The present work studies the profiling of phenolic bioactive and in vitro biological (anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial) activities of different solvent extracts from Withania
somnifera fruit. Anticancer activity was performed using potato-disc assay and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. While antibacterial and antifungal evaluation was done by using disc diffusion method against bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Escherichia coli, and
Klebsiella pneumonia) and fungal (Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium oxysporum) strains.
Among different extraction solvents used, n-hexane extract exhibited the highest inhibition of
tumour initiation (64%), whereas ethyl acetate (15%) was the lowest by using potato-disc
assay. Highest total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were noted for methanolic (69.10
GAE mg/g DW%) and n-hexane (29.45 CE mg/g DW%) extracts, respectively. For antioxidant potential, 2,2,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging (IC50) and reducing power EC50 were noted to be superior (0.6 and 2.0 mg/mL, respectively) for n-hexane
extract. All the tested extracts showed considerable antibacterial and antifungal activity with
the highest growth inhibition zones for K. pneumoniae (31.70 mm) and A. flavus (27.09 mm)
were shown by n-hexane extract. High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) analysis of individual phenolics (gallic acid, 2,288.48 mg/kg) indicated the highest contents of these
compounds in n-hexane extract, which might explain the potent biological activities of this
extract. Our findings revealed that the bioactive present in the tested fruit had significant
potential as anticancer, antibacterial, and antifungal agents. Further studies are needed to
elucidate the mechanism of actions of isolated bioactive against specific diseases such as
cancer, especially in the case of n-hexane fraction.
The objective of this work was to study the effects of trehalose and maltodextrin on Chinese
steamed bread (CSB) prepared from frozen dough. Trehalose (0.1 and 0.2% w/w) and
maltodextrin (1 and 2% w/w) were added and CSB prepared from the fresh dough and the
frozen dough was characterized in terms of spread ratio, specific volume, staling index and
stress relaxation properties. Upon frozen storage, spread ratio and specific volume of CSB,
and elasticity of the bread crumb were reduced. The extend of deterioration was significantly
reduced with the addition of 0.1% trehalose and 2% maltodextrin. Excessive addition of
trehalose and maltodextrin was found to cause detrimental effects to CSB quality.
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a foodborne pathogen associated with pneumoniae. Multiresistance to antibiotics of K. pneumoniae is a significant public health treat. Recently, the use of natural products such as herbs to inhibit the growth of pathogens is increasing. Java turmeric (Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.) has been reported to possess antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens. Unfortunately, the antibacterial activity of java turmeric extract against the resistance to multiantibiotics of K. pneumoniae has not been investigated. In this study, the antibacterial activity of Java turmeric extract was tested against 24 isolates of resistant K. pneumoniae that was isolated from several vegetables; lettuce, cucumber, tomato and carrot, using the methods recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CSLI), including disc diffusion method, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) and killing time at concentration 0× MIC, ½× MIC, 1× MIC, 2× MIC and 4× MIC with predetermined time of 0, 0.25 , 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 h. The results showed that Java turmeric extract is susceptible to all resistant K. pneumoniae with inhibition zones ranging from 8.67 ± 0.58 to 10.00 ± 0.00 mm. The MIC and MBC values for the K. pneumoniae isolates against all bacterial isolates was 1.25 and 2.5 mg/ml, respectively. The killing time curve shows the reduction of resistant K. pneumoniae cells is fast acting; > 3 log10 within less than 15 min at 4× MIC (5.0 mg/ml). Finally, the isolates were completely killed at 4× MIC for 15 min. In conclusion, the Java turmeric extracts can be developed as natural antimicrobial agent to inhibit the growth of K. pneumoniae in food system.
