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Fulltext Extraction and Characterization of Potential Biodegradable Materials Based on Dioscorea hispida Tubers

Hazrati KZ, Sapuan SM, Zuhri MYM, Jumaidin R

Polymers (Basel), 2021 Feb 15;13(4).
PMID: 33672030 DOI: 10.3390/polym13040584

This study was driven by the stringent environmental legislation concerning the consumption and utilization of eco-friendly materials. Within this context, this paper aimed to examine the characteristics of starch and fibres from the Dioscorea hispida tuber plant to explore their potential as renewable materials. The extraction of the Dioscorea hispida starch and Dioscorea hispida fibres was carried out and the chemical composition, physical, thermal, morphological properties, and crystallinity were studied. The chemical composition investigations revealed that the Dioscorea hispida starch (DHS) has a low moisture t (9.45%) and starch content (37.62%) compared to cassava, corn, sugar palm, and arrowroot starches. Meanwhile, the Dioscorea hispida fibres (DHF) are significantly low in hemicellulose (4.36%), cellulose (5.63%), and lignin (2.79%) compared to cassava, corn hull and sugar palm. In this investigation the chemical, physical, morphological and thermal properties of the Dioscorea hispida fibre and Dioscorea hispida starch were examined by chemical composition investigation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size distribution, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), respectively. It was found that Dioscorea hispida waste is promising alternative biomass and sustainable material with excellent potential as a renewable filler material for food packaging applications.

Matched MeSH terms: Zea mays
Fulltext Demarcation of informative chromosomes in tropical sweet corn inbred lines using microsatellite DNA markers

Kashiani P, Saleh G, Panandam JM, Abdullah NA, Selamat A

Genet Mol Biol, 2012 Jul;35(3):614-21.
PMID: 23055801 DOI: 10.1590/S1415-47572012000400012

A study of genetic variation among 10 pairs of chromosomes extracted from 13 tropical sweet corn inbred lines, using 99 microsatellite markers, revealed a wide range of genetic diversity. Allelic richness and the number of effective alleles per chromosome ranged from 2.78 to 4.33 and 1.96 to 3.47, respectively, with respective mean values of 3.62 and 2.73. According to the Shannon's information index (I) and Nei's gene diversity coefficient (Nei), Chromosome 10 was the most informative chromosome (I = 1.311 and Nei = 0.703), while Chromosome 2 possessed the least (I = 0.762 and Nei = 0.456). Based on linkage disequilibrium (LD) measurements for loci less than 50 cM apart on the same chromosome, all loci on Chromosomes 1, 6 and 7 were in equilibrium. Even so, there was a high proportion of genetic variation in Chromosomes 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10, thereby revealing their appropriateness for use in the genetic diversity investigations among tropical sweet corn lines. Chromosome 4, with the highest number of loci in linkage disequilibrium, was considered the best for marker-phenotype association and QTL mapping, followed by Chromosomes 5, 8, 9 and 10.

Matched MeSH terms: Zea mays
Fulltext Breakfast eating pattern and ready-to-eat cereals consumption among schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur

Koo HC, Abdul Jalil SN, Ruzita AT

Malays J Med Sci, 2015;22(1):32-9.
PMID: 25892948

BACKGROUND: Studies from the West have demonstrated that ready-to-eat cereals (RTECs) are a common form of breakfast and more likely to be consumed by children. This study aimed to investigate the breakfast eating pattern and RTECs consumption among schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 382 schoolchildren, aged 10 and 11 years old, were recruited from seven randomly selected primary schools in Kuala Lumpur. Information on socio-demographics, breakfast eating patterns, and perceptions of RTECs and dietary intake (24-hour dietary recalls) were obtained.
RESULTS: Among the respondents, only 22% of them consumed breakfast on a regular basis. The most commonly eaten food by children at breakfast was bread (27.2%), followed by biscuits (22.2%) and RTECs (20.5%). The majority of them (93%) reported that they consumed RTECs sometimes during the week. Chocolate RTECs (34.1%), corn flake RTECs (30.3%), and RTECs coated with honey (25.1%) were the most popular RTECs chosen by children. Respondents who consumed RTECs showed a significantly higher intake in calories, carbohydrate, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, folate, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and fibre (P < 0.05), compared to those who skipped breakfast and those who had breakfast foods other than RTECs.
CONCLUSION: The lower levels of breakfast consumption among schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur need serious attention. RTEC is a nutritious food which is well accepted by a majority of the schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur. Nutrition intervention should be conducted in the future to include a well-balanced breakfast with the utilisation of RTECs for schoolchildren.
KEYWORDS: Malaysia; breakfast; calorie; cereals; children

Matched MeSH terms: Zea mays
Effect of soluble corn fibre and calcium supplementation on bone mineral content and bone mineral density in preadolescent Malaysian children-a double-blind randomised controlled trial (PREBONE-Kids Study)

Arasu K, Chang CY, Wong SY, Ong SH, Yang WY, Chong MHZ, et al.

