Nepenthes, locally known as ‘periuk kera’ in Malaysia, is a fascinating species due to uniqueness in their morphology
in having pitcher organ for carnivorous diet. The pitcher plant has been used for cooking traditional delicacies and
as traditional remedies to treat illness. Hence, this species might possess beneficial health properties. This study
aimed to compare the antioxidant activity of the pitcher extracts from Nepenthes ampullaria, Nepenthes rafflesiana
and their hybrid, Nepenthes × hookeriana. The samples were extracted using methanol:chloroform:water (3:1:1)
via sonication assisted extraction and the extracts were subjected to three different antioxidant assays, namely
2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing power (FRAP) and total phenolic content (TPC). Extract from N.
ampullaria exhibited the strongest radical scavenging activity (0.148 ± 0.04 mg/mL) with the highest ferric reducing
power (0.009 ± 0.003 mg GA/mg dry weight) among the three species, whereas that of N. rafflesiana possessed the
highest phenolic content (0.057 ± 0.017 mg GA/mg dry weight). However, the antioxidant capacities of the pitcher
extracts were not significantly different (p>0.05) between the three species and were much lower than the gallic acid
as a standard reference.
Basal stem rot disease of oil palm caused by Ganoderma boninense is one of the most devastating diseases in oil palm
plantation resulting in low yield, loss of palm stands and shorter replanting cycle. To-date, there is no effective treatment
for Ganoderma infected palms. Control measures, either chemical or cultural approaches, show varying degrees of
effectiveness. The application of biological control agents which is environmental-friendly could be an attractive solution
to overcome the problem. Earlier, we had isolated a mycoparasite, Scytalidium parasiticum, from the basidiomata of
Ganoderma boninense. In vitro assay and nursery experiment showed that this fungus could suppress Ganoderma infection
and reduce disease severity. However, metabolites which might contribute to the antagonistic or mycoparasitic effect
remain unknown. In the current study, optimization of fungal sample processing, extraction, and analytical procedures
were conducted to obtain metabolites from the maize substrate colonized by mycoparasitic ascomycetous Scytalidium
parasiticum. This technique capable of producing sexual spores in sac-like organs. Untargeted metabolomics profiling
was carried out by using Liquid Chromatography Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (LC-ToF-MS). We found that
S. parasiticum in both liquid- and solid-state cultivation gave higher metabolite when extracted with 60% methanol with
1% formic acid in combination with homogenisation methods such as ultrasonication and grinding. The findings from
this study are useful for optimisation of metabolite extraction from other fungi-Ganoderma-plant interactions.
Oil palm is the major crop grown and cultivated in various Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
The core of oil palm trunk (COPT) consists of high sugar content, hence suitable for synthesis of fine chemicals and
biofuels. Increase of sugar content was reported previously during prolonged COPT storage. However, until now, there
has been no report on protein profiles during storage. Therefore, in this study, protein expression of the COPT during the
storage period of one to six weeks was investigated using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
(SDS-PAGE) coupled with optical density quantification and multivariate analyses for measuring differentially expressed
proteins. Accordingly, protein bands were subjected to tryptic digestion followed by tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLCMS/MS)
protein identification. The results from SDS-PAGE showed consistent protein bands appearing across the biological
replicates ranging from 10.455 to 202.92 kDa molecular weight (MW) regions. The findings from the principal component
analysis (PCA) plot illustrated the separation pattern of the proteins at weeks 4 and 5 of storage, which was influenced
mainly by the molecular weights of 14.283, 25.543, 29.757, 30.549, 31.511, 34.585 and 84.395 kDa, respectively. The
majority of these proteins are identified as those involved in stress- and defense-related, disease resistance, as well
as gene/protein expression processes. Indeed, these proteins were mostly upregulated during the later storage period
suggesting that long-term storage may influence the molecular regulation of COPT sap.