sequence of MK was used as a DNA probe to develop an electrochemical biosensor for the direct identification of the MK durian variety. The electrochemical biosensor was based on the hybridization response of the immobilized DNA probe with the target DNA from the MK variety and was monitored via differential pulse voltammetry technique. Under optimal conditions, the DNA electrochemical biosensor showed a low detection limit at 10% of MK genomic DNA concentration with a wide linear calibration range of 0.05-1.5 µM (R2 = 0.9891) and RSD value of 3.77% (n = 3). The results of the developed DNA biosensor provide high promise for the development of portable sensors employed in the determination of MK variety in the field.
This paper reports the design of an electronic nose (E-nose) prototype for reliable measurement and correct classification of beverages. The prototype was developed and fabricated in the laboratory using commercially available metal oxide gas sensors and a temperature sensor. The repeatability, reproducibility and discriminative ability of the developed E-nose prototype were tested on odors emanating from different beverages such as blackcurrant juice, mango juice and orange juice, respectively. Repeated measurements of three beverages showed very high correlation (r > 0.97) between the same beverages to verify the repeatability. The prototype also produced highly correlated patterns (r > 0.97) in the measurement of beverages using different sensor batches to verify its reproducibility. The E-nose prototype also possessed good discriminative ability whereby it was able to produce different patterns for different beverages, different milk heat treatments (ultra high temperature, pasteurization) and fresh and spoiled milks. The discriminative ability of the E-nose was evaluated using Principal Component Analysis and a Multi Layer Perception Neural Network, with both methods showing good classification results.
This research was to determine nutritional composition, essential and toxic elemental content, and major phenolic acid with antioxidant activity in Kadsura coccinea fruit. The results indicated that Kadsura coccinea fruit exhibited the high contents of total protein, total fat, ash and essential elements such as calcium (Ca), ferrum (Fe) and phosphorus (P). The levels of four common toxic elements, i.e. cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As) and lead (Pb), were lower than legal limits. By high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, gallic acid was identified as major phenolic acid in peel and pulp tissues. Its contents were no significant difference in both tissues. In comparison with two commercial antioxidants, the major phenolic acid extracted from Kadsura coccinea exhibited stronger 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity and reducing power. Kadsura coccinea fruit is a good source of nutrition and natural antioxidant. It is worthwhile to popularize this exotic fruit around the world.