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Sequential ultrasonication and deep eutectic solvent pretreatment to remove lignin and recover xylose from oil palm fronds

Ong VZ, Wu TY, Lee CBTL, Cheong NWR, Shak KPY

Ultrason Sonochem, 2019 Nov;58:104598.
PMID: 31450331 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2019.05.015

This study demonstrated the effect of two-pot sequential pretreatment, comprising of ultrasound assisted deep eutectic solvent (DES) with the aim to investigate the effects of ultrasound amplitude and duration in enhancing delignification. Oil palm fronds (OPF) were ultrasonicated in a water medium, followed by a pretreatment using DES (choline chloride:urea). Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, Brunauer-Emmet-Teller and solubilised lignin concentration were conducted to confirm the effectiveness of ultrasound assisted DES on the pretreatment of OPF. The recommended ultrasound conditions were determined to be 70% amplitude and duration of 30 min, where the sequential DES pretreatment was able to reduce lignin content of OPF to 14.01%, while improving xylose recovery by 58%.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/chemistry*
Macaques can contribute to greener practices in oil palm plantations when used as biological pest control

Holzner A, Ruppert N, Swat F, Schmidt M, Weiß BM, Villa G, et al.

Curr Biol, 2019 10 21;29(20):R1066-R1067.
PMID: 31639346 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.09.011

Conversion of tropical forests into oil palm plantations reduces the habitats of many species, including primates, and frequently leads to human-wildlife conflicts. Contrary to the widespread belief that macaques foraging in the forest-oil palm matrix are detrimental crop pests, we show that the impact of macaques on oil palm yield is minor. More importantly, our data suggest that wild macaques have the potential to act as biological pest control by feeding on plantation rats, the major pest for oil palm crops, with each macaque group estimated to reduce rat populations by about 3,000 individuals per year (mitigating annual losses of 112 USD per hectare). If used for rodent control in place of the conventional method of poison, macaques could provide an important ecosystem service and enhance palm oil sustainability.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae*
Fulltext RNA-seq data of Ganoderma boninense at axenic culture condition and under in planta pathogen-oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) interaction

Wong MY, Govender NT, Ong CS

BMC Res Notes, 2019 Sep 24;12(1):631.
PMID: 31551084 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-019-4652-y

OBJECTIVE: Basal stem rot disease causes severe economic losses to oil palm production in South-east Asia and little is known on the pathogenicity of the pathogen, the basidiomyceteous Ganoderma boninense. Our data presented here aims to identify both the house-keeping and pathogenicity genes of G. boninense using Illumina sequencing reads.
DESCRIPTION: The hemibiotroph G. boninense establishes via root contact during early stage of colonization and subsequently kills the host tissue as the disease progresses. Information on the pathogenicity factors/genes that causes BSR remain poorly understood. In addition, the molecular expressions corresponding to G. boninense growth and pathogenicity are not reported. Here, six transcriptome datasets of G. boninense from two contrasting conditions (three biological replicates per condition) are presented. The first datasets, collected from a 7-day-old axenic condition provide an insight onto genes responsible for sustenance, growth and development of G. boninense while datasets of the infecting G. boninense collected from oil palm-G. boninense pathosystem (in planta condition) at 1 month post-inoculation offer a comprehensive avenue to understand G. boninense pathogenesis and infection especially in regard to molecular mechanisms and pathways. Raw sequences deposited in Sequence Read Archive (SRA) are available at NCBI SRA portal with PRJNA514399, bioproject ID.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/microbiology
Characterization and properties of cellulose microfibers from water hyacinth filled sago starch biocomposites

Syafri E, Jamaluddin, Wahono S, Irwan A, Asrofi M, Sari NH, et al.

Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 Sep 15;137:119-125.
PMID: 31252021 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.06.174

The cellulose microfibers (CMF) from water hyacinth (WH) fiber as a filler in sago starch (SS) biocomposites was investigated. The CMF was isolated by pulping, bleaching and acid hydrolysis methods. The addition of CMF in sago matrix was varied i.e. 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt%. Biocomposites were made by using solution casting and glycerol as a plasticizer. The biocomposites were also determined by tensile test, FTIR, X-Ray, thermogravimetric, SEM, and soil burial tests. The results show that the SS15CMF sample has the highest tensile strength of 10.23 MPa than those other samples. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images show that the strong interaction was formed between CMF WH and matrix. Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) indicated that the functional group of biocomposites was a hydrophilic cluster. The addition of CMF WH in sago starch biocomposites lead to the moisture barrier, crystallinity, and thermal stability increased; it is due to the pure sago starch film was more rapidly degraded than its biocomposites.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/chemistry*
HPLC profiling of phenolics and flavonoids of Adonidia merrillii fruits and their antioxidant and cytotoxic properties

Vafaei A, Bin Mohamad J, Karimi E

Nat Prod Res, 2019 Sep;33(17):2531-2535.
PMID: 29527930 DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2018.1448810

In this study the antioxidant and cytotoxicity activity of the Adonidia merrillii fruits were investigated using different solvent polarities (methanol, ethyl acetate and water). The results showed that the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the methanolic extract was higher compare with other extract with respective values of 17.80 ± 0.45 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight (DW) and 5.43 ± 0.33 mg rutin equivalents/g DW. Beside that The RP-HPLC analyses indicated the presence of gallic acid, pyrogallol, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, naringin and rutin. In the DPPH, NO2 and ABTS scavenging assays, the methanolic extract exhibited higher antioxidant activity as compared to the ethyl acetate and water extracts. The extracts exhibited moderate to weak cytotoxic activity in the assays using human hepatocytes (Chang liver cells) and NIH/3T3 (fibroblasts cell) cell lines. The findings showed the Adonidia merrillii fruit extracts to possess considerable antioxidant and cytotoxicity properties. The fruit, therefore, is a potential candidate for further work to discover antioxidant and cytotoxic drugs from natural sources.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/chemistry*
Silylation of TEMPO oxidized nanocellulose from oil palm empty fruit bunch by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane

Indarti E, Marwan, Rohaizu R, Wanrosli WD

Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 Aug 15;135:106-112.
PMID: 31128174 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.05.161

Silylated cellulose has been successfully synthesized using TEMPO-oxidized nanocellulose (TEMPO-NC) from oil palm empty fruit bunch and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) in an ethanol/water medium at a low curing temperature of 40 °C as compared to those reported in the literature of above 100 °C. Confirmation of the grafting process can be seen from the new FTIR peaks at 810 cm-1 and 749 cm-1 which are attributed to the SiC stretching and SiC, and new 13C NMR signals at 10.3, 21.7 and 42.7 ppm which are assigned to C7, C8, and C9 of the silylated TEMPO-NC. The decrease in the intensities of the cellulose peaks of C2, C3, C6 and C6' in the 13C NMR indicates that silylation not only occurs on the hydroxyls, but more importantly on the TEMPO-NC carboxylic moiety of C6', which is postulated as being the primary factor for this successful modification. This is further corroborated by the emergence of three signals at 43, 61, and 69 ppm in the 29Si NMR spectrum which corresponds to Si(OSi)(OR)2R', Si(OSi)2(OR)R', and Si(OSi)3R' units respectively. Additional evidence is provided by the EDX which shows an increase in Si weight percent of 1.94 after reaction. This silylated cellulose from OPEFB has the potentials to be used as bionanocomposite reinforcing elements.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/chemistry*
Fulltext Densities of Bornean orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) in heavily degraded forest and oil palm plantations in Sabah, Borneo

Seaman DJI, Bernard H, Ancrenaz M, Coomes D, Swinfield T, Milodowski DT, et al.

Am J Primatol, 2019 08;81(8):e23030.
PMID: 31328289 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23030

