The capacity of crustaceans to biosynthesise long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids has yet to be fully defined, due to the lack of evidence on the functional activities of enzymes involved in desaturation or elongation of fatty acid substrates. We report here the cloning and in vitro functional analysis of an elongase from the orange mud crab, Scylla olivacea. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis placed the elovl close to the vertebrate Elovl1 and Elovl7 clade, which is distinct from the other remaining five Elovl families. The elongase was also clustered together with several elongases from crustaceans and insects. This elongase showed activities towards 16:1n-7, and at lower rate, linoleic acid (18:2n-6) and linolenic acid (18:3n-3). To our knowledge this is the first description of a functional enzyme involved in biosynthesis of long-chained polyunsaturated fatty acids in a crustacean species. Expression of the S. olivacea elovl7-like mRNA was prominent in stomach, intestine and gill tissues, due to the need to regulate the permeability of epithelial tissue through modification of fatty acid compositions. The implication of our findings, in terms of ability of Crustacea phylum to biosynthesise polyunsaturated fatty acids is discussed.
Serving raw oysters with lemon juice is a delicacy in many restaurants in
Malaysia. Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) live in the seacoast and they share the same
environment as Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Consumption of raw oysters contaminated with V.
parahaemolyticus can lead to severe gastroenteritis. A study was performed to determine
whether lemon (Citrus limon) juice is able to inhibit the growth of V. parahaemolyticus after
being inoculated in raw oysters. Methods: Frozen oysters bought from a local supplier
weighing 6 g each were minced and placed in two bottles using sterile technique.
Approximately 1 ml of 107 CFU of V. parahaemolyticus (ATCC strain 17802) was added and
mixed in both bottles. The mixture was treated with 1 ml of lemon juice in only one of the
bottles and the other bottle served as a control. At every 30 s intervals for 2 min, 1 g of the
sample was taken for enumeration of viable cells onto thiosulphate citrate bile salt sucrose
(TCBS). Results: After 30 s of treatment with the lemon juice, it was observed that the
number of colonies in the treated samples reduced from 7 Log to 3 Log. Subsequently, no
viable V. parahaemolyticus was seen. It was also observed that there were 3 Log reductions
of V. parahaemolyticus after 30 s in untreated samples, however the number of colonies
remained stable until the end of the experiment. Conclusion: This study therefore shows
that lemon juice has some antimicrobial effect on V. parahaemolyticus in raw oysters.
This study was aimed to determine the ovarian maturation stages of wild and captive orange mud crab, Scylla olivacea fed with different diets via gonadosomatic status, oocyte diameter and histological examinations. Captive crabs were fed with blood cockle, Anadara granosa, or fish, Decapterus spp. Through the histological examinations, ovarian maturation stages of wild and captive S. olivaceawas classified into four stages: Immature (Stage 1), Early maturing (Stage 2), Pre-maturing (Stage 3) and Fully matured (Stage 4). Gonadosomatic Index of wild and captive crabs remained low during immature and 2 but increased significantly (p<0.05) in pre-maturing and 4 ovaries. Oocytes size were significantly different (p<0.05) in all ovarian maturation stages of wild and captive crabs. Follicle cells surround the oocyte of immature ovary and small yolk globules start to appear in early maturing ovary with large nucleus size. Oocyte size increased significantly (p<0.05) and yolk globule obviously appeared in pre-maturing ovary. Large and fused yolk globules appeared in the oocytes of fully matured ovary with nucleus was barely visible. The present study revealed that, ovarian maturation stages of S. olivacea are closely related to its morphological appearance and cellular development.
