This study describes a sago starch-based film by incorporation of cinnamon essential oil (CEO) and nano titanium dioxide (TiO2-N). Different concentrations (i.e., 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5%, w/w) of TiO2-N and CEO (i.e., 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3%, v/w) were incorporated into sago starch film, and the physicochemical, barrier, mechanical, and antimicrobial properties of the bionanocomposite films were estimated. Incorporation of CEO into the sago starch matrix increased oxygen and water vapor permeability of starch films while increasing TiO2-N concentration decreased barrier properties. Moisture content also decreased from 12.96% to 8.04%, solubility in water decreased from 25% to 13.7%, and the mechanical properties of sago starch films improved. Sago starch bionanocomposite films showed excellent antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus. Results also showed that incorporation of TiO2-N and CEO had synergistic effects on functional properties of sago starch films. In summary, sago starch films incorporated with both TiO2-N and CEO shows potential application for active packaging in food industries such as fresh pistachio packaging.
Starch-based hydrogels are promising smart materials for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, which offer exciting perspectives in biophysical research at molecular level. This work was intended to develop, characterize and explore the properties of hydrogel from starch extracted from new source, Dioscorea hispida Dennst. Starch-mediated hydrogels were successfully synthesized via free radical polymerization method with varying concentrations of acrylic acid (AA),N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in aqueous system. The grafting reaction between starch and AA was examined by observing the decline in intensity peak of hydrogel FTIR spectrum at 3291cm-1 and peak around 1600-1680cm-1, indicating the stretching of hydroxyl group (OH) and stretching of carbon-carbon double bond (CC) respectively. The effects of cross-linker, monomer and NaOH concentration on swelling ratio and gel content in different medium and conditions were also evaluated. The thermal stability and structural morphology of as-synthesized hydrogels were studied by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In-vitro cytotoxicity study using small intestine cell line (FHS-74 Int) revealed that the as-formulated eco-friendly-hydrogel was free from any harmful material and safe to use for future product development.
Trichoderma is a genus of soil-borne fungus with an abundance of reports of its economic importance in the agriculture industry. Thus, the correct identification of Trichoderma species is necessary for its commercial purposes. Globally, Trichoderma species are routinely identified from micro-morphological descriptions which can be tedious and prone to errors. Thus, we emphasize that the accurate identification of Trichoderma strains requires a three-pronged approach i.e. based on its morphological characteristics, multilocus gene sequences of the rDNA [internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 and 2 regions], translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF-1α), Calmodulin (CAL) and its lignocellulolytic activities. We used this approach to identify a total of 53 Trichoderma strains which were isolated from a wet paddy field located at Tuaran, Sabah, Malaysia. The 53 strains were positively identified as belonging to three Trichoderma species, namely T. asperellum (43 strains), T. harzianum (9 strains), and T. reesei (one strain) on the basis of its morphological characteristics and multilocus gene sequences. Phylogenetic trees constructed based on the UPGMA method of the ITS 1 and 2 regions of the rDNA, TEF-1α and CAL revealed three distinct groups with the T. asperellum, T. harzianum and T. reesei strains placed under the section of Trichoderma, Pachybasium and Longibrachiatum, respectively. In addition, the lignocellulolytic activities of the isolates were measured based on the diameters of the halo zones produced when degrading cellulose, lignin, and starch, respectively. This diagnostic assay can be used to identify Trichoderma as it produces polyphenol oxidase when Tannic Acid Media is used for the lignin test, endoglucanases when Jensen media is used for cellulose, and it hydrolyzes starch to glucose when the modified Melin-Nokrans media is used for the starch test. Accurate identification of Trichoderma species is needed as these strains can potentially be used as a biocontrol agent to prevent diseases and to increase yield in agriculture crops.
