A study was carried out to compare the cookie dough properties and cookie quality made out
of pink guava oil-palm stearin blends and lard (LD). Since LD is prohibited under religious
restrictions, plant shortenings were prepared by mixing pink guava seed oil with palm stearin
(PGO/PS) in different ratios: PGO-1, 40:60; PGO-2, 45:55; PGO-3, 50:50; PGO-4; 55:45 as
replacement. The effect of these formulated plant-based shortenings and LD shortening were
compared on dough rheological properties and cookie quality. Rheology and hardness of the
cookie dough were evaluated using Texture Analyser (TA). Cookie hardness was evaluated
with TA while cookie surface colors were measured using the CIE L*a*b* colorimetric system.
Among the samples, cookies made out of PGO-2 with the ratio 45:55 (PGO:PS) performed the
best substitute for LD to be used as shortening in cookies. PGO-2 also displayed the closest
similarity to LD in cookies for hardness, size and thickness, cracking size as well as colour.
As PGO-2 was a shortening formulated with plant-based ingredients, it could comply with the
halal and toyyiban requirements.
Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction of fucoxanthin is more advantageous over conventional solvent extraction as it is less toxic, less hazardous to the environment and preserves the bioactivity of fucoxanthin. A face-centered central composite design (FCCCD) based on response surface methodology (RSM) was employed for SC-CO2 extraction of oils and fucoxanthin from the brown seaweed Sargassum binderi, with ethanol as a co- solvent. Three independent parameters namely, extraction temperature (A: 40, 50, 60oC), pressure (B: 2900, 3625, 4350 psig and particle size (C: 90, 500 and 1000 µm) were investigated to optimize extraction oil yields (EOY) and fucoxanthin yields (FY). A regression model was developed, tested for quality of fit (R2) and expressed in the form of 3D response surface curve and 2D contour. The optimum extraction conditions were obtained at extraction temperature (A) 50oC, pressure (B) 3625 psig and particle size (C) 500 µm. Under these conditions, optimal EOY and FY were 10.04 mg/g and 3188.99 µg/g, respectively. The difference between the lowest and the highest response in EOY and FY were 5.44 – 10.04 mg/g and 2109.10 - 3188.90 µg/g, respectively. The lowest yields were identified at 60oC, 2900 psig and 1000 µm. The regression models generated showing interactions between the variables and EOY and FY response were significant as tested by ANOVA (p < 0.0005 and p < 0.0007, respectively) with high R2 values (0.9848 and 0.9829, respectively). Interactions between the parameters had a strong synergistic effect on EOY and FY values, as indicated by the 3D response surface curve and 2D contour. The experimental results matched the predicted results closely. This indicated the suitability of the models developed and the success of FCCCD under RSM in optimizing the S. binderi extraction conditions.
A refined carrageenan is a form of carrageenan, extracted from red algae and purified. Important factors affecting the commercial production of carrageenan after alkaline extraction are the ratio of seaweed to water, temperature, and extraction time. In this study, extraction of refined carrageenan from Kappaphycus alvarezii was conducted on pilot plan scale. Extraction conditions were varied, affecting the final characteristics of the carrageenan product. The optimum conditions investigated for the extraction process included the ratio of seaweed to water, temperature, and extraction time determined using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Box-Behnken was used to investigate the interaction effects of three independent variables, namely seaweed to water ratio, extraction temperature and extraction time. The results showed that based on the RSM approach, ratio of seaweed to water, temperature and extraction time had a significant influence on the carrageenan. Optimum extraction conditions obtained were seaweed to water ratio of 1:25.22, extraction temperature of 85.80oC and extraction time of 4 h. Under these optimal conditions, the yield obtained was 31.74 % and gel strength was 1833.37 g.cm-2.
This study has been successfully conducted to develop a method for rapid detection of ethanol (EtOH) concentration in beverages using Portable Electronic Nose (E-Nose) developed by International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). E-Nose is widely used in food analysis. However, E-Noses used in the food industry are big and not portable. The very recently developed portable device used in this study is very handy and practical for use. Results from this study revealed that the device could be used for rapid detection of ethanol concentration in various beverages such as alcoholic beverages, isotonic drinks, soft drinks and fruit juices from different brands sold in Malaysia. From the result obtained, it was shown that the device has high accuracy and reliability where it could detect ethanol concentration as low as 0.1% (v/v). The analytical condition for the detection was achieved with the lowest voltage output of 0.43V. While for optimization analysis using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), optimum Headspace Generated Time (HGT) and bottle’s volume (mL) obtained are 0.66h and 100 mL, respectively.