The present paper contains two datasets; i) the growth band count (GBC) of mud crab, Scylla olivacea collected from Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu coastal water, East coast of Peninsular Malaysia and ii) the increment sizes of body weight (BW) and carapace width (CW) of immature S. olivace after molting. The datasets presented here were associated with the research articles entitled i) "Study on carapace width growth band counts relationship of orange mud crab, S. olivacea (Herbst, 1796) from Terengganu Coastal Waters, Malaysia" (Hasyima-Ismail et al. 2017) [1] and ii) "Relationship between the carapace width and body weight increments and the confirmation of Stage 1 ovary after the molting of immature orange mud crabs, S. olivacea (Herbst, 1796), in captivity" (Amin-Safwan et al. 2019-2020) [2], and provided here as raw data of Supplementary materials. Raw datasets for GBC in the wild were generated by examination of the thin cross sectioning process of the gastric mill of S. olivacea. The GBC were measured for each individual crab wherein band counts ranged from 1 to 3. The analysis provides evidence that the GBC of the crabs can be determined through both mesocardiac and zygocardiac ossicles. This data is of importance to researchers for estimation of stock assessment and improvement of fisheries management to further improve policy. For the BW-CW increment data, a total of 135 immature crabs were sampled from Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu, Malaysia, and were introduced to limb autotomy technique in order to induced molt. Crabs were reared until successful molting and immediately prior to hardened shell, before final measurement of body weight and carapace width determination. Recorded data was analyzed by calculating the increment sizes, along with correlation and regression analysis between body weight and carapace width of mud crabs.
Citrus is one of the major commodities in many countries including Malaysia.
However, production of citrus including Citrus suhuiensis (C. suhuiensis) is declining due to
diseases and inability to withstand low temperatures. Plant cultures such as cell suspension have the
potential in propagating disease-free and healthy Citrus fruits with value-added characteristics.
However, studies related to C. suhuiensis is still scarce. Therefore, the growth kinetics of C.
suhuiensis cell suspension culture was studied. Friable callus of C. suhuiensis which was induced
from seeds was inoculated into MS medium with 30 g/L sucrose, 0.5 g/L malt extract and 2.0 mg/L
2, 4-D for the cell suspension initiation. Several batch experiments using a few types of sugars
(sucrose, glucose and fructose) were carried out. The cell dry weight (CDW) of C. suhuiensis was
recorded for 30 days of culture period and residual sugars in the medium were analyzed using
HPLC. Cells grown in 30 g/L sucrose achieved the highest CDW (9.559 g/L) with µmax equals to
0.00512/h, compared to glucose and fructose. In addition, sucrose is the preferred carbon source
with the highest uptake rate (0.213 g/L·h). Cells completely hydrolyzed sucrose into glucose and
fructose after 5 days of inoculation. All sugars were completely utilized by C. suhuiensis cells after
25 days. The kinetic growth parameters determined from batch experiments were then used for
model simulation and verification in MATHCAD 15. After adjustments and refinement to the
selected kinetic parameters, the model has fairly described and predicted the growth and sugars
profile of C. suhuiensis cells. The proposed model can be used to predict sucrose hydrolysis, glucose
and fructose formation from sucrose and their consumption by plant cells and also for larger scale
of growth.
Collagen was isolated from threadfin bream (Nemipterus japonicas) waste (mixture of scale and fin) by using 0.5 M citric acid or calamansi juice (Citrofortunella microcarpa) for 12 and 24 hrs at 4°C. The physico-chemical characteristics of the collagens were then compared with the commercial collagen. Shorter extraction time (12 hrs) and extraction using calamansi juice resulted in higher yield. The yield was 22% (12 hrs) and 20.37% (24 hrs) for collagen extracted using calamansi juice and 8.3% (12 hrs) and 6.9% (24 hrs) for collagen extracted using citric acid. Collagen extracted using calamansi juice were light yellow (L = 93.70, a = -1.84, b = 13.44) while citric acid collagens were white (L = 94.82, a = 0.31, b = 0.20). Sensory evaluation on odor recognition test showed that collagen extracted with calamansi juice has a pleasant
natural fragrance which is sweet citrus. Electrophoresis profile indicated that the collagen were of type I comprising of α1 and α2 chains. Threadfin bream collagen contained higher amount of imino acids proline (254.72 to 275.50/1000 residues) and hydroxyproline (7.56 to 13.50/1000 residues) than commercial collagen which is 21.25 and 5.16/1000 residues, respectively. Maximum transition temperature (Tmax) falls within a close range for all the collagens ranging from 24.81 to 25.91°C. Calamansi juice collagens were more viscous compared to others. The extraction of threadfin bream collagen for 12 hrs using calamansi juice generally leads to collagen characterised by pleasant odor, reasonably high yield and more viscous. Therefore, natural source such as calamansi juice could be an alternative medium for collagen extraction.
