Journal Of Agrobiotechnology (Journal of UniSZA - Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin)
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Chocolate Spread Emulsion: Effects of Varying Oil Types on Physico-chemical Properties, Sensory Qualities and Storage Stability
Get PDFChocolate spread emulsion is an alternative product to the conventional dry-based chocolate spreads. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the use of three potential oils; palm olein, olive oil and corn oil, in the production of chocolate spread emulsions. The palm olein chocolate spread was the easiest to spread compared to the olive oil and corn oil chocolate spread emulsions. The melting point of the commercial spread was higher than the emulsion samples, but the sensory scores of the samples were comparable to the commercial spread. The proximate analyses of the samples with different oil types gave no significant difference in the values of moisture, ash, protein, fat, fibre and carbohydrate. Further study on the storage stability of all samples for 28 days at 28 and 10 °C revealed that the firmness of the spread emulsions generally decreased by week, while the water activity (aw) values decreased during the storage at 28 °C and increased at 10 °C. There was no oil separation and microbial growth observed on the chocolate spread samples throughout the storage period at both temperatures
Influence of Water Stress in Association with Aplication of Brassinolide and Minerals on Growth, Physiological and Biochemical Changes of Banana (Musa acuminata cv. Berangan)
Get PDFWater stress or synonymy referring to the drought season is the major abiotic stress which affect growth, physiology and biochemical activity in plant and cause major losses to agriculture production sector. This study was aimed to determine the effects of exogenous application of brassinolide (BR) and combination of minerals on growth performance, physiological and biochemical changes of banana plantlets (Musa acuminata cv. Berangan) under water stress condition. The leaves of the whole plantlets were foliar sprayed for every two weeks interval with three treatments; (i) BR as control, (ii) magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) + calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and (iii) combination of BR + MgCO3 + CaCO3. The plants were also subjected to water stress treatments: 50%, 75% and 100% of the field capacity. The treatments were assigned as split-plot design in randomized complete block design (RCBD) arrangement. Water stress had significantly reduced major growth parameters (plant height, pseudo-stem diameter and total leaf area) but enhanced accumulation of proline and malondialdehyde content in leaves tissue. These findings also provided profound new insights and water stress by regulating the changes on stomata conductance and vapour pressure deficit under severe water stress condition
Physicochemical Analysis and Antioxidant Activity of Honey from Three Malaysian Stingless Bees Species
Get PDFThis study investigates physicochemical and antioxidant activity of raw and honey extract from three different species of Malaysian stingless bees. The methanol extract of commonly found Heterotrigona itama (EHI), Tetratgonula laeviceps (ETL) and Geniotrigona thoracica (EGT) was tested for their total flavonoid, total phenolic, moisture, ash, fat, protein and carbohydrate. Antioxidant activity through DPPH radical scavenging activity was also determined. Nutritional analysis of raw honey showed a comparable result. Analysis of total flavonoid and total phenolic for honey extract showed a significant difference between three species. In contrast, raw honeys did not show any significant differences between species. The antioxidant testing showed that the three honeys does not possess good antioxidant activity with inhibition lower than 50%. ETL showed the highest inhibition with IC50 of 37.8%, followed by EHI with 24.3% and EGT with 9.8% of inhibition, respectively. Thin layer chromatography analysis revealed the content of phenolic and flavonoids in all tested honey. The three extracts displayed a characteristic profile and vary from each other. This study revealed that bee species is important in determination of honey’s quality
Evaluation of Difference Leaf Cutting Shape and Pruning Techniques on Root and Shoot Production of Labisia pumila
Get PDFLabisia pumila or locally known as kacip fatimah, belongs to the family of Primulaceae. It possesses several medicinal properties such as pre and post-partum medication, anti-obesity, anti-aging and anti-microbial. In this paper, an attempt was made to discover the suitable leaf cutting shape and pruning technique to increase the yield and improve the quality of root and shoot production of L. pumila. Three different leaves cutting shape were tested (shape A, shape B and shape C) to study their effect on root production. The cuttings were distinguished by the shape of leaf midrib at the basal part. Whereas for pruning experiment, two pruning techniques were identified namely half cut and full cut. In half cut, the leaves petiole remained on the stem while in full cut, all leaves and petiole was removed from the stem. Leaf cutting from shape C rooted earlier (at week 5) than the others (at week 6). However, leaves cutting from shape A performed better in the number of root and root length. For pruning experiment, no significant difference was observed in the growth performance of L. pumila within the 12 weeks of observation. However, the full cut pruning technique produced new shoot earlier than half cut within the observation period. An extended observation period is required to measure the growth and yield of this herbal plant. The output of this study will benefit the industries for a quick and effective method in order to produce mass planting materials for the species