This research was conducted to investigate the effects of different grinding techniques (dry, semi-wet and wet) of milled rice grains on the damaged starch and particle size distribution of flour produced from a new variety, MR263, specifically related to the pasting and thermal profiles. The results indicated that grinding techniques significantly (p<0.05) affected starch damage content and particle size distribution of rice flour. Wet grinding process yields flour with lowest percentage of starch damage (7.37%) and finest average particle size (8.52μm). Pasting and gelatinization temperature was found in the range of 84.45-89.63°C and 59.86-75.31°C, respectively. Dry ground flour attained the lowest pasting and gelatinization temperature as shown by the thermal and pasting profiles. Correlation analysis revealed that percentage of damaged starch granules had a significant, negative relationship with pasting temperature while average particle size distribution had a significant, strong negative relationship with gelatinization temperature.
This paper characterizes properties of biocomposite sonicated during gelatinization. The biocomposite consisted of tapioca starch based plastic reinforced by 10% volume fraction of water hyacinth fiber (WHF). During gelatinization, the biocomposite was poured into a rectangular glass mold then vibrated in an ultrasonic bath using 40kHz, 250W for varying durations (0, 15, 30, and 60min). The resulting biocomposite was then dried in a drying oven at 50°C for 20h. The results of this study indicate that a biocomposite with optimal properties can be produced using tapioca starch and WHF if the gelatinizing mixture is exposed to ultrasound vibration for 30min. After this vibration duration, tensile strength (TS) and tensile modulus (TM) increased 83% and 108%. A further 60min vibration only increased the TS at 13% and TM at 23%. Moisture resistance of the biocomposite after vibration increased by around 25% reaching a maximal level after 30min. Thermal resistance of the vibrated biocomposites was also increased.
Lower concentration of glucose was often obtained from enzymatic hydrolysis process of agricultural residue due to complexity of the biomass structure and properties. High substrate load feed into the hydrolysis system might solve this problem but has several other drawbacks such as low rate of reaction. In the present study, we have attempted to enhance glucose recovery from agricultural waste, namely, "sago hampas," through three cycles of enzymatic hydrolysis process. The substrate load at 7% (w/v) was seen to be suitable for the hydrolysis process with respect to the gelatinization reaction as well as sufficient mixture of the suspension for saccharification process. However, this study was focused on hydrolyzing starch of sago hampas, and thus to enhance concentration of glucose from 7% substrate load would be impossible. Thus, an alternative method termed as cycles I, II, and III which involved reusing the hydrolysate for subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis process was introduced. Greater improvement of glucose concentration (138.45 g/L) and better conversion yield (52.72%) were achieved with the completion of three cycles of hydrolysis. In comparison, cycle I and cycle II had glucose concentration of 27.79 g/L and 73.00 g/L, respectively. The glucose obtained was subsequently tested as substrate for bioethanol production using commercial baker's yeast. The fermentation process produced 40.30 g/L of ethanol after 16 h, which was equivalent to 93.29% of theoretical yield based on total glucose existing in fermentation media.
In this study, it focused on empty fruit brunch (EFB) fibres reinforcement in polybutylene succinate (PBS) with modified tapioca starch by using hot press technique for the use of agricultural mulch film. Mechanical, morphological and thermal properties were studied. Mechanical analysis showed decreased in values of modulus strength for both tensile and flexural testing for fibres insertion. Higher EFB fibre contents in films resulted lower mechanical properties due to poor fibre wetting from insufficient matrix. This has also found evident in SEM micrograph, showing poor interfacial bonding. Water vapour permeability (WVP) shows as higher hydrophilic EFB fibre reinforcement contents, the rate of WVP also increase. Besides this, little or no significant changes on thermal properties for composite films. This is because high thermal stability PBS polymer show its superior thermal properties dominantly. Even though EFB fibres insertion into PBS/tapioca starch biocomposite films have found lower mechanical properties. It successfully reduced the cost of mulch film production without significant changes of thermal performances.