Osteoporos Int, 2023 Apr;34(4):783-792.
PMID: 36808216 DOI: 10.1007/s00198-023-06702-0

Soluble corn fibre (SCF) with calcium did not improve bone indices after 1 year in preadolescent children.
INTRODUCTION: SCF has been reported to improve calcium absorption. We investigated the long-term effect of SCF and calcium on bone indices of healthy preadolescent children aged 9-11 years old.
METHODS: In a double-blind, randomised, parallel arm study, 243 participants were randomised into four groups: placebo, 12-g SCF, 600-mg calcium lactate gluconate (Ca) and 12-g SCF + 600-mg calcium lactate gluconate (SCF + Ca). Total body bone mineral content (TBBMC) and total body bone mineral density (TBBMD) were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at baseline, 6 and 12 months.
RESULTS: At 6 months, SCF + Ca had a significant increase in TBBMC from baseline (27.14 ± 6.10 g, p = 0.001). At 12 months, there was a significant increase in TBBMC from baseline in the SCF + Ca (40.28 ± 9.03 g, p = 0.001) and SCF groups (27.34 ± 7.93 g, p = 0.037). At 6 months, the change in TBBMD in the SCF + Ca (0.019 ± 0.003 g/cm2) and Ca (0.014 ± 0.003 g/cm2) groups was significantly different (p

Matched MeSH terms: Zea mays
Virulence, Host-Selective Toxin Production, and Development of Three Cochliobolus Phytopathogens Lacking the Sfp-Type 4'-Phosphopantetheinyl Transferase Ppt1

Zainudin NA, Condon B, De Bruyne L, Van Poucke C, Bi Q, Li W, et al.

Mol Plant Microbe Interact, 2015 Oct;28(10):1130-41.
PMID: 26168137 DOI: 10.1094/MPMI-03-15-0068-R

The Sfp-type 4'-phosphopantetheinyl transferase Ppt1 is required for activation of nonribosomal peptide synthetases, including α-aminoadipate reductase (AAR) for lysine biosynthesis and polyketide synthases, enzymes that biosynthesize peptide and polyketide secondary metabolites, respectively. Deletion of the PPT1 gene, from the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus and the rice pathogen Cochliobolus miyabeanus, yielded strains that were significantly reduced in virulence to their hosts. In addition, ppt1 mutants of C. heterostrophus race T and Cochliobolus victoriae were unable to biosynthesize the host-selective toxins (HST) T-toxin and victorin, respectively, as judged by bioassays. Interestingly, ppt1 mutants of C. miyabeanus were shown to produce tenfold higher levels of the sesterterpene-type non-HST ophiobolin A, as compared with the wild-type strain. The ppt1 strains of all species were also reduced in tolerance to oxidative stress and iron depletion; both phenotypes are associated with inability to produce extracellular siderophores biosynthesized by the nonribosomal peptide synthetase Nps6. Colony surfaces were hydrophilic, a trait previously associated with absence of C. heterostrophus Nps4. Mutants were decreased in asexual sporulation and C. heterostrophus strains were female-sterile in sexual crosses; the latter phenotype was observed previously with mutants lacking Nps2, which produces an intracellular siderophore. As expected, mutants were albino, since they cannot produce the polyketide melanin and were auxotrophic for lysine because they lack an AAR.

Matched MeSH terms: Zea mays/microbiology*
Production of lipids containing high levels of docosahexaenoic acid by a newly isolated microalga, Aurantiochytrium sp. KRS101

Hong WK, Rairakhwada D, Seo PS, Park SY, Hur BK, Kim CH, et al.

Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2011 Aug;164(8):1468-80.
PMID: 21424706 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-011-9227-x

In the present study, a novel oleaginous Thraustochytrid containing a high content of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was isolated from a mangrove ecosystem in Malaysia. The strain identified as an Aurantiochytrium sp. by 18S rRNA sequencing and named KRS101 used various carbon and nitrogen sources, indicating metabolic versatility. Optimal culture conditions, thus maximizing cell growth, and high levels of lipid and DHA production, were attained using glucose (60 g l⁻¹) as carbon source, corn steep solid (10 g l⁻¹) as nitrogen source, and sea salt (15 g l⁻¹). The highest biomass, lipid, and DHA production of KRS101 upon fed-batch fermentation were 50.2 g l⁻¹ (16.7 g l⁻¹ day⁻¹), 21.8 g l⁻¹ (44% DCW), and 8.8 g l⁻¹ (40% TFA), respectively. Similar values were obtained when a cheap substrate like molasses, rather than glucose, was used as the carbon source (DCW of 52.44 g l⁻¹, lipid and DHA levels of 20.2 and 8.83 g l⁻¹, respectively), indicating that production of microbial oils containing high levels of DHA can be produced economically when the novel strain is used.

Matched MeSH terms: Zea mays