Murraya paniculata (Linn) Jack (Orange Jasmine), known as "Kemuning Putih" in Malaysia, has been widely used as food flavor additive in cuisine by local residences. This is due to the strong fragrances of the leaves which make it suitable to be used in Indian and Malay dishes. Besides as a flavoring, leaves, branches, stem barks and roots of the plant are used in folk medicine to treat dysentery and morning sickness. Flowers of the plants are used in cosmetics. Since 1970’s, flavonoids and coumarins were isolated from Murraya paniculata, but no further bioactivity has been tested from the isolated compounds. The aim of this paper is to review and update the research related to chemical constituents and bioactivities of Murraya paniculata (L) Jack.
The aim of this study is to determine the total phenolic content and primary antioxidant activity of methanolic and ethanolic extracts of four aromatic plants’ leaves namely knotweed (Polygonum minus), curry (Murraya koenigii), kaffir lime (Citrus hysrix) and fragrant screwpine (Pandanus odurus). Total phenolic content (TPC) assay using Folin-Ciocalteu method was used to assess the presence and level of phenolic compounds in each sample. The present study showed that both methanolic and ethanolic extracts of P. minus had the highest TPC and followed by M. koenigii, C. hystrix and P. odorus. Primary antioxidant activity in terms of free radical scavenging activities of both methanolic and ethanolic extracts was then measured by 2, 2, diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity assay. The lowest EC50 values based on the DPPH. radical scavenging activity were shown by P. minus extracts as compared to the other samples. For both ethanolic and methanolic extracts, the correlations between TPC and EC50 based on the DPPH. radical scavenging activity assay were negative and weak. Relatively, the present results suggest that of the four aromaticplants, P. minus and M. koenigii have shown potential as sources of natural antioxidants.
The demand for novel antimicrobial agents from natural resources has been increased worldwide for food conservation purpose. In this study antimicrobial activity of musk lime, key lime and lemon were evaluated against various food borne pathogens and spoilage bacteria using disc diffusion test. Type of extraction solvent and concentration level significantly influenced the antibacterial activity of all the extracts. Ethanol extracts of musk lime, key lime and lemon exhibited significant broadest inhibitory activity at 100% concentration level (pure extract) compared to water and juice extracts. 100% ethanol extracts of musk lime (39.7 mm), key lime (26.7 mm) and lemon (32.0 mm) exhibited the largest diameter of inhibition zone (DIZ) against Aeromonas veronii. 100% water extracts of musk lime (25.3 mm), key lime juice extract (23.3 mm) and water extracts of lemon (23.7 mm) was most effective against food spoilage bacteria, A. veronii. The prominent results of the antimicrobial activity from lime, key lime and lemon extracts may attribute them as potential natural food preservatives and could be used in pharmaceuticals field.
This study aims to determine the antioxidant capacities (AC) and antidiabetic properties of
phenolic extracts (free and bound) from white Tambun pomelo peels, kaffir lime peels, lime
peels and calamansi peels. AC, total phenolic content (TPC) and antidiabetic properties of
selected citrus peels extracts were determined spectrophotometrically using 2,2-Diphenyl-1-
picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) scavenging, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP),
Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition assay, respectively. This
study found that the methanolic extract of kaffir lime showed the best AC with the lowest
IC50 value of DPPH radical (7.51 ± 0.50 mg/ml) and highest FRAP value [369.48 ± 20.15
mM Fe (II) E/g DW]. TPC of free phenolic extracts of all citrus peels were significantly (p<
0.05) higher compared to the bound phenolic extracts with extract of calamansi showed the
highest TPC. Free- and bound phenolic extract of calamansi also had the highest α-amylase
inhibition activity (61.79 ± 4.13%; 45.30 ± 5.35%) respectively. The highest inhibitory effect in
α-glucosidase inhibition assay of free- and bound phenolic extracts were white Tambun pomelo
(41.06 ± 10.94%) and calamansi (43.99 ± 22.03%) respectively. Hence, the citrus peels could
be furthered study for their potential in management and/or prevention of diabetes.