Central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used to optimize the settings for the roasting conditions of jackfruit (Artocapus hetrophyllus) seed (JFS). The response variables studied were; color attributes L*, a*, and b*, browning intensity, and fracturability. The colors L*, a*, b* and browning intensity were well predicted by a second-order polynomial model. Fracturability was predicted by a first-order polynomial. The determination coefficients for colors L*, a*, b*, browning intensity, and fracturability were 0.81, 0.96, 0.93, 0.92, and 0.74 respectively. The fitted models were checked for adequacy using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The optimum roasting conditions were established at a temperature of 153.36 °C, 34.36 min, and pH of 6.34 with composite desirability value of 0.95. Micro-structural studies of both raw and roasted JFS at different roasting levels (i.e., low, medium, and high) were also investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM). JFS starch granules fell in the B-type category with semi-oval to bell-shaped granules (5-9 μm in diameter). In addition, Fourier Transform Infrared analysis was carried out on both raw and roasted JFS. The IR spectra was in the 4000-1000 cm(-1) region which is described by five main modes; O-H, C-H, C = O, (C-H) CH3, and C-O.
The development of antimicrobial film for food packaging application had become the focus for researchers and scientists. This research aims to study the characteristics and antimicrobial activity of novel biofilms made of poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) and tapioca starch (TPS) added with 1.5% or 3% of Biomaster-silver (BM) particle. In morphological examination, the incorporation of 3% BM particle was considerably good in forming well-structured PBS film. Meanwhile, the functional groups analysis revealed the 3% BM particle was effectively interacted with PBS molecular chains. The flame retard behavior of BM metal particle also helped in enhancing the thermal stability for pure PBS and PBS/TPS films. The nucleating effect of BM particles had improved the films crystallinity. Small pore size features with high barrier property for gas permeability was obtained for BM filled PBS/TPS films. From antimicrobial analysis, the BM particles possessed antimicrobial activity against three bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella Typhimurium in which PBS/TPS 3% BM film exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against all tested bacteria, however, PBS/TPS 1.5% BM film exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against E. coli only. Hence, the incorporation of BM into PBS/TPS film could be a sustainable way for developing packaging films to preserve food products.
This paper reviews reported studies on the hydrolysis of starch especially sago via acid and enzyme. The review begins with overview of sago palm and the starch industry, followed by process of extracting the starch from sago pith. Physicochemical properties of sago starch were tabulated for better understanding of hydrolysis process. Factors or process condition influencing hydrolysis process is discussed based on results from previous researches. Advantages and disadvantages of each hydrolysis is also discussed. Generally, there are very few researches dedicated on sago starch as compared to other starches. It can be concluded that, enzyme hydrolysis gives higher yield at milder process conditions. However, the reaction rate of enzyme hydrolysis is still low compared to acid hydrolysis.
The quality change of fish sausage (keropok lekor) coated in sago starch-gelatine coating with
papaya seed extract (PSE) during chill storage (7°C) was determined. During storage, pH,
thiobarbituric acid value (TBA), colour, moisture, and the total plate count were evaluated. pH
of samples significantly dropped (p < 0.05) during storage, and the highest decrease was in
control sample. The moisture content in control sample had an increasing trend while that of
samples with 5 and 7% PSE coatings significantly decreased, and only a slight change for
samples with 0% PSE coating. All samples had significant increase in their TBA values during
storage. The presence of the coating provided a positive effect on the colour of the fish sausages since no significant colour changes were observed during storage. TPC of control and
coated sausage in 0, 5, and 7% PSE exceeded the recommended microbial standard after 2, 6,
8, and 4 d of storage, respectively. Overall, coating with 5% of PSE was the most effective in
retarding the quality deterioration of the fish sausages.
Carboxymethyl sago starch-acid hydrogel was prepared via irradiation technique to remove divalent metal ions (Pb, Cu and Cd) from their aqueous solution. The hydrogel was characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The removal of these metal ions was analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma-optic emission spectra (ICP-OES) to study the amount of metal uptake by the hydrogel. Parameters of study include effect of pH, amount of sample, contact time, initial concentration of metal solution and reaction temperature. FTIR spectroscopy shows the CMSS hydrogel absorption peaks at 1741cm(-1), 1605cm(-1) and 1430cm(-1) which indicates the substitution of carboxymethyl group of modified sago starch. The degradation temperature of CMSS hydrogel is higher compared to CMSS due to the crosslinking by electron beam radiation and formed a porous hydrogel. From the data obtained, about 93.5%, 88.4% and 85.5% of Pb, Cu and Cd ions has been respectively removed from their solution under optimum condition.