Detection of Arsenic (As) and Copper (Cu) in Mud Crabs (Scylla serrata) and in Water Samples at Sungai Balok, Pahang
Get PDFThe study was aimed to determine the level of arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) in organs of mud crabs (gills and tissues), Scylla serrata and in river water at Sungai Balok, Pahang. The mud crabs (n=8) and water samples were collected from five sampling stations in Sungai Balok. The study also determined the water quality parameters and Water Quality Index (WQI) of Sungai Balok. The mud crabs’ tissues and gills were digested by using acid digestion method based on the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The concentration of heavy metals in mud crabs’ tissues and gills as well as the river water samples were analysed by using Inductive Coupled Plasma Micro Spectrometer (ICP-MS). The present result showed The highest content level of As and Cu in mud crabs’ tissue and gills was during dry seasons (March 2019) 3.03 ± 0.64 & 0.38 ± 0.16 ppm and 7.57 ± 0.72 & 6.98 ± 0.53 ppm. The level of As and Cu showed that there were significantly different (p<0.05) in mud crabs’ tissue and gills. Content level of both As and Cu in the water was 0.02 ± 0.01 ppm. The As and Cu levels in mud crabs were higher than the permissible limits from World Health Organisation (2012), Federation of European Producers of Abrasives(FEPA) and Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The As and Cu levels in Sungai Balok water were lower than the permissible limit from World Health Organisation (WHO) and Federation of European Producers of Abrasives. The WQI for Sungai Balok water was classified in Class III according to National Water Quality Standards for Malaysia (NWQS), which means the water was slightly polluted.
Keywords: Scylla serrata, heavy metals, water quality, ICP-M
Effect of Different Processing Methods on the Physicochemical Properties and Sensory Evaluations of Sweet Potatoes Chips
Get PDFSweet potatoes is a popular root vegetable and highly nutritious. It is highly perishable and the need of processing required to enable it to be shelf stable. However, some processing methods have been degrading nutrient content of the sweet potatoes while increasing the fat content. Hence, the main aim of this research is to identify sweet potato chips which are nutritious and have acceptable organoleptic properties. Thus, the research also conducted to compare the physicochemical and sensory analysis on two types of sweet potatoes based on different processing methods. The processing methods used were deep-fry, freeze-dry, sun dry, air-fry and oven bake methods. The results obtained comparing both types of sweet potatoes mostly did not show statistical significant difference. The physicochemical analysis which shows the nutrition value of sweet potatoes based on different processing methods produced results where the freeze-dried samples tend to have the highest values of ash (1.77 g/100 g), crude protein (5.65 g/100 g) and crude fiber content (3.56 g/100 g). Adversely, freeze-dried samples provided small amount of fat content for both type of sweet potato which are 1.51 g/100 g compared to other samples. However for the sensory acceptance, deep-fried was most acceptable by the panelist with the score of range 5 to 6 in the seven-hedonic scale test. Whereas, the deep-fried sample showed lowest value for the chemical analysis where for ash both type of sweet potatoes (1.19 g/100 g), crude protein (3.74 g/100 g) and crude fiber content (1.62 g/100 g). However, the deep-fried samples had highest fat content for both type of sweet potatoes which are 45.85 g/100 g. Concerning the physical attributes, the sun dried samples had the highest hardness value whereas the freeze-dried samples had the lowest fracturability value which made it least sensory acceptance. Color analysis indicated that orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) retained its colour, but purple-fleshed sweet potato (PFSP) leached its color. Overall, the oven baked samples had moderate amount of ash, crude fiber and crude protein. Besides, it consist lower fat content compared to deep-fried samples. Moreover, oven baked samples obtained similar sensory attributes score of range 5 to 6 as deep-fried samples
Discrimination of Syzygium polyanthum Cultivars (Wight) Walp Based on Essential oil Composition
Get PDFMyrtaceae has been considered as the richest species with the genus Syzygium having approximately 120 species in Malaysia. The aerial part of Syzygium polyanthum is largely consumed as ulam with the aim of treating diverse ailments and enhancing appetite in Peninsular Malaysia. The richness of the species in the niche has resulted in the taxonomic misidentification which caused a serious problem in biodiversity management and development of natural products. The study was aimed to discriminate the two cultivars of S. Polyanthum (Serai Kayu and Serai Kayu Hutan) based on the chemical composition of their essential oil. The volatile compounds were distilled from the aerial parts using Hydrodistillation. Up to 0.4% and 1.6% (v/w) were percentages of the oil yield obtained from Serai Kayu and Serai Kayu Hutan leaves, respectively. The GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of 40 and 29 compounds amounting to 70.29% and 95.15% in Serai Kayu and Serai Kayu Hutan, respectively. Alpha-Pinene (38.46%), Octanal (21.01%) and (E)-Methyl-cinnamate (7.21%) were the main constituents of Serai Kayu while in Serai Kayu Hutan Z-Methyl-cinnamate (39.18%), Terpinolane (23.63%) and Spathulenol (3.98%) were the major constituents. Compounds below 1% were considered to be minor constituents in both the species. The study documents the first chemical composition of the cultivar Serai Kayu Hutan. The analysis of the chemical content has added taxonomic information to the genus Syzygium and had provided the baseline information for natural product development.Â