The conversion of forest to agriculture continues to contribute to the loss and fragmentation of remaining orang-utan habitat. There are still few published estimates of orang-utan densities in these heavily modified agricultural areas to inform range-wide population assessments and conservation strategies. In addition, little is known about what landscape features promote orang-utan habitat use. Using indirect nest count methods, we implemented surveys and estimated population densities of the Northeast Bornean orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) across the continuous logged forest and forest remnants in a recently salvage-logged area and oil palm plantations in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We then assessed the influence of landscape features and forest structural metrics obtained from LiDAR data on estimates of orang-utan density. Recent salvage logging appeared to have a little short-term effect on orang-utan density (2.35 ind/km 2 ), which remained similar to recovering logged forest nearby (2.32 ind/km 2 ). Orang-utans were also present in remnant forest patches in oil palm plantations, but at significantly lower numbers (0.82 ind/km 2 ) than nearby logged forest and salvage-logged areas. Densities were strongly influenced by variation in canopy height but were not associated with other potential covariates. Our findings suggest that orang-utans currently exist, at least in the short-term, within human-modified landscapes, providing that remnant forest patches remain. We urge greater recognition of the role that these degraded habitats can have in supporting orang-utan populations, and that future range-wide analyses and conservation strategies better incorporate data from human-modified landscapes.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae
Fulltext Palm-Pressed Mesocarp Fibre Oil as an Alternative Carrier Oil in Emulsion

Teh SS, Lau HLN, Mah SH

J Oleo Sci, 2019 Aug 01;68(8):803-808.
PMID: 31292345 DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess19098

Refined palm-pressed mesocarp fibre oil (PPFO), which can be obtained from one of the by-products of palm oil milling, palm-pressed mesocarp fibre, is categorized as palm sludge oil. So far, it has been given less attention and underutilized until some recent scientific reports revealing its high content of phytonutrients, carotenoids and vitamin E, which have been proven scientifically to possess anti-oxidant activity. The study evaluated the stability of PPFO as a carrier for plant-based emulsion. PPFO was extracted and examined for its positional distribution of fatty acids, saturation levels and iodine value (IV) using NMR spectroscopy. The PPFO-based emulsion was then prepared and subjected to stability tests, including temperature variation, centrifuge test, cycle test, pH and slip melting point for 28 days. Phase separation was observed from PPFO-based emulsion stored at 40℃ from day-21 onwards while no creaming found in all the palm olein-based emulsions stored at the three storage temperatures. Nevertheless, results indicated that the PPFO-based emulsion passed all the tests above showing insignificant phase separation (p > 0.05) compared with those of palm olein commonly used in emulsion preparation. The findings suggested that PPFO enriched with valuable phytonutrients could be used as an alternative carrier oil in emulsion formulation, which is an important component in personal care products.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/chemistry
Transcriptomic data of mature oil palm basal trunk tissue infected with Ganoderma boninense

Othman NQ, Sulaiman S, Lee YP, Tan JS

Data Brief, 2019 Aug;25:104288.
PMID: 31453289 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2019.104288

To date, Ganoderma boninense is known to be the causal agent of basal stem rot (BSR) disease in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). This disease causes rotting in the roots, basal and upper stem of oil palm. Infection causes progressive destruction of the basal tissues at the oil palm trunk and internal dry rotting, particularly at the intersection between the bole and trunk. Molecular responses of oil palm during infection are not well study although this information is crucial to strategize effective measures to control or eliminate BSR. Here we report three sets of transcriptome data from samples of near-rot section of basal stem tissue of oil palm tree infected with G. boninense (IPIT), healthy section of basal stem tissue of the same G. boninense infected palm (IPHT) and the healthy section of basal stem tissue of the healthy palm (HPHT). The raw reads were deposited into NCBI database and can be accessed via BioProject accession number PRJNA530030.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae
Fulltext The dataset for antifeedant activity of eugenol derived compounds against red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, Olivier) larvae

Yan TK, Asari A, Abdullah S, Ismail M, Azmi WA

Data Brief, 2019 Aug;25:104227.
PMID: 31367662 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2019.104227

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus or red palm weevil (RPW) is a destructive insect pest of major cultivated palms such as coconut, date and oil palm. One of the control management of RPW is trunk injection using monocrotophos or methamidophos, but these chemicals are found to affect ecosystems and human health. Thus, we aimed to determine a bio-pesticide to replace these synthetic chemicals. We tested the antifeedant activity of three eugenol-based compounds as potential control agent against RPW larvae in vitro condition for two weeks. All these compounds show significant effect as feeding deterrent agent on 4th instar larvae, while WN16 (4-allyl-2-methoxy-1-(4-trifluoromethyl-benzyloxy)-benzene) shows the highest feeding deterrent index (FDI = 64.42%). Here we present the data regarding the biological aspect on treated RPW larvae as well as antifeedant activity index of these eugenol derived compounds.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae
Fulltext Preparation of Chitosan-Hexaconazole Nanoparticles as Fungicide Nanodelivery System for Combating Ganoderma Disease in Oil Palm

Maluin FN, Hussein MZ, Yusof NA, Fakurazi S, Idris AS, Zainol Hilmi NH, et al.