Gelatin from fish skin is known to be an alternative source for mammalian gelatin. However, it has weaker properties compared to bovine and porcine gelatin, which limits its use in the industry. The conventional method for fish gelatin extraction requires long production time and could cause serious water pollution and chemical treatments are often being used to enhance the yield of fish gelatin and its properties but it may affect the amino acid content of the gelatin. In this regard, High-Pressure Processing (HPP) is a novel method suggested for fish gelatin extraction. The HPP method is classified as green technology as it requires low electricity throughout the process. This study will discuss the impact of HPP the technique gelatin extracted from fish skin. Skins from four types of fish, namely red tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), black tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), grouper (Epinephelus areolatus) and threadfin bream (Nemipterus tambuloides), were used. High pressure was applied at either pretreatment in citric acid solution or during thermal extraction; and the pressure was maintained at 250 MPa with pressure holding time of 10 minutes and 18 hours of water extraction. Gelatin extract from traditional acid-base method was prepared as a standard for comparison. The study found that there was an increment in the yield of gelatin and the concentration of gelatin extract, and the pre-treatment time was also reduced.
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.
The use of High Pressure Processing as an extraction method was studied by evaluating the yield of astaxanthin from shrimp carapace as a model. Previous studies have demonstrated the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of astaxanthin. The aim of this research was to compare these properties of astaxanthin as a surrogate for its yield from High Pressure Processing (HPP) extraction with the effect of hydrostatic pressure, holding time and amount of solvents versus chemical extraction method. A solvent mixture of acetone and methanol 7:3 (v/v) was used in both methods. The pressure treated was at 238 MPa with 16.29 min of holding time and 6.59 ml of solvents for HPP method. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using scavenging activity of DPPH radical, the reducing activity of Ferrum redox reaction and oxygen radical absorption capacity. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using a zone of inhibition test against four strain of bacteria: E. coli, E. aerogenes, S. aureus and B. subtilis. The sample of astaxanthin demonstrated a significant increase in DPPH radical scavenging activity (25.47% to 87.90%), reducing activity of Ferrum redox reaction (2.86 µmol TE/g to 8.13 µmol TE/g) and oxygen radical absorption capacity (2,000 µmol TE/100 g to 4,000 µmol TE/100 g) compared to the chemical extraction sample. The antimicrobial activity of the astaxanthin from the HPP sample produced a greater zone of inhibition against all four strains of bacteria when compared to the chemically extracted sample. A higher quality of astaxanthin was achieved with the HPP extraction method compared to chemical extraction.
This research was aimed to examine the ability of breadfruit OSA starch (BOSA) to stabilize fish and microalgae oil emulsions. Fifteen percent of BOSA or pre-heated BOSA (7.5%) and maltodextrin (7.5%), or mixture of unheated BOSA (7.5%) and maltodextrin (7.5%) were used to stabilize 10% fish and microalgae oils. Characterization of native starch and BOSA included measurement of moisture, starch and amylose content, degree of substitution (DS), emulsification capacity, starch microstructure and thermal properties. The emulsion stability was monitored by emulsification index (EI), mean droplet size (D32), microstructure using photomicroscope and Peroxide Value (PV). Modification of starch (DS, 0.0243) caused decreasing in starch and amylose content to 75.34% and 27.62%, respectively. Starch thermal properties also decreased the onset temperature to 71.23°C (BOSA). Emulsions prepared with pre-heated mixture of BOSA and maltodextrin both in fish and microalgae oils have the smallest droplet size (D32 4.45 ± 0.09 µm and 3.54 ± 0.22 µm, respectively). Microalgae oil emulsions showed significantly (p
Osmotic dehydration kinetics of Terung Asam (Solanum lasiocarpum Dunal) under different process temperature (35-55oC), sucrose concentration (40-60%) and immersion time (30-180 min) were studied. Results obtained indicated that water loss (WL) increased with sucrose concentration and temperature. Similarly, solid gain (SG) also increased with temperature elevation. The effective diffusivities calculated using Fick’s model were in the range of 7.7678 x 10-10 to 11.6519 x 10-10 m2s-1 for WL and 3.5462 x 10-10 to 8.1056 x 10-10 m2s-1 for SG. Meanwhile, the activation energy for moisture diffusion varied from 4.900 to 7.423 kJmol-1 and for solid diffusion from 10.440 to 14.323 kJmol-1.
The Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) is a large iconic tree indigenous to Africa where it is found in many countries. The Baobab tree has various uses, as it produces food and non-food products such as medicines, fuel, timber and fodder. This research is focused on the characterization of the Baobab fruit shells in terms of lignin (54.08%), cellulose (24.87%) and hemicellulose (21.05%) content, as well as proximate analysis such as ash content (5.17%), moisture content (6.48%), volatile matter (86.73%) and carbon content (1.22%). This assessment will play a vital role in exploring the benefits of utilizing baobab fruit shells in the production of activated carbon as well as set a foundation for future research.
Honey is a sweet liquid food of high nutritional value and it provides immense health benefits. It is highly concentrated with sugar and contains mostly glucose and fructose, which will crystallize over a period of time. Crystallisation of honey will affect its quality, as well as consumers’ acceptability. Storage condition is one of the factors that influence the crystallisation of honey. Different types of honey may need different storage conditions to retain the quality. This research was conducted with the aims to study the crystallisation behaviour of the selected Malaysian honeys and to determine the storage conditions that influence the formation of crystal. The crystallisation of Malaysian honeys (Hutan, Kelulut, Acacia, Gelam) stored at 25, 4 and -20oC for different storage times of 0, 5, 14, 30, 60 and 180 days was analyzed by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and sugar composition was analyzed using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that Hutan honey had the greatest crystal formation at the storage temperature of 4oC even after 14 days of storage. Glucose compositions in Hutan and Gelam honeys were also high which were 33.49 ± 0.53% and 33.93 ± 0.15 %, respectively. The enthalpy value for the storage temperature of 25oC, which represents the amount of heat needed to melt crystals present in honey, was the lowest (0.37 ± 0.1 – 2.56 ± 0.5 J/g) compared to other storage temperatures, which showed only a small amount of crystals was formed at this temperature. Thus, this study suggested that the crystallisation behaviour of Malaysian honeys is influenced by the storage condition and will be different for each type of honey.
Abiotic stress factors are the main limitation to plant growth and yield in agriculture. Orange sweet potatoes may become major sources of carotenoids in the diet, but the extent of environmental and genetic influences on plant carotenoid biosynthesis are poorly understood. Carotenoid biosynthesis is regulated by several factors such as water, light, pathogen, salinity, nutrients and is susceptible to geometric isomerisation in the presence of oxygen, light and heat which causes colour loss and oxidation. The main problems associated with carotenoid accumulation arise from the inherent instability of pigments. In this study carotenoid biogenesis is investigated in sweet potato callus culture as a potential model system for carotenogenesis by analysing the effects of environmental stress agents such as NaCl (for salt tolerance), PEG (for drought tolerance), salicylic acid (for pathogen stress or disease resistance) and nutrient strength towards carotenoid content and composition. Results of this study revealed that the bioactive compounds detected in orange sweet potato callus were α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Not surprisingly, the response of sweet potato callus culture to such environments appeared to be highly light dependent. Another factor is the activity of functional enzymes and candidate enzymes that regulate carotenoid biosynthesis, which will determine type and quantity of individual carotenoids. By understanding the environmental factors that affected carotenoid biosynthesis, it should be possible to enhance the amount and type of carotenoid that accumulates in sweet potato tubers. In conclusion, in vitro callus culture is suggested as a successful new alternative approaches to enhance or enrich certain carotenoids through controlled environment.