Sinensetin, a plant-derived polymethoxylated flavonoid found in Orthosiphon aristatus var. aristatus and several citrus fruits, has been found to possess strong anticancer activities and a variety of other pharmacological benefits and promising potency in intended activities with minimal toxicity. This review aims to compile an up-to-date reports of published scientific information on sinensetin pharmacological activities, mechanisms of action and toxicity. The present findings about the compound are critically analyzed and its prospect as a lead molecule for drug discovery is highlighted. The databases employed for data collection are mainly through Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and Science Direct. In-vitro and in-vivo studies showed that sinensetin possessed strong anticancer activities and a wide range of pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-obesity, anti-dementia and vasorelaxant activities. The studies provided some insights on its several mechanisms of action in cancer and other disease states. However, more detail mechanistic studies are needed to understand its pharmacological effects. More in vivo studies in various animal models including toxicity, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and bioavailability studies are required to assess its efficacy and safety before submission to clinical studies. In this review, an insight on sinensetin pharmacological activities and mechanisms of action serves as a useful resource for a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of sinensetin as a potential lead candidate for drug discovery.
In the present study, pectinase was produced by local fungal isolate, Aspergillus niger LFP-1 grown on pomelo peels as a sole carbon source under solid-state fermentation (SSF). The purification process begins with the concentration of crude enzyme using ammonium sulfate precipitation and followed by purification using anion-exchange column chromatography (DEAE-Sephadex) and subsequently using gel filtration column chromatography (Sephadex G-100). On the other hand, the molecular weight of the purified enzyme was determined through SDS-PAGE. The findings revealed the crude enzyme was purified up to 75.89 folds with a specific activity of 61.54 U/mg and the final yield obtained was 0.01%. The molecular mass of the purified pectinase was 48 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature were 3.5 and 50°C, respectively. This enzyme was stable at a range of pH 3.5 to 4.5 and a relatively high temperature (40°C-50°C) for 100 min. The Km and Vmax were found to be 3.89 mg/mL and 1701 U/mg, respectively. Meanwhile, pectin from citrus fruit and the metal ion (Co2+) were the best substrate and inducer to enhance pectinase yield, respectively.
A rapid, sustainable, and ecologically sound approach is urgently needed for the production of semiconductor nanomaterials. CuSe nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via a microwave-assisted technique using CuCl2·2H2O and Na2SeO3 as the starting materials. The role of the irradiation time was considered as the primary concern to regulate the size and possibly the shape of the synthesized nanoparticles. A range of characterization techniques was used to elucidate the structural and optical properties of the fabricated nanoparticles, which included X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy (Raman), UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The mean crystallite size of the CuSe hexagonal (Klockmannite) crystal structure increased from 21.35 to 99.85 nm with the increase in irradiation time. At the same time, the microstrain and dislocation density decreased from 7.90 × 10-4 to 1.560 × 10-4 and 4.68 × 10-2 to 1.00 × 10-2 nm-2, respectively. Three Raman vibrational bands attributed to CuSe NPs have been identified in the Raman spectrum. Irradiation time was also seen to play a critical role in the NP optical band gap during the synthesis. The decrease in the optical band gap from 1.85 to 1.60 eV is attributed to the increase in the crystallite size when the irradiation time was increased. At 400 nm excitation wavelength, a strong orange emission centered at 610 nm was observed from the PL measurement. The PL intensity is found to increase with an increase in irradiation time, which is attributed to the improvement in crystallinity at higher irradiation time. Therefore, the results obtained in this study could be of great benefit in the field of photonics, solar cells, and optoelectronic applications.