Molecules, 2019 Jul 08;24(13).
PMID: 31288497 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24132498

Fungicide is used to control fungal disease by destroying and inhibiting the fungus or fungal spores that cause the disease. However, failure to deliver fungicide to the disease region leads to ineffectiveness in the disease control. Hence, in the present study, nanotechnology has enabled the fungicide active agents (hexaconazole) to be encapsulated into chitosan nanoparticles with the aim of developing a fungicide nanodelivery system that can transport them more effectively to the target cells (Ganoderma fungus). A pathogenic fungus, Ganoderma boninense (G. boninense), is destructive to oil palm whereby it can cause significant loss to oil palm plantations located in the Southeast Asian countries, especially Malaysia and Indonesia. In regard to this matter, a series of chitosan nanoparticles loaded with the fungicide, hexaconazole, was prepared using various concentrations of crosslinking agent sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). The resulting particle size revealed that the increase of the TPP concentration produced smaller particles. In addition, the in vitro fungicide released at pH 5.5 demonstrated that the fungicide from the nanoparticles was released in a sustainable manner with a prolonged release time up to 86 h. On another note, the in vitro antifungal studies established that smaller particle size leads to lower half maximum effective concentration (EC50) value, which indicates higher antifungal activity against G. boninense.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/microbiology*
Mechanistic investigation of phytochemicals involved in green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using aqueous Elaeis guineensis leaves extract: Role of phenolic compounds and flavonoids

Ahmad T, Bustam MA, Irfan M, Moniruzzaman M, Asghar HMA, Bhattacharjee S

Biotechnol Appl Biochem, 2019 Jul;66(4):698-708.
PMID: 31172593 DOI: 10.1002/bab.1787

Phytosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has achieved an indispensable significance due to the diverse roles played by biomolecules in directing the physiochemical characteristics of biosynthesized nanoparticles. Therefore, the precise identification of key bioactive compounds involved in producing AuNPs is vital to control their tunable characteristics for potential applications. Herein, qualitative and quantitative determination of key biocompounds contributing to the formation of AuNPs using aqueous Elaeis guineensis leaves extract is reported. Moreover, roles of phenolic compounds and flavonoids in reduction of Au3+ and stabilization of AuNPs have been elucidated by establishing a reaction mechanism. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed shifting of O─H stretching vibrations toward longer wavenumbers and C═O toward shorter wavenumbers due to involvement of polyphenolic compounds in biosynthesis and oxidation of polyphenolic into carboxylic compounds, respectively, which cape nanoparticles to inhibit the aggregation. Congruently, pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the major contribution of polyphenolic compounds in the synthesis of AuNPs, which was further endorsed by reduction of total phenolic and total flavonoids contents from 48.08 ± 1.98 to 9.59 ± 0.92 mg GAE/g and 32.02 ± 1.31 to 13.8 ± 0.97 mg CE/g within 60 Min, respectively. Based on experimental results, reaction mechanism explained the roles of phenolic compounds and flavonoids in producing spherical-shaped AuNPs.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/chemistry
Fulltext Microbial Diversity in Decaying Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) and Isolation of Lignin-degrading Bacteria from a Tropical Environment

Tahir AA, Mohd Barnoh NF, Yusof N, Mohd Said NN, Utsumi M, Yen AM, et al.