Cancer still presents enormous challenges in the medical world. Currently, the search for
anticancer compounds has garnered a lot of interest, especially in finding them from the natural
sources. In this study, by using Sulforhodamine B (SRB) colorimetric assay, compounds,
extracted from supermeal worm (Zophobas morio) larvae using two types of acidified organic
solvent (ethanol and isopropanol), were shown to inhibit the growth of a breast cancer line,
MCF-7. A comparative study of the effect was carried out on a normal cell line, Vero. Results
showed that, the two types of extracts inhibits growth of MCF-7 cell at varying degrees, on
the other hand, have much less effect on Vero cell. Extracts analysed by UV-vis spectroscopy,
showed peaks in the range of 260 to 280 nm, inferring the presence of aromatic amino acids,
whereas the highest peak of 3.608 AU at 230 nm indicates the presence of peptide bonds. By
Raman spectroscopy, peaks are observed at 1349 cm-1, 944 cm-1 and 841 cm-1 indicating the
presence of Tyr, Try and Gly, confirming the UV-vis analyses. All results of analyses implied
that the anticancer compounds contain peptides.
This study aimed to evaluate antioxidant capacity of honey samples that were collected from Blue Nile State, Sudan by determining total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoids content (TFC). Antioxidant activities were evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power assay (FRAP). High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used for the determination of sugars content. The results showed that the highest TPC was (85.7±1 mg GAE /100g Fw), the highest TFC was found to be (55.14
± 1.09 mg QE /100g Fw) using quercetin equivalent (QE) as standard and the inhibition value of (DPPH) was (52.93 ± 0.44%). The FRAP showed the highest value of (281 μM TE/100g Fw), also the results indicated that the honey contained fructose (38.6 ± 1.8 g/100g - 42.9 ± 1.3 gL100g Fw), and glucose (30.4 ± 0.75 - 31.7 ± 0.68 g/100g Dw). Protein content was found to be ranging between and 0.60% and 1.04%. In conclusion, the results showed that honey is a good source of antioxidants due to the presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids and carotene. Also, an excellent source of the simple reducing sugars.
Antifungal peptides have been successfully extracted from whole body larvae of Zophobas morio (Fabricius) by using acidified isopropanol. To ensure that the extraction is cost effective for maximum yield, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using a Central Composite Design (CCD) strategy was adopted to optimize the extraction process parameters. The effect of independent parameters, namely, the homogenization temperature (°C), homogenization time (min) and solid (g) to the solvent (ml) ratio of the extraction process on the fungal growth was studied. The extracted samples obtained by conducting runs accorded by the experimental design showed varying degree of antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, the selected fungal strain, as assayed by the ‘‘Poisoned agar technique’. The investigation showed that the optimum values of the extraction parameters for the maximum antifungal peptides were 5 minutes homogenization time, 4°C homogenization temperature and 3.5:1 solid to solvent ratio. This study reports the development of an extraction process that allows careful recovery of antifungal peptides from larvae. In the validation of the experimental model, the error between the actual value and the predicted value was determined to be 3.57%.
Acidified isopropanol extract of whole body larvae of Zophobas morio (Fabricius), which contains peptides, has been shown to exhibit an inhibitory effect towards fungal growth. The larvae, commonly known as supermeal worm are cheap and easily maintained. To make the extraction even more cost effective, it is pertinent to maximize the extraction yield and to optimize the extraction process. The aim of this study is to use the One-Factor-At-a-Time (OFAT) strategy to determine the maximum values of the process parameters for the extraction of antifungal peptides, where these values can later be used in the experimental design to optimize the extraction process. Based on importance, three parameters were selected, namely, initial homogenization temperature, homogenization time and solid (g) to solvent (ml) ratio. Maximum inhibition to fungal growth was found when the extraction was carried out as follows; using initial homogenization temperature of 4°C, homogenization time of 5 minutes and a solid (g) to solvent (ml) ratio of 3.5:1. The peptide extract displayed different degree of antifungal effect towards four selected fungi, Aspergillus niger, Microsporum canis, Candida albicans and Blastomyces dermatitidsis.