Tomatoes have a short shelf life thus they pose a big challenge for growers to maintain the quality of tomatoes to increase customer acceptance. In this study, fungi associated with tomato disease symptoms were isolated and the potential of kaffir lime aqueous extract was evaluated in maintaining post-harvest quality of tomatoes. For this purpose, healthy tomatoes were dipped in 10% aqueous kaffir lime extract before evaluating the post-harvest parameters namely weight loss and firmness. A fungus namely Rhizophus stolonifer was isolated from the symptomatic tomatoes. Subsequently, it was confirmed to be pathogenic on healthy tomato fruits with 100% disease severity. Application of aqueous kaffir lime extract showed that tomato fruits dipped in 10% aqueous kaffir lime extract recorded higher weight loss and higher firmness as compared to untreated tomato fruits. The results showed that treatment with this concentration of plant extract did not help to reduce the weight loss, but it retained the firmness of the tomato fruits stored at room temperature at 27+2oC. Higher transpiration process would lead to shrinkage, weight loss, changes in texture and appearance of the fruits. Therefore, this study suggested an increased concentration of aqueous kaffir lime extract as a treatment agent in order to have a better effect in maintaining the quality of tomato fruits.
It is said that the backbone of Indian economy is agriculture. The contribution of the agriculture sector to the national GDP (Gross Domestic Products) was 14.6% in the year 2010. To attain a growth rate equivalent to that of industry (viz., about 9%), it is highly mandatory for Indian agriculture to modernize and use automation at various stages of cultivation and post-harvesting techniques. The use of computers in assessing the quality of fruits is one of the major activities in post-harvesting technology. As of now, this assessment is majorly done manually, except for a few fruits. Currently, the fruit quality assessment by machine vision in India is still at research level. Major research has been carried out in countries like China, Malaysia, UK, and Netherlands. To suit the Indian market and psychology of Indian farmers, it is necessary to develop indigenous technology. This paper is the first step toward evaluating the research carried out by the research community all over world for tropical fruits. For the purpose of survey, we have concentrated on the tropical fruits of the state of Maharashtra, while keeping in focus of the review image processing algorithms.
Based on an ethnobotanical study on use for plant species against mosquito bites in the Kota Tinggi District, Johor State, Malaysia, 3 plants selected for study, Citrus aurantifolia (leaves), Citrus grandis (fruit peel), and Alpinia galanga (rhizome), were extracted using hydrodistillation to produce essential oils. These essential oils were then formulated as a lotion using a microencapsulation process and then tested for their repellent effect against Aedes aegypti. N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (deet) was also prepared in the same formulation and tested for repellency as controls. Four commercial plant-based repellent (KAPS(®), MozAway(®), BioZ Natural(®), and Mosiquard(®)) also were incorporated in the bioassay for comparison purposes. Bioassays revealed that at 20% concentration all repellent formulations demonstrated complete protection for 2 h and >90% for 4 h post-application. The A. galanga-based formulation provided the greatest level of protection (98.91%), which extended for 4 h post-application and was not significantly different from deet at similar concentration. When compared with commercial plant-based repellents (KAPS(®), MozAway(®), and BioZ Natural(®)), the 3 lotion formulations showed significantly better protection against Ae. aegypti bites, providing >90% protection for 4 h. In conclusion, our 3 plant-based lotion formulations provided acceptable levels of protection against host-seeking Ae. aegypti and should be developed.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes occured on phenolic compounds between two Malaysian varieties of pummelo fruit juice: Ledang (PO55) and Tambun (PO52) post-enzymatic clarification. The changes in polyphenols composition were monitored using High Performance Liquid Chromatography Diode Array Detection and Folin Ciocalteu's method. Clarification treatment of pummelo fruit juice with a commercial pectinase was optimized based on incubation temperature, time and enzyme concentration. Both varieties of pummelo fruit juice were treated with different optimized variables which produced the highest clarities with the least effect to the juice physical quality. Tambun variety was found to have significantly more total phenolic compounds (p <0.05) in comparison to Ledang variety, possibly due to the amount of naringin. Three types of hydroxycinnamic acids (chlorogenic, caffeic and coumaric acid) and three compounds of flavanones (naringin, hesperidin and narirutin) were found in both fruit juices, where naringin and chlorogenic acid were the major contributor to the total phenolic content. Naringin, which gave out bitter aftertaste to the juice, was found to decrease, 1.6 and 0.59 % reduction in Ledang and Tambun respectively, post-enzymatic treatment. The decrease in naringin, albeit nominal, could be a potential benefit to the juice production in reducing the bitterness of the juice. Post-enzymatic analysis furthermore resulted in no significance differences (p <0.05) on the total phenolic compounds of both varieties. This study in summary provides a compositional database for Malaysian pummelo fruit juice of various phenolic compounds, which can provide useful information for evaluating the authenticity and the health benefits from the juice.