Consumers today prefer to purchase ready-to-eat, fresh-cut fruit that is readily available at the markets and retailers. They generally select the fresh-cut fruit base on the quality, freshness, nutrition and safety. The effects of packaging condition on fresh-cut Cantaloupe were studied during 18 days of storage at 2°C and 87% RH. Fresh-cut Cantaloupe pieces were packed in a Polypropylene (PP) container. As a control, the container was cover with lid without film, while Sample 1 (S1) was sealed only by a 40 μm PP film and Sample 2 (S2) was sealed with a 40 μm PP film and then adding the lid cover. Changes in colour, firmness Total Soluble Solids (TSS), pH, Titratable Acidity (TA) and Total Plate Count (TPC) were evaluated over time. During storage, it was found that the firmness significantly decreased from day 0 until day in all packaging conditions. Color parameters Luminosity (L*) and Chromaticity (C) were significantly change at the significance level of 95% (p
This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of soursop (Annona muricata L.) extract on Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to in vivo 28-day repeated doses. The extract was given to the study group via force feeding. In the 28-day study, Annona muricata L. extract was dosed at 0 (CD, control dose), 0.5 (LD, low dose), 1.0 (MD, medium dose), 2.0g/kg (HD, high dose) body weight. For control group, distilled water was given to the animals. Administration of Annona muricata L. extract did not cause negative effect in blood hematology even though a statistically significant (p
The impacts on both rheological parameters; Casson yield stress and Casson viscosity were determined. The interactions among blend’s components; xanthan gum (XG), corn starch (CS), glycerin (GL) and their relationship with both flow parameters were also investigated by using D-Optimal mixture design. Three levels of cocoa butter substitution assigned in chocolate production were at 5%, 10% and 15% level with random proportions of each component generated by Design Expert software. An appropriate mathematical model was applied to evaluate each response as a function of the proportions of the components enabling in prediction of future response by using any blend of components. As the incorporation of the blends (XG/CS/GL) in chocolate production was elevated from 5% to 15%, both parameters; viscosity and yield stress of chocolate were gradually increased, as in range 7.819 to 10.529 Pa, and 2.372 to 3.727 Pa.s, respectively. Neither binary nor ternary component-component interaction exhibited synergistic effect. Nevertheless, strongest antagonistic effect on both rheological parameters of substituted chocolate at 5% level and 10% level were respectively observed at ternary interaction region for the former, and at binary interaction area of CS:GL, closer to CS corner as for the latter. This study somehow provides ideas on how component-component interactions influence experimented response.
This study was aimed at improving the quality of fish oil. A synthetic filter aid (Magnesol XL) was used at various concentration (1, 3 and 5%) and time levels (5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes) to adsorb the polar compound products of the oil. Some physical and chemical properties (viscosity, colour, density, acid value, peroxide value and free fatty acid) of the treated oil were determined. Results indicate that Magnesol XL at 1 and 3% levels significantly reduced the acid value, peroxide value and free fatty acid contents of the treated oil.
Treatment of the fish oil with Magnesol XL at 1 and 3% levels was also better than treatment with 5% Magnesol XL on improving the fish oil quality. The fatty acid profile for Σ n3 at untreated and treatment adsorbent showed significant at 0.05 level but not significant at Magnesol XL adsorbent concentration 1-5%.
Proximate content, fatty acid and mineral compositions were determined for the ten species of deepsea fish from Southern Java Ocean and Western Sumatra Ocean, Indonesia. The proximate composition was found to be 23.0-24.8 % protein, 1.9-4.1% fat , 0-1.75 % carbohydrate, 1.7-2.4 % ash and 70.1-72.1% water, whereas the fatty acid compositions consisted of 0.86 - 49.63 % saturated fatty acids (SFA), 0.29 - 50.09 % monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and 2.85 % - 46.32 % polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Among them, those occurring in the highest proportions were myristic acid (C14:0, 0.12-7.59%), palmitic acid (C16:0, 0.02–20.5%), stearic acid (C18:0, 0.42–49.19), oleic acid (C18:1, 0.29–50.09 %), linoleic acid (C18:2, 0.23– 44.91%), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n3, 0.41– 4.61%) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n3, 0.28– 3.44%). The rest of the microelements, Cd, Hg, and Pb were all present in amounts below toxic levels.
Magnesol XL concentration (0.5, 1, 3 and 5%), heating temperature (25, 50, 70 and 90 ˚C) and time (5, 10, 15 and 20 mnt) during purification to the color properties (Lightness L*, redness a* and yellowness b*) of Sardinella lemuru oil were evaluated. Purification using Magnesol XL in any condition effectively increase the L* and a* value but reduced the b* value of the lemuru oil. Highest L* value (96.57) was achieved at the treatment temperature 90 ˚C, 5 % level of Magnesol XL concentration and 5 minutes process. Lowest a* value (more green color) was obtained at treatment 70 ˚C temperature, 5% level of concentration and 15 minutes, then lowest b* value was obtained at treatment 90 ˚C temperature, 5 % concentration and 5 minutes process. All the refined lemuru oil’s result had a hue angle higher than 90˚ representing the light greenish-yellow color.
