Multi-drug resistant staphylococci including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) are among the emerging
pathogens and have become a threat to both human and animals. Foods of animal origin can
easily be contaminated by these bacteria if handled unhygienically or exposed to contaminated
environmental surfaces. The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of MRSA
and MRSE in raw chicken meat sold at wet markets in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. One
hundred fresh raw chicken meat samples were collected from three different wet markets in
Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Routine isolation and identification, selective media (Brilliance MRSA2
agar), antimicrobial sensitivity test (AST), minimum inhibitory concentration test (MIC), and
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of nucA gene and the resistant gene, mecA
were conducted. Based on bacteriology results and growth on selective media, MRSA and
MRSE were detected in 43% (43/100) of the raw chicken meat samples. Using the PCR assay,
77% (34/43) isolates were positive for nucA gene. The detection of these emerging multidrug
resistant bacteria in chicken meat intended for human consumption implies the potential
contamination of food items by the bacteria which in turn may pose risk to the public health.
The toxigenic strains of Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) produce toxins such as haemolytic and nonhaemolytic
toxins. Fresh milk, pasteurized milk and swab samples were collected from milking
utensils in a diary farm. Routine microbiological examination for B. cereus, antimicrobial
sensitivity tests and PCR detection of the Bacillus group specific genes and genes encoding
for haemolytic enterotoxin and non-hemolytic eneterotoxin genes were conducted. Bacillus
cereus was isolated from raw bulk mlik, pasteurized milk and milking utensils swabs collected.
Detection of B. cereus was higher in milking utensils compared to raw and pasteurized milk.
Bacillus cereus was also detected in corn-flavoured pasteurized milk and milking utensils of
dairy colonies. There were non-hemolytic enterotoxin gene positive isolates and most of them
were susceptible to Gentamicin, Chloramphenicol and Ciprofloxacin compare to other beta
lactam antibiotics. As control and prevention stratgies, increase in public awareness through
public education, proper hygiene practices in farms and dairy processing plants, regular
surveillance and quality control including intensive screening for milk and milk products need
to be in place. However, further in-depth study based on larger and diversified sample and
detection of other toxigenic genes are recommended.
Banana is one of the most important food crops after rice, wheat and corn around the world. It is susceptible to a wide spectrum of non-infectious problems such as abiotic stresses resulting in restricting growth and production. Studies were conducted to determine the effects of four salinity levels (0.17 (control), 3.0, 6.0, and 9.0 dS m-1) on morphological characteristics of four banana cultivars at vegetative growth stage. Banana cultivars from the Cavendish group (Williams, Malindi) and plantains group (FHIA18 and Diwan) were grown in 61 x 76 cm polyethylene bags filled with soil mixture comprising of top soil, sand and peat moss (3:1:2 v/v), with pH ranging from 6 - 6.5 and EC 0.02 mScm-1. The experiment was carried out under a rain-shelter in split-plot design with three replicates. Plants were irrigated manually. Data were collected at 3, 6 and 9 months after transplanting. The results revealed that, the number of leaves, stem height, stem girth and total leaf area were significantly affected by salinity, variety and plant age. Significant interaction was also found between salinity and variety, salinity and plant age, as well as variety and plant age. The morphological characteristics of banana were negatively affected by higher salinity levels (6.0 and 9.0 dS m-1). Under similar salinity level, cultivar Malindi had higher number of leaves, stem height, stem girth and total leaf area as compared to cultivar Williams. Among plantains banana, cultivar FHIA18 was more tolerance to high salinity levels than Diwan cultivar, while Malindi from Cavendish group shows high salt tolerant than Williams. Therefore cultivars Malindi and FHIA18 could be grown in arid and semiarid environment depend on their tolerance to high salinity level above 1.0 dS m-1.
Oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) constitute a major pathogenic mechanism
for the development of atherosclerosis. In the present work, the antioxidant potential of
Trihoney was investigated in hypercholesterolaemic rabbits. Thirty-six male New Zealand
white (NZW) rabbits were grouped into: normal diet (C), normal diet with 0.6 g/kg/day of
Trihoney (C+H), 1% cholesterol diet (HCD), 1% cholesterol diet with 0.3 g/kg/day of
Trihoney (HCD+H1
), 1% cholesterol diet with 0.6 g/kg/day of Trihoney (HCD+H2
), and 1%
cholesterol diet with 2 mg/kg/day of atorvastatin (HCD+At.). Animals were sacrificed following 12 weeks of treatment, and their serum was analysed for oxidised-low density lipoprotein
(Ox-LDL). Serum and aortic tissue homogenate were assayed for superoxide dismutase
(SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Hypercholesterolemia
caused a significant (p < 0.05) elevation in serum Ox-LDL and a significant (p < 0.05) reduction of antioxidant enzyme activities in serum of the HCD group. Trihoney induced a significant (p < 0.05) increase in antioxidant enzyme activities in serum as compared to the HCD
group. The high cholesterol diet suppressed both antioxidant enzymes in aortic homogenate.
Trihoney significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced both antioxidant enzymes in aortic homogenate.
Hypercholesterolemia induced a significant (p < 0.05) elevation of serum lipid peroxidation in
the HCD group. Trihoney caused a significant (p < 0.05) reduction of lipid peroxidation in
aortic homogenate. These results demonstrated that Trihoney has the potential to ameliorate
oxidative stress systemically, as well as locally in the atherosclerotic aorta.
Solid-state fermentation (SSF), which is an excellent alternative for industrial enzyme production, entails the exploitation of cheap agro-industrial residues (low priced culture media). This paper delves into the cultivation of mould (GRAS Penicillium candium PCA 1/TT031) using wheat bran (WB) as the culture media. The parameters for crude enzymatic extraction of lipase production were optimized to achieve the highest possible lipase activity. An incubation period of 7 days (3.06 U/g WB), 2% of tributyrin (5.43 U/g WB), meat peptone equal to 2% (5.2 U/g WB), moisture content of 50% (v:w) (6.6 U/g WB), initial pH of 9.0( 8.6 U/g WB), inoculum size of 5×106 spore/g of WB (11.3 U/g WB), an incubation temperature of 20°C (13.6 U/g WB), and an extractant consisting of phosphate buffer pH 7.0 (14.7 U/g WB) were the conditions applied for this study.
The aim of the study was to isolate and identify Bacillus cereus from meat curry and to subtype the isolated B. cereus using RAPD-PCR and antibiotic resistance pattern. Ready to eat (RTE) meat curry samples purchased from 12 different restaurants at Kajang, Serdang and KL Sentral regions located in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Twenty-four isolates biochemically identified as B. cereus. Antimicrobial resistance analysis demonstrated that B. cereus isolates were highly resistance to ceftriaxone (100%), vancomycin (87.5%), clindamycin (91.6%) and nalidixic acid (100%). None of the B. cereus isolates were resistance towards ciprofloxacin (100%), streptomycin (91.6%) and chloramphenicol (83.4%). The B. cereus isolates were examined for randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPDPCR) using primer S30 (5’-GTGATCGCAG-3’) and discriminated into nine profiles. The antimicrobial analysis showed seven patterns and phenotypically less heterogeneous when compared to RAPD-PCR. A total number of nineteen types of B. cereus have produced by a combination of phenotype and genotype methods. These results demonstrated that both typing method provides evidence of the presence of similarity and diversity of the B. cereus strains from RTE meat curry.
This study aims to evaluate the effect of heat and the simultaneous application of heat (80-95°C) and ultrasonic waves (thermosonication) on the inactivation kinetic of peroxidase and vitamin C degradation in seedless guava. Ultrasonic wave’s amplitudes except 25 and 100% had significant (P 0.98). In the heat blanching process, the peroxidase inactivation rate constant increased from 1.1×10-2 to 4.6×10-2 s-1. However, the inactivation rate of peroxidase was increased by 1.5–3 times in the temperature range 80–95ºC, with the 50 and 75% ultrasonic wave amplitudes, respectively. Decreases in vitamin C contents due to blanching treatments were found. Blanching processes at high temperature and short time resulted in higher vitamin C retention. It was found that thermosonication treatment inactivates seedless guava peroxidase at less severe blanching conditions and consequently retains vitamin C content at higher levels. The present findings will help to design the blanching conditions in order to reduce the severity of conventional thermal treatments and, therefore, improving the quality of the thermally treated product.