The desiccation and freezing tolerance of seeds, with and without testas, and embryonic axes of Citrus aurantifolia were investigated. Seeds were desiccated with silica gel, under the laminar air flow cabinet or by placing them on a laboratory bench. Whatever the desiccation method employed, survival before and after cryopreservation was higher for seeds without testas. When freezing intact seeds, the highest survival percentage (41.3 %) was achieved after desiccation to 7.3 % moisture content (fresh weight basis) on the laboratory bench. Survival of seeds cryopreserved without testas could reach up to 85 % after desiccation under the laminar air flow cabinet or on the laboratory bench, corresponding to moisture contents of 7.1 and 4.5 %, respectively. After desiccation with silica gel, survival reached a maximum of 60.0 %, for a seed moisture content of 3.3 %. Survival of control embryonic axes was high (80-100 %) whatever the sucrose concentration in the preculture medium and the duration of the desiccation period. After cryopreservation, no survival was noted with embryonic axes, which had not been precultured nor desiccated. Survival of non-desiccated embryonic axes after cryopreservation increased progressively in line with increasing sucrose concentrations in the preculture medium, from 7.5 % with 0.1 M sucrose to 77.5 % with 0.7 M sucrose. Survival of desiccated and cryopreserved embryos was always high, whatever the preculture treatment and desiccation period, ranging from 55.8 % to 92.5 %.
Due to the low titer or uneven distribution of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) in field samples, detection of CTV by using conventional detection techniques may be difficult. Therefore, in the present work, the cadmium-telluride quantum dots (QDs) was conjugated with a specific antibody against coat protein (CP) of CTV, and the CP were immobilized on the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to develop a specific and sensitive fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based nanobiosensor for detecting CTV. The maximum FRET efficiency for the developed nano-biosensor was observed at 60% in AuNPs-CP/QDs-Ab ratio of 1:8.5. The designed system showed higher sensitivity and specificity over enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with a limit of detection of 0.13μgmL(-1) and 93% and 94% sensitivity and specificity, respectively. As designed sensor is rapid, sensitive, specific and efficient in detecting CTV, this could be envisioned for diagnostic applications, surveillance and plant certification program.
Several dietary factors have been studied in relation to prostate cancer; however, most studies have not reported on subtypes of fruit and vegetables or tumor characteristics, and results obtained so far are inconclusive. This study aimed to examine the prospective association of total and subtypes of fruit and vegetable intake with the incidence of prostate cancer overall, by grade and stage of disease, and prostate cancer death. Lifestyle information for 142,239 men participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition from 8 European countries was collected at baseline. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). After an average follow-up time of 13.9 years, 7,036 prostate cancer cases were identified. Compared with the lowest fifth, those in the highest fifth of total fruit intake had a significantly reduced prostate cancer risk (HR = 0.91; 95% CI = 0.83-0.99; p-trend = 0.01). No associations between fruit subtypes and prostate cancer risk were observed, except for citrus fruits, where a significant trend was found (HR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.86-1.02; p-trend = 0.01). No associations between total and subtypes of vegetables and prostate cancer risk were observed. We found no evidence of heterogeneity in these associations by tumor grade and stage, with the exception of significant heterogeneity by tumor grade (pheterogeneity <0.001) for leafy vegetables. No significant associations with prostate cancer death were observed. The main finding of this prospective study was that a higher fruit intake was associated with a small reduction in prostate cancer risk. Whether this association is causal remains unclear.