The use of polyclonal antibody (IgG) has recently been applied to the detection of bacteria. We developed a lateral flow assay (LFA) strip using a specific IgG in combination with colloidal gold on a nitrocellulose membrane. A conjugate, gold-anti Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 IgG was developed in this study for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 in food. The 40 nm in size of colloidal gold nanoparticles was used to conjugate the anti-E. coli O157:H7 IgG. The optimal concentration, 12.0 µg/ml of the anti-E. coli O157:H7 IgG was determined by standard curve generated in titration method. The serially diluted of E. coli O157:H7 was detected and clearly visualized on the LFA strip as low as 106 CFU/ml (result not shown). The IgG raised in rabbit have shown specific binding capacity against E. coli O157:H7. No other genus of bacteria, including Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter jejuni reacted to the IgG. The LFA strip could also detect E. coli O157:H7 in different food samples matrices after 18 h-enrichment and this result were in accordance with the results of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and colony count.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is an important foodborne pathogen causing diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome in humans. STEC is an implicated in the vast majority of outbreaks, widely via consumption of STEC contaminated beef, as important vehicle of transmission of this organism to human. The E. coli O157:H7 serotype is traditionally identified by serological identification of the somatic antigen (O157) and structural flagella (H7). In this study, the bacteria were identified as STEC serotype O157:H7 with three primer pairs that amplified fragments of secD, rfbE and fliC genes in PCR assays. These primer pairs specifically amplified different sizes of target genes: a 244bp region of the E. coli diagnostic marker gene (secD); a 317bp region of the O157 lipopolysacharide (LPS) gene (rfbE); and a 381bp region of the H7 flagellin gene (fliC). The singleplex, duplex and triplex PCR assay developed in this study have a sensitivity limit at 2.8 x 103, 2.8 x 105 and 2.8 x 107 CFU/ml of E. coli O157:H7, respectively. Sensitivity to detect trace amount of E. coli O157:H7 DNA was reduced as the number of primer used was increased for competing to the same DNA template.
This study was carried out as a move to increase Malaysia’s fruit exports. The purpose of this
study was to identify factors that influence the consumption decision of foreign nationals in
Malaysia as move to understand their behavior and pattern in purchasing fresh fruits from
Malaysia. This study was carried out in Malaysia among foreign nationals and it was found
to be the first of its nature to be carried out in Malaysia. A total of eighty three respondents
participated in six focus group discussions. Data was analyzed via exploratory factor analysis
which is commonly used in examining consumer preferences and behavior. The three factors
identified in influencing the consumption decision of Malaysian fresh fruits among foreign
nationals were (1) price and fruit intrinsic attributes; (2) fruit physical aspects and uniqueness;
and (3) occasion, familiarity and user status.
This research was to determine nutritional composition, essential and toxic elemental content, and major phenolic acid with antioxidant activity in Kadsura coccinea fruit. The results indicated that Kadsura coccinea fruit exhibited the high contents of total protein, total fat, ash and essential elements such as calcium (Ca), ferrum (Fe) and phosphorus (P). The levels of four common toxic elements, i.e. cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As) and lead (Pb), were lower than legal limits. By high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, gallic acid was identified as major phenolic acid in peel and pulp tissues. Its contents were no significant difference in both tissues. In comparison with two commercial antioxidants, the major phenolic acid extracted from Kadsura coccinea exhibited stronger 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity and reducing power. Kadsura coccinea fruit is a good source of nutrition and natural antioxidant. It is worthwhile to popularize this exotic fruit around the world.
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is one of the oldest known and nutrient rich edible fruits. Peel and Arils of three available cultivars of this fruit in Bangladesh namely, Bangladesh pomegranate, Indian-Mridula and Egypt pomegranate were analyzed to evaluate their biochemical and bioactive properties. The ash, crude fiber, lipid, moisture, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solid, total sugar as well as bioactive properties included DPPH radical scavenging activity, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total tannin content (TTC) and vitamin C were assessed in the study. The results of the analysis showed that the ash, pH, titratable acidity, moisture, total sugar ranged from 0.26-0.93%, 3.54-4.01, 1.40-1.87%, 75.4381.20%, 9.02-10.12 g DE/100g for aril and 1-2.03%, 3.53-4.12, 1.75-1.88%, 71.69-76.65%, 21.14-29.19 g DE/100g for peel respectively. However, the seed of all cultivars contained significantly (p
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is prevalent in tropical marine environment in all seasons and can cause seafood-borne gastroenteritis. A total of 251 suspected isolates were tested including 60 from frozen shrimp, 50 from cultured live shrimp, 67 from sediments of culture ponds and 74 from water were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the toxR gene for confirmation as V. parahaemolyticus. Of the 128 toxR positive isolates, 15% of the isolates from culture environment (from live shrimp, sediments and water) and 7% of frozen shrimp samples were positive for the tdh and trh genes. Since urease production could be a marker of trh but not tdh in V. parahaemolyticus, a total of 189 of the 251 suspected V. parahaemolyticus isolates were tested for urease production and 41% of the isolates were found to be positive for urease production. However not all urease positive strains of V. parahaemolyticus were positive for either tdh or trh genes. Detection of virulent strains in shrimp culture environment in Malaysia suggests a probable risk for health of people consuming raw shrimp.