Microbes Environ, 2019 Jun 27;34(2):161-168.
PMID: 31019143 DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.ME18117

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) are the most abundant, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly lignocellulosic biomass in Malaysia. Investigations on the microbial diversity of decaying OPEFB may reveal microbes with complex enzymes that have the potential to enhance the conversion of lignocellulose into second-generation biofuels as well as the production of other value-added products. In the present study, fungal and bacterial diversities in decaying OPEFB were identified using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene and V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene. Fungal diversity in decaying OPEFB was dominated by the phylum Ascomycota (14.43%), while most of the bacterial sequences retrieved belonged to Proteobacteria (76.71%). Three bacterial strains isolated from decaying OPEFB, designated as S18, S20, and S36, appeared to grow with extracted OPEFB-lignin and Kraft lignin (KL) as the sole carbon source. 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified the 3 isolates as Paenibacillus sp.. The molecular weight distribution of KL before and after degradation showed significant depolymerization when treated with bacterial strains S18, S20, and S36. The presence of low-molecular-weight lignin-related compounds, such as vanillin and 2-methoxyphenol derivatives, which were detected by a GC-MS analysis, confirmed the KL-degrading activities of isolated Paenibacillus strains.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/microbiology*
The structural characterization and antioxidant properties of oil palm fronds lignin incorporated with p-hydroxyacetophenone

Latif NHA, Rahim AA, Brosse N, Hussin MH

Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 Jun 01;130:947-957.
PMID: 30851323 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.03.032

This study reports on the effects of unmodified autohydrolyzed ethanol organosolv lignin (AH EOL) and modified autohydrolyzed ethanol organosolv lignin on the structural characteristics and antioxidant properties upon incorporation of p-hydroxyacetophenone (AHP EOL). The lignin samples isolated from black liquor of oil palm fronds (OPF) were evaluated and compared using various complementary analyses; FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, 2D-NMR spectroscopy (HMBC and HSQC), CHN, GPC, HPLC and thermal analyses (TGA and DSC). Chemically modified organosolv lignin (AHP EOL) provided lignin with lower molecular weight (Mw), which has smaller fragments that leads to higher solubility rate in water in comparison to unmodified organosolv lignin, AH EOL (DAHP EOL: 19.8% > DAH EOL: 14.0%). It was evident that the antioxidant properties of modified organosolv lignin has better reducing power in comparison to the unmodified organosolv lignin. Therefore, the functionalization of lignin polymers enhanced their antioxidant properties and structural features towards a various alternative approach in lignin-based applications.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/chemistry*
Differential expression of heat shock and floral regulatory genes in pseudocarpel initials of mantled female inflorescences from Elaeis guineensis Jacq

Ooi SE, Sarpan N, Abdul Aziz N, Nuraziyan A, Ong-Abdullah M

Plant Reprod, 2019 06;32(2):167-179.
PMID: 30467592 DOI: 10.1007/s00497-018-0350-5

KEY MESSAGE: Transcriptomes generated by laser capture microdissected abnormal staminodes revealed adoption of carpel programming during organ initiation with decreased expression of numerousHSPs,EgDEF1, EgGLO1but increasedLEAFYexpression. The abnormal mantled phenotype in oil palm involves a feminization of the male staminodes into pseudocarpels in pistillate inflorescences. Previous studies on oil palm flowering utilized entire inflorescences or spikelets, which comprised not only the male and female floral organs, but the surrounding tissues as well. Laser capture microdissection coupled with RNA sequencing was conducted to investigate the specific transcriptomes of male and female floral organs from normal and mantled female inflorescences. A higher number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in abnormal versus normal male organs compared with abnormal versus normal female organs. In addition, the abnormal male organ transcriptome closely mimics the transcriptome of abnormal female organ. While the transcriptome of abnormal female organ was relatively similar to the normal female organ, a substantial amount of female DEGs encode HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN genes (HSPs). A similar high amount (20%) of male DEGs encode HSPs as well. As these genes exhibited decreased expression in abnormal floral organs, mantled floral organ development may be associated with lower stress indicators. Stamen identity genes EgDEF1 and EgGLO1 were the main floral regulatory genes with decreased expression in abnormal male organs or pseudocarpel initials. Expression of several floral transcription factors was elevated in pseudocarpel initials, notably LEAFY, FIL and DL orthologs, substantiating the carpel specification programming of abnormal staminodes. Specific transcriptomes thus obtained through this approach revealed a host of differentially regulated genes in pseudocarpel initials compared to normal male staminodes.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/genetics*
Fulltext Linkage-based genome assembly improvement of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis)

Ong AL, Teh CK, Kwong QB, Tangaya P, Appleton DR, Massawe F, et al.