The aim of this paper is to revisit the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in relation to the halal food market, specifically in the context of the Cadbury scandal. The present survey (with 132 respondents) replicates the original study of TPB in the context of halal food, done before the scandal, and the results are compared. We rationalize the differences, and assess the impact of the halal scandal on consumer purchasing behaviour. In doing so, we validate the impact of a food scandal in terms of the purchasing intentions of halal customers under a new (post-scandal) condition of uncertainty. The results provide in-depth insights into halal purchasing behaviour and are intended to be used: (a) to increase the understanding of the impact of a food scandal on purchasing behaviour, (b) to clarify whether a food scandal has a real effect on customers, and (c) to ascertain whether the determinants of purchasing intention are similar before and after a food scandal.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of chicken nuggets addition on the degradation of canola oil during frying compared to the changes occurring when the same frying medium was simply heated at frying temperature as control. Heating or frying test was carried out at 185±5oC using electric fryer for 8 h/day for 3 consecutive days and the oil sample was collected every 4 h. The changes in fatty acids composition and physicochemical properties of the oil samples during frying and controlled heating experiments were monitored. In this study, refractive index, free fatty acid content, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, polar compounds and viscosity of the oils all increased, whereas iodine value and C18:2/C16:0 ratio decreased as heating or frying progressed. The percentage of linoleic acid tended to decrease, whereas the percentages of palmitic acid increased. Gas chromatography analysis revealed that adding chicken nuggets to heated canola oil led to higher decrease in the ratio of C18.2/C16:0 compared to what was measured when the fat alone was heated at frying temperature. The presence of chicken nuggets accelerates the formation of polymerization products and polar compounds in canola oil during frying.
Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a rich source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) having high water
content (above 80%) which makes it extremely perishable, but storage, handling, processing
and transporting becomes difficult due to high moisture content. Therefore, guava needs
dehydration process by upholding its natural colour and minimum ascorbic acid losses. We
have carried out a comprehensive study to examine the influence of different drying treatments;
under direct sunlight, freezing, convection oven (50, 60, 70, 80 and 90°C) and microwave
oven (100, 250, 440, 600 and 1000 watts) on ascorbic acid concentration and colour quality
of guava. The mean values of ascorbic acid concentration of dried guava slices were changed
significantly (P < 0.05) as compared to fresh guava slices. The colour of guava slices became
yellowish with an increase in temperature and power of conventional and microwave ovens,
respectively. We found freeze drying as the best method for the dehydration of guava in terms
of ascorbic acid and natural colour preservation.
The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of brown rice (BR) powder addition on the proximate composition, total dietary fibre content and acceptability of some selected Malaysian traditional rice-based local kuih. Two types of kuih samples, namely Kuih Lompang (KL) and Kuih Talam Pandan (KTP) were prepared at the levels of either 0%, 10%, 20% or 30%. The kuih samples were analyzed for nutritional composition and sensory acceptance. There was significant increase in total dietary fibre content (from 2.64 g/100 g to 3.15 g/100 g) and protein content (from 2.36% to 2.51%) with the incorporation of 90% BR powder in the KL formulation. The moisture (from 36.79% to 36.83%), ash (from 1.11% to 1.21%) and fat (from 8.51% to 8.73%) content were not significantly affected for all percentages of BR powder addition. For KTP, the addition of BR powder at the level of 90% significantly increased the total dietary fibre (from 2.77 g/100 g to 3.45 g/100 g), fat (from 5.73% to 6.95%) and moisture (from 64.10% to 64.12%) content as compared to the control (0%). However, the protein content was not significantly affected (from 3.41% to 3.59%). On the other hand, there was no significant difference for all sensory attributes of KL formulated with 30-90% of BR powder as compared to the control (0%). The sensory score of KTP added with 30-90% BR powder received significantly lower sensory score compared to the control sample (0%) for appearance, colour, firmness, adhesiveness, chewiness, taste and overall acceptance attributes. In summary, sensory evaluation showed that all BR-incorporated KL were acceptable, while only 30% addition of BR powder in KTP was acceptable. Thus, BR powder is potentially used in improving the nutritional composition of KL. However, further study is needed to improve palatability aspect of KTP formulated with BR powder.