Microbiological qualities of fresh goat milk collected from two selected, popular dairy farms in Penang Island, Malaysia were evaluated, as a measure of food safety. Milk samples were screened for total plate counts, yeast and mould counts, psychrotrophic counts, Staphylococcus aureus, presumptive Escherichia coli, Coliforms and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which were in the range of (mean values) 4.2- 4.5, 4.2- 4.6, 3.1- 4.3, 2.7- 3.2, < 2- 4.6, 2.2- 4.0 and 4.1- 4.8 log CFU/ml, respectively in the two farms. Milk samples were also screened for the presence of selected foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella sp. Results
showed the presence of only Salmonella sp. (at 2.9 log CFU/ml) with the absence of Listeria monocytogenes. The outcome of this study assumes importance as the presence of microbial contaminants amounts indicates poor milk quality, which requires immediate consideration as it can pose serious health risk to consumers.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of barrel temperature and flour types on the residence time and physical properties of various flour extrudates. Corn flour, rice flour, corn flour with potato starch (30% w/w, d.b), and rice flour with potato starch (30%w/w, d.b) were extruded at screw speed of 75rpm, feed moisture at 25% (w/w, w.b.), barrel temperature ranging from 80°C to 140°C and die size of 1.88mm. The extrudates were dried at 50°C overnight and further analysed. Results showed that an increase in extruder barrel temperature decreased the residence time of the flours in the extruder (from 4.11-11.32min to 2.24-6.76min), but increased the expansion ratio, rehydration ratio, water absorption index, water solubility index and b value of the extrudate (p≤0.05). The extrudates had the mean residence time and physical properties of rice flour
The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional properties (thickness; water vapor
permeability (WVP); film microstructure, tensile strength (TS) and biodegradability) of
carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/gelatin (gel)/chitosan (chi) biocomposite film as influenced
by different drying temperature (25 and 60 °C). Seven formulations (CMC/gel/chi) prepared
were control (100/0/0), formulations A (80/20/0), B (80/0/20), C (80/10/10), D (60/20/20),
E (60/30/10), and F (60/10/30). Different drying temperature resulted in different time taken
for the film to dry. Results revealed that formulation F was optimal due to its high tensile
strength and low WVP rate which support its biodegradability for both drying conditions. FTIR
assay revealed a strong carboxyl group for CMC, which contributed to high biodegradability
results (85.3 vs. 85.50%) for room vs. oven dried specimens, respectively. Such desirable
characteristics demonstrated that film F holds remarkable potential as edible films material
with enhanced positive impacts on the environment and community.
Animal proteins have become an useful source for producing gelatin nanoparticles, due to its application in cosmetics and therapeutics. Gelatin nanoparticle (GNP) is an excellent biodegradable and biocompatible material. Due to its chemical modification potential gelatin nanoparticles are very promising in carrier system for drug delivery. Most of the commercials gelatin are derived from mammalian sources, such as porcine and bovine. Fish gelatin has become a good alternative resource for GNPs production in view of the various religious, safety and economic reasons. In this present work, the tilapia fish gelatin was used as a raw material for the production gelatin nanoparticles via modified two-step desolvation method. In this process, obtaining high molecular weight (HMW) fraction content of fish gelatin is very crucial for the preparation of stable and small size GNPs. Hence the present study was carried out to assess the various formulation parameters in the first step in the two-step desolvation method to produce fish gelatin nanoparticles (FGNPs). The nanoparticles formed were characterized for mean size and size distribution, while the morphology of the particles was evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The size of fish gelatin nanoparticles was found to be 254±11 nm which is suitable for drug delivery. The study indicated that a high fraction of HMW in precipitate at the first step desolvation could be obtained by using gelatin concentration 9%, temperature 45°C, centrifugation speed at 12000 x g, and centrifugation time was 5 min. It showed that this method is efficient compared to conventional method.
Watermelon waste materials remained one of the important food grade agro-wastes generated by most hospitality industries in Southeast Asia and particularly in Malaysia. Jam was prepared from watermelon rind with different flavours (vanilla, pineapple, strawberry, lemon and no flavour). Five different samples were prepared at various compositions T₁ (50-50), T₂ (80-20), T₃ (60-40), T₄ (40-60) and T₅ (20-80) of rind and sugar. T₁ (50-50) gave the best jam set. Ten man panel (trained) evaluated the jam for its sensory characteristics and physicochemical analysis. Sensory evaluation conducted among five flavours was significantly different at (p>0.05). Chemical analysis showed that ascorbic acid reduced greatly among all treatments during three month storage. Soluble sugar and pH also decreased gradually for T₁ (from 4.96 to 4.40), T₂ (from 4.92 to 4.21), T₃ (from 4.74 to 4.11), T₄ (from 4.62 to 4.51) and T₅ (from 4.52 to 4.25) upon storage. Strawberry flavoured jam was most acceptable by the panel.