Sci Rep, 2019 04 29;9(1):6619.
PMID: 31036825 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42989-y

Meiotic crossovers in outbred species, such as oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq., 2n = 32) contribute to allelic re-assortment in the genome. Such genetic variation is usually exploited in breeding to combine positive alleles for trait superiority. A good quality reference genome is essential for identifying the genetic factors underlying traits of interest through linkage or association studies. At the moment, an AVROS pisifera genome is publicly available for oil palm. Distribution and frequency of crossovers throughout chromosomes in different origins of oil palm are still unclear. Hence, an ultrahigh-density genomic linkage map of a commercial Deli dura x AVROS pisifera family was constructed using the OP200K SNP array, to evaluate the genetic alignment with the genome assembly. A total of 27,890 linked SNP markers generated a total map length of 1,151.7 cM and an average mapping interval of 0.04 cM. Nineteen linkage groups represented 16 pseudo-chromosomes of oil palm, with 61.7% of the mapped SNPs present in the published genome. Meanwhile, the physical map was also successfully extended from 658 Mb to 969 Mb by assigning unplaced scaffolds to the pseudo-chromosomes. A genic linkage map with major representation of sugar and lipid biosynthesis pathways was subsequently built for future studies on oil related quantitative trait loci (QTL). This study improves the current physical genome of the commercial oil palm, and provides important insights into its recombination landscape, eventually unlocking the full potential genome sequence-enabled biology for oil palm.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae
Improving the environmental impact of palm kernel shell through maximizing its production of hydrogen and syngas using advanced artificial intelligence

Rezk H, Nassef AM, Inayat A, Sayed ET, Shahbaz M, Olabi AG

Sci Total Environ, 2019 Mar 25;658:1150-1160.
PMID: 30677979 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.284

Fossil fuel depletion and the environmental concerns have been under discussion for energy production for many years and finding new and renewable energy sources became a must. Biomass is considered as a net zero CO2 energy source. Gasification of biomass for H2 and syngas production is an attractive process. The main target of this research is to improve the production of hydrogen and syngas from palm kernel shell (PKS) steam gasification through defining the optimal operating parameters' using a modern optimization algorithm. To predict the gaseous outputs, two PKS models were built using fuzzy logic based on the experimental data sets. A radial movement optimizer (RMO) was applied to determine the system's optimal operating parameters. During the optimization process, the decision variables were represented by four different operating parameters. These parameters include; temperature, particle size, CaO/biomass ratio and coal bottom ash (CBA) with their operating ranges of (650-750 °C), (0.5-1 mm), (0.5-2) and wt% (0.02-0.10), respectively. The individual and interactive effects of different combinations were investigated on the production of H2 and syngas yield. The optimized results were compared with experimental data and results obtained from Response Surface Methodology (RSM) reported in literature. The obtained optimal values of the operating parameters through RMO were found 722 °C, 0.92 mm, 1.72 and 0.06 wt% for the temperature, particle size, CaO/biomass ratio and coal bottom ash, respectively. The results showed that syngas production was significantly improved as it reached 65.44 vol% which was better than that obtained in earlier studies.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/chemistry*
Applicability assessment of empty fruit bunches from palm oil mills for use as bio-solid refuse fuels

Yoo HM, Park SW, Seo YC, Kim KH

J Environ Manage, 2019 Mar 15;234:1-7.
PMID: 30599325 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.035

Palm kernel shells (PKS), empty fruit bunches (EFB), and trunks are by-products of the palm oil industry and form approximately 50 wt % of fresh fruit bunch (FFB). In particular, EFB accounts for approximately 20 wt % of FFB. Although large amounts of EFB are generated from palm oil mills every year in Indonesia and Malaysia, EFB is treated as waste because commercial technologies for thermo-chemical conversion of EFB into renewable energy are still under development. A robust conversion method can transform EFB into an appealing renewable energy source. In order to secure this renewable energy source, Korea can import EFB as biomass. This paper investigates literature on the status of utilization of EFB, by-products from palm oil mills in order to identify the best available technological process to use EFB as bio-solid refuse fuels (SRF). Meanwhile, physico-chemical analyses (proximate, elemental, and calorific value analyses), biomass and heavy metal content were measured in order to assess whether EFB would be suitable for use as a bio-SRF, in accordance with the Korean quality standard for SRF. According to the analysis results, EFB showed applicability to use as bio-SRF; main analysis results - moisture (9.63 wt %), ash (5.94 wt %), biomass content (97.82 wt %) and calorific value (3668 kcal kg).