This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the dielectric and physicochemical properties of the porous hydroxyapatite/cornstarch (HAp/Cs) composites in a new perspective. The porous composites have been characterized via SEM, FTIR, XRD and dielectric spectroscopy. The dielectric permittivity spectra were obtained in Ku-band (12.4-18.0 GHz) and it was correlated with the physicochemical properties of the porous HAp/Cs. Porous HAp/Cs composites exhibits low ε' and negative ε″, which influenced by the microstructural morphology, interaction between Hap and Cs, as well as crystalline features due to the various proportion of the HAp/Cs. The physicochemical effect of the composites results in the dielectric polarization and energy loss. This phenomenon indicates the presence of the three obvious relaxation responses in the ε' spectrum (13.2-14.0, 15.2-16.0, and 16.6-17.4 GHz) and the negative behaviours in the ε″ spectrum. The relationships between physicochemical and dielectric properties of the porous composite facilitate the development of the non-destructive microwave evaluation test for the porous composite.
An investigation on relationship among the physicochemical, optical and dielectric properties of the hydroxyapatite/cornstarch (HA/Cs) composites with the starch proportion of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 wt% is presented in this work. The HA/Cs composites have been characterized via FTIR, XRD, DRS and impedance analyzer. This work depicts that the strong interaction is exhibited between the hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and starch as the starch proportion increases. This increment trend results in the higher crystallinity of the HA/Cs composites. The highly crystallized HA/Cs with hydroxyapatite nucleation center presents low optical properties (diffuse reflectance and optical band gap energy). The HA/Cs composite with 80 wt% starch proportion (H2C8) show higher dielectric properties (dielectric constant, loss factor and conductivity) due to the stronger interfacial interaction and close-packed HA/Cs crystalline structure. The relationship among the physicochemical, optical and dielectric properties of the HA/Cs composite is studied in this work for potential of instrumentation design.
Radiation processing has been employed successfully for value addition of food and agricultural products. Preliminary studies were undertaken to evaluate the changes induced by ionizing radiation (up to 30 kGy), in the form of gamma irradiation and electron beam irradiation, on some quality attributes and nutritive values of nutraceutically valued lotus seeds. Significant loss in seed firmness was recorded between control and irradiated seeds, irrespective of radiation source. Similarly, the specific viscosity of irradiated lotus seeds decreased significantly up to a dose of 7.5 kGy. Starch increased after exposure to gamma or electron beam irradiation, whereas the total phenolic contents were decreased. Gamma irradiation revealed an enhancement in protein, while the electron beam showed a decrease. Partial oxidation of the seeds during radiation treatments might have occurred as evidenced from the decomposition profiles (thermogravimetry) during heating. It is evident that ionizing radiation brought about significant and variable changes in the quality and nutritive values of lotus seed. Further exploration of this technology for safety and quality is warranted.
Orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) is a friendly dosage form that requires no access to water and serves as a solution to non-compliance. There are many co-processed adjuvants available in the market. However, there is no single product possesses all the ideal characteristics such as good compressibility, fast disintegration and good palatability for ODT application. The aim of this research was to produce a xylitol-starch base co-processed adjuvant which is suitable for ODT application. Two processing methods namely wet granulation and freeze drying were used to compare the characteristics of co-processed adjuvant comprising of xylitol, starch and crospovidone XL-10 mixed at various ratios. The co-processed excipients were compressed into ODT and physically characterized for powder flow, particle size, hardness, thickness, weight, friability, in-vitro disintegration time and in-situ disintegration time, lubricant sensitivity, dilution potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy and x-ray diffraction analysis. Formulation F6 was selected as the optimum formulation due to the fastest in-vitro (135.33±11.52 s) and in-situ disintegration time (88.67±13.56s) among all the formulations (p<0.05). Increase in starch component decreases disintegration time of ODT. The powder flow fell under the category of fair flow. Generally, it was observed that freeze drying method produced smaller particle size granules compared to wet granulation method. ODT produced from freeze drying method had shorter disintegration time compared to ODT from wet granulation batch. In conclusion, a novel co-processed excipient comprised of xylitol, starch and crospovidone XL-10, produced using freeze drying method with fast disintegration time, good compressibility and palatability was developed and characterized. The co-processed excipient is suitable for ODT application.
Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a natural microbial polyester produced by a variety of bacteria and archaea from renewable resources. PHB resembles some petrochemical plastics but is completely biodegradable. It is desirable to identify suitable microbial strains and develop processes that can directly use starch from agricultural wastes without commercial amylase treatment. Here, PHB production using starch from agricultural waste was developed using a newly isolated strain, Bacillus aryabhattai T34-N4. This strain hydrolyzed cassava pulp and oil palm trunk starch and accumulated up to 17 wt% PHB of the cell dry weight. The α-amylase of this strain, AmyA, showed high activity in the presence of cassava pulp starch (69.72 U) and oil palm trunk starch (70.53 U). High expression of amyA was recorded in the presence of cassava pulp starch, whereas low expression was detected in the presence of glucose. These data suggest that starch saccharification by amyA allows strain T34-N4 to grow and directly produce PHB from waste starch materials such as cassava pulp and oil palm trunk starch, which may be used as low-cost substrates.
A combination of a modified Feret' (Silvae Genet. 1971, 20, 46-50) extraction buffer and two types of electrophoresis with acrylamide and starch gels were used to characterize allozymes in mature vegetative tissue of a commercially high value species of rattans (Calamus subinermis). From the analysis of allelic segregation from single maternal rattans and their offspring, genetic control of the 16 observed banding zones, which were consistently scorable, was assumed. Seventeen gene loci were identified. The percentage of polymorphic loci within Calamus subinermis was much higher (70.5%) than expected levels of genetic diversity for tropical woody and non-woody species. It is thought that the protocol described may be applied to the analysis of the genetic diversity of all the endangered Calamus species.
Resistant starch has potential health benefits but the factors affecting its formation in bread and baked products are not well studied. Here, the formation of resistant starch in wholemeal bread products was evaluated in relation to the processing conditions including fermentation time, temperature and the inclusion of palm oil as a vitamin source. The effects of each the factor were assessed using a full factorial design. The impact on final starch content of traditional sourdough fermentation of wholemeal rye bread, as well as the bulk fermentation process of wheat and wheat/oat blends of wholemeal bread, was also assessed by enzyme assay. Palm oil content was found to have a significant effect on the formation of resistant starch in all of the breads while fermentation time and temperature had no significant impact. Sourdough fermentation of rye bread was found to have a greater impact on resistant starch formation than bulk fermentation of wheat and wheat blend breads, most likely due the increased organic acid content of the sourdough process.
Two genes that encode α-amylases from two Anoxybacillus species were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The genes are 1,518 bp long and encode 506 amino acids. Both sequences are 98% similar but are distinct from other well-known α-amylases. Both of the recombinant enzymes, ASKA and ADTA, were purified using an α-CD-Sepharose column. They exhibited an optimum activity at 60°C and pH 8. Both amylases were stable at pH 6-10. At 60°C in the absence of Ca²⁺, negligible reduction in activity for up to 48 h was observed. The activity half-life at 65°C was 48 and 3 h for ASKA and ADTA, respectively. In the presence of Ca²⁺ ions, both amylases were highly stable for at least 48 h and had less than a 10% decrease in activity at 70°C. Both enzymes exhibited similar end-product profiles, and the predominant yield was maltose (69%) from starch hydrolysis. To the best of our knowledge, most α-amylases that produce high levels of maltose are active at an acidic to neutral pH. This is the first report of two thermostable, alkalitolerant recombinant α-amylases from Anoxybacillus that produce high levels of maltose and have an atypical protein sequence compared with known α-amylases.