Physical and Sensory Evaluation of Muffin Incorporated with Rubber Seed (Hevea brasiliensis) Flour, Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) Flour and Cassava (Manihot esculenta crantz) Flour
Get PDFThis study was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical and organoleptic properties of muffin incorporated with different type of composite flour. In this study, three composites flour were produce with ratio 50:50 which are rubber seed and cassava flour (RCF), rubber seed and pumpkin flour (RPF) and cassava and pumpkin flour (CPF) and 100% wheat flour was used as control, to study their effect towards structural properties of muffin. The physicochemical and organoleptic properties (moisture, volume, texture, water activity, colour, pore size and sensory acceptance) of control and supplemented muffins were assessed. From the analysis, RPF showed the firmest texture 2.04±0.33 while RCF have high springiness 51.14±2.51 among the composite flour formulation. The addition of rubber seed flour in the formulation helps to improve the cell number of muffin which is 70 and 83 for RCF and RPF respectively. The RCF and CPF show lower moisture content than control which are 25.76±1.14 and 26.25±1.80 respectively. In terms of consumer acceptance, the RCF have the highest overall acceptability among tested composite flour. The incorporation of rubber seed flour into the RCF formulation improves the physical and organoleptic properties of the muffin.
Keyword: Rubber seed, Pumpkin, Cassava, Muffin, Physicochemical, sensory evaluatio
Study on Chemical Composition of Azolla filiculoides and Hydrilla verticillata
Get PDFThe main objectives of this study were to determine and measure the chemical composition as well as the mineral composition of Azolla filiculoides and Hydrilla verticillata. Both plants are an aquatic plant that has high potential to be introduced as a new alternative to ruminant animal feed. Samples were collected around Tembila area, Besut, Terengganu and were dried and ground before the plants were analyzed by using proximate analysis as well dry ashing method for Induced Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The proximate analysis was used to measure the dry matter (DM), ash, crude fibre (CF), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE) and Nitrogen-Free Extract (NFE). The minerals composition of Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe) and Calcium (Ca) were measured using ICP-OES. The result of this analysis shows that Azolla contains the highest protein and ether extract content compared to Hydrilla. As in mineral composition, Hydrilla and Azolla showed that it has significant differences (p < 0.05) in between the two plants. This study revealed that Azolla is more suitable to be used as a source of fodder mixture to ruminant as it contains a more nutritive value in terms of high crude protein and ether extract that are essential for ruminant diet.
Keywords: Aquatic plants, proximate analysis, ICP-OES, ruminant die
A Review of Medicinal Plants and Daily Foods used in Southeast Asia Possessing Antidiabetic Activity
Get PDFAccording to the recent estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), 422 million adults aged over 18 years were living with diabetes in 2014 globally. Surprising, about 1.6 million deaths was reported cause directed by diabetes in 2016. In Southeast Asia alone, 96 million people have diabetes, and this is predicted to increase. The incidence of diabetes is worryingly increasing especially in developing countries. Numerous synthetic drugs have been discovered to control this disease, but these drugs can lead to negative side effects. Therefore, people are looking for natural remedies to combat the disease. The objective of this review is to study of the medicinal plants and daily foods that have been used to treat diabetes. Instead of common traditional medicinal plants such as Andrographis paniculata, Averrhoa bilimbi, Camellia sinensis, Cosmos caudatus Kunth, Leucaena leucocephala, Momordica charantia, Ocimum sanctum, Orthosiphon stamineus, Panax ginseng and Pereskia bleo and; daily foods ingredients like fenugreek, garlic, ginger, onion and turmeric possess significant positive effects on diabetic patients. Antioxidants, for instance andrographolide, flavonoids glycosides like epicatechin, quercetin, catechin, myricetin, epigallocatechin gallate, polysaccharide compound galactomannan, saponin, gingerol, allicin, euganol and curcuma, dietary fibers and some minerals such as magnesium as well as amino acid such as 4-hydroxyisoleucine were found to be responsible for this effect. Although some responsible compounds are known, the mechanisms involved are not yet fully explored. Thus, further research on the mechanism, effective dosage and toxicity of the particular medicinal plants need to be comprehensively studied before they can be marketed as nutraceutical products.Â