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae*
Molecular characterization of Phytophthora palmivora responsible for bud rot disease of oil palm in Colombia

Maizatul-Suriza M, Dickinson M, Idris AS

World J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2019 Feb 27;35(3):44.
PMID: 30810828 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-019-2618-9

Bud rot disease is a damaging disease of oil palm in Colombia. The pathogen responsible for this disease is a species of oomyctes, Phytophthora palmivora which is also the causal pathogen of several tropical crop diseases such as fruit rot and stem canker of cocoa, rubber, durian and jackfruit. No outbreaks of bud rot have been reported in oil palm in Malaysia or other Southeast Asian countries, despite this particular species being present in the region. Analysis of the genomic sequences of several genetic markers; the internal transcribe spacer regions (ITS) of the ribosomal RNA gene cluster, beta-tubulin gene, translation elongation factor 1 alpha gene (EF-1α), cytochrome c oxidase subunit I & II (COXI and COXII) gene cluster along with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses have been carried out to investigate the genetic diversity and variation of P. palmivora isolates from around the world and from different hosts in comparison to Colombian oil palm isolates, as one of the steps in understanding why this species of oomycetes causes devastating damage to oil palm in Latin America but not in other regions. Phylogenetic analyses of these regions showed that the Colombian oil palm isolates were not separated from Malaysian isolates. AFLP analysis and a new marker PPHPAV, targeting an unclassified hypothetical protein, was found to be able to differentiate Malaysian and Colombian isolates and showed a clear clade separations. Despite this, pathogenicity studies did not show any significant differences in the level of aggressiveness of different isolates against oil palm in glasshouse tests.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/microbiology*
Metagenomics analysis reveals significant modulation of cecal microbiota of broilers fed palm kernel expeller diets

Chen WL, Tang SGH, Jahromi MF, Candyrine SCL, Idrus Z, Abdullah N, et al.

Poult Sci, 2019 Jan 01;98(1):56-68.
PMID: 30137571 DOI: 10.3382/ps/pey366

The potential use of palm kernel expeller (PKE) as an alternative energy source in broiler diets is limited by the high fiber content. Although enzymatic treatment could alleviate the fiber component and increase the nutritive value of PKE, this apparent improvement is not reflected in the growth response of birds fed with the treated-PKE. As chicken's ceca are the most heavily populated with microflora within their gastrointestinal tract, it was hypothesized that any modulation of the intestinal environment by dietary treatments should be reflected by the composition and activities of the cecal microflora. There is a correlation between cecal microbiota composition and the efficiency of the host to extract energy from the diet and to deposit that energy into improved feed conversion ratio. At present, little is known about the changes on cecal microflora of broilers fed with PKE diets. Hence, this study was designed to assess the effects of feeding different forms of PKE; namely untreated PKE (UPKE), enzyme-treated PKE (EPKE), and oligosaccharides extracted from PKE (OligoPKE), on the cecal microbiota of broiler chickens at 14 d old (day 14) and 28 d old (day 28) using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput next-generation sequencing method. The results showed that temporal changes in cecal microbiota of broiler chickens were evident on day 14 and day 28. The relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes, known to be involved in nutrient uptake and absorption in both age groups was higher in the UPKE as compared to EPKE group. In addition, supplementation of OligoPKE increased (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of Lactobacillus on both D14 and D28, signifying its effect as prebiotics in enhancing growth of indigenous Lactobacillus. Our results showed that cecal microbiota was significantly modulated by dietary treatments and that the lower relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes in chickens fed with EPKE could be a reason why broiler chickens fed with EPKE of higher metabolizable energy (ME) content did not show improvement in their growth performance.

Matched MeSH terms: Arecaceae/chemistry

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