Level of heavy metals in marine ecosystem has been intensively studied during recent years as these hazardous substances could be accumulated in the biota. Generally, the presence of contaminants in fish is a result of human activities such as industrial and agricultural wastes. In this study, the marine fish and shellfish from the Straits of Malacca were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometer (ICP-OES) and Flow Injection Mercury System (FIMS) for Cd, As and Pb and Hg, respectively. The Straits of Malacca is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world that make the level of heavy metals potentially high besides the various industrial activities along the west region of Peninsular Malaysia. The range of heavy metals in samples were 1.0-3-6.5-3 µg/ g wet sample for Hg, 0.5-2-47-2 µg/ g wet sample for Cd, 0.01-0.39 µg/ g wet sample for Pb and 0.14-6.57 µg/ g wet sample for As. Most part of the values was below the permitted limit set by FAO/WHO 2004 as well as Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985. Therefore it can be generalized that fish and shellfish from the Straits of Malacca are safe to consume in terms of these heavy metals concentrationand do not constitute a risk for human health.
The main objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of the frying media and storage time on the fatty acid composition (FAC) and iodine value (IV) of deep-fat fried potato chips. The frying experiment was conducted at 180ºC for five consecutive days. Six frying media were considered as the main treatments: refined, bleached, deodorized (RBD) palm olein (A), canola oil (C), RBD palm olein/sesame oil (AB, 1:1 w/w), RBD palm olein/canola oil (AC, 1:1, w/w), sesame oil/canola oil (BC, 1:1, w/w), and RBD palm olein/sesame oil/canola oil (ABC, 1:1:1, w/w/w). The initial degrees of unsaturation of the consumed oils, A, C, AB, AC, BC, and ABC, were 58.6, 94.0, 68.0, 72.2, 87.7, and 75.8 (g/100 g), respectively. The fatty acid analysis showed that there was a decrease in both the linolenic acid (C18:3) and linoleic acid (C18:2) contents, whereas the palmitic acid (C16:0) increased with a prolonged frying time. The chemical analysis showed that there was a significant (p < 0.05) difference in terms of the IV for each frying oil during the five consecutive days of frying (day 0 to 5). Oil C had the least stability in terms of deep-fat frying due to a high level of unsaturated fatty acids. Conversely, oil AC had the best stability due to the smallest reduction of the C18:2/C16:0 ratio and the IV.
A new analytical method was developed for determining formaldehyde (CH2O) in cheese by FTIR spectroscopy. Formaldehyde (CH2O) was also spiked at 0 to 100 mg/100g in freshly prepared cheese. Two sets, each of twenty-one (21) samples, were prepared using the same type of soft white cheese. FTIR spectra were recorded using Attenuated Total Reflectance accessory at room temperature, and the Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression statistical method was used to derive calibration models for the set of samples in triplicates. The spectral region used for correlation and cross validation were set include the data from 1650 – 800 cm–1. As suggested by the correlation and variance spectra. The coefficient of determination (R2) of correlation was found to be 0.986 with average standard error of calibration (SEC) of 2.24 mg/100g, with. The calibration model was validated by using the “leave-one-out” cross-validation method, and the R2 of validation, the standard errors of prediction (Yang and Irudayaraj), and standard deviation (Angulo et al.) of the differences for repeatability and accuracy were computed and found to be 0.9662, 4.07 mg/100g and 4.61, respectively. The results support the premise that FTIR spectroscopy is an efficient, precise and rapid analytical technique for the determination of minor components such as formaldehyde / formalin in cheese samples.
Lard adulteration in processed foods is a major public concern as it involves religion and
health. Most lard discriminating works require huge lab-based equipment and complex sample
preparation. The objective of the present work was to assess the feasibility of dielectric
spectroscopy as a method for classification of fats from different animal sources, in particular,
lard. The dielectric spectra of each animal fat were measured in the radio frequency of 100
Hz – 100 kHz at 45°C to 55°C. The fatty acid composition of each fat was studied by using
data from gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) to explain the dielectric behaviour
of each fat. The principal component analysis (PCA) and artificial neural network (ANN)
were used to classify different animal fats based on their dielectric spectra. It was found that
lard showed the highest dielectric constant spectra among other animal fats, and was mainly
affected by the composition of C16 and C18 fatty acids. PCA classification plot showed clear
performance in classifying different animal fats. Finally, ANN classification showed different
animal fats were classified into their respective groups effectively at high accuracy of 85%.