It is noted that nowadays, halal products are gaining wider recognition as a new benchmark for safety and quality assurance. As a consequence of these additional pigment needs, the demand in isolated natural colorants has increased as compared with synthetic dyes. The aim of the research is to explore new sources of pigments to be used as halal food colorants. This quest is not only directed in finding natural alternatives for synthetic dyes, but also with the aim to discover new taxons for the pigment production, for instance from microalgae. Therefore, a total of six freshwater algae species were evaluated quantitative and qualitatively using HPLC for carotenoids pigment. Three main carotenoids were identified in Chlorella fusca, Chlorella vulgaris, Selenastrum capricornutum, Pandorina morum, Botryococcus sudeticus and Chlorococcum sp. which are lutein, β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene. The ratio of these carotenoids varies between species where lutein was detected substantially higher in Chlorella fusca (69.54±11.29µg/g DW); β-cryptoxanthin in Pandorina morum (1.24±0.33 µg/g DW) whereas β-carotene in Chlorella vulgaris (18.42±9.2 ug/g DW). The significant outcome of the research will be new findings of new natural carotenoid pigment sources as potential food colorants and bioactive compounds which can be beneficial to halal health promoting products industry, food products and dye technology which covers not only the Shariah requirement, but also the hygiene, purification and safety aspects.
Carotenoid content in plants differs due to several factors such as cultivar, maturity, climate, locality and storage. Improving the nutritional values of sweet potato is an important breeding goal and understanding the regulation, genetics and inheritance of carotenoid biosynthesis are vital to achieve this. Environmental conditions can have a marked influence on the accumulation of carotenoids in sweet potato tubers. Little is known about the effects of location, post-harvest storage time and harvesting season particularly on carotenoid biosynthesis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of growing location, harvesting season and storage time on carotenoid biosynthesis in orange sweet potato tuber flesh. The results showed that orange sweet potato tubers contained α-carotene and β-carotene in the first and second harvesting season (year 2011 and 2012), whereas lutein and zeaxanthin were detected only in the third harvesting season (year 2013). Analysis of carotenoid profiles of the orange sweet potato tubers grown in three different locations confirmed that the harvesting season had a major effect on the total carotenoid content and the individual carotenoid compounds. The post-harvest storage time of sweet potato tubers also appears to have distinct effects on carotenoid biosynthesis, the magnitude of the effects being dependent on the storage time, harvesting season and location. The results of this study will help to understand the effects of location, year of harvesting season and storage time on carotenoid accumulation in orange sweet potato tubers.
A new analytical method was developed for determining formaldehyde (CH2O) in cheese by FTIR spectroscopy. Formaldehyde (CH2O) was also spiked at 0 to 100 mg/100g in freshly prepared cheese. Two sets, each of twenty-one (21) samples, were prepared using the same type of soft white cheese. FTIR spectra were recorded using Attenuated Total Reflectance accessory at room temperature, and the Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression statistical method was used to derive calibration models for the set of samples in triplicates. The spectral region used for correlation and cross validation were set include the data from 1650 – 800 cm–1. As suggested by the correlation and variance spectra. The coefficient of determination (R2) of correlation was found to be 0.986 with average standard error of calibration (SEC) of 2.24 mg/100g, with. The calibration model was validated by using the “leave-one-out” cross-validation method, and the R2 of validation, the standard errors of prediction (Yang and Irudayaraj), and standard deviation (Angulo et al.) of the differences for repeatability and accuracy were computed and found to be 0.9662, 4.07 mg/100g and 4.61, respectively. The results support the premise that FTIR spectroscopy is an efficient, precise and rapid analytical technique for the determination of minor components such as formaldehyde / formalin in cheese samples.
The oil quality parameters of the seed oil of Baobab (Adansonia digitata) were evaluated using standard methods of analysis. The Iodine value, Peroxide value, Saponification value were 86 g/100g, 4.08 mEq/Kg, 188 mg/g, respectively, for seed oil. The oil content of the kernel was higher 23% compared to the hulls that contain 5.4% oil. The kernel oil contains substantial quantities of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which were found to be 4116, 2339 and 1629 mg/Kg, respectively. The fatty acid profile showed that oleic and linoleic were the major unsaturated fatty acids, whereas palmitic was the major saturated acid. The oil also, showed considerable amount of total phenolic content (TPC) and worthy antioxidant activity. Baobab oil has great nutritional and industrial potentials. It is therefore recommended that more and advanced research should be undertaken for this abundant source of natural nutritious oil.