Dielectric spectroscopy, in combination with quantitative analysis, was concluded to provide
rapid method to discriminate lard from other animal fats.
To study the wound healing efficacy of breadfruit starch hydrolysate, an in vitro wound scratch assay was conducted, in which the migration rate of wounded NIH 3T3 fibroblasts was determined. Wounds treated with lower dextrose equivalent (DE), (DE 10-14) starch hydrolysate were found capable to improve the wound healing of NIH 3T3 fibroblast cell with the percentage of wound closure improvement of 77%, respectively when compared with higher DE range (DE 15-19 and DE 20-24). The findings obtained in the BrdU uptake and MTT viability assays confirmed the wound healing properties of breadfruit starch hydrolysate as the starch hydrolysate-treated wounded NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were able to proliferate well and no cytotoxicity was observed. Together, these findings indicated that the newly developed breadfruit starch hydrolysate performed better than commercial (COM) starch hydrolysate of the same DE ranges. In conclusion, breadfruit starch hydrolysate had better functional properties than did starch hydrolysates derived from other sources and that they could play a beneficial role in wound healing applications.
The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant activities of dietary bitter melon fruit supplemented in male rat model. In this study, three common tests for measuring antioxidant activity of the bitter melon were evaluated using 2, 2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH assay), total phenolic acid assay (TPC assay) and Ferric reducing ability of plasma assa. (FRAP assay). Results showed that the extracting solvent significantly (P
Momordica charantia is known to contain with antioxidant properties and bioactive compounds to lower of diabetic diseases. Objective this study was investigate the influence of ripening stages on the phenolic bioactive substances and the corresponding antioxidant activity of bitter melon (Momordica charantia). The ripening of bitter melon fruit divided to four stages (RS1, RS2, RS3 and RS4). The results of this study were more ripened the fruit, lightness (L * ), yellowish (b * ) and chroma increased. Other ways, more ripened the fruit, the pH value and titratable acidity decreased. Total phenolic content and FRAF of RS 4 was highest compared other samples but DPPH of RS 4 was lowest among all the samples. However DPPH and FRAP value of bitter gourd on ripening stages showed no significant difference (p>0.05) among samples.
The main approach of this study is to develop high fiber bread by utilizing the cocoa-by products, namely cocoa pod husk which is incorporated into whole meal bread. The cocoa pod husk can be classified as one of the source of high fiber. The cocoa pod husk was dried and milled in order to produce the cocoa pod husk powder (CPHP). There were five different percentages of CPHP level incorporated into the high fiber bread which were formulation A (0% CPHP), formulation B (5% CPHP), formulation C (10% CPHP), formulation D (15% CPHP) and formulation E (20% CPHP). All of the samples undergone physical analysis and sensory evaluation. The incorporation of CPHP give significant effects towards bread volume and hardness attribute where the bread became denser and harder in texture as compared to the control. The color of bread crumb and crust was also changed to darker color. For the overall acceptance, formulation B has the highest mean score among the composite breads (formulation B to E) studied.
Impacts and relationships on physicochemical properties in dark chocolate produced from different substitution for cocoa butter by Xanthan gum (XG) and Guar gum (GG) blends were determined using D-optimal mixture design. This study involved three levels of substitution which are 5%, 10% and 15% with constrained cocoa butter content and random blend of gums. Linear design models were applied to analyze parameters including texture (hardness) measurement and melting profile of fat crystal. Products experienced undesirable raises of hardness jointly with the increment of gums incorporation across the level of cocoa butter replacement from 5% to 15%. Similar trend was also agreed with the melting behavior of products as their melting point increased with the gradual diminution of cocoa butter. After all, the replacement of cocoa butter using hydrocolloids was deemed possible as there were products whose melting point and hardness fell in the acceptable range.