UMT Journal Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
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A REVIEW: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EDIBLE COATING INCORPORATED WITH RED MACROALGAE (Kappaphycus alvarezii) EXTRACT ON THE POST HARVEST QUALITY OF FRUITS
No full textFruits and vegetables are the main fresh produce that receive high demand among consumers because of the nutritional properties to boost the human health. However, not all fruits and vegetables are durable due to the ongoing release of ethylene even when harvested. Damaged produce will not be accepted by the customer and will cause post-harvest losses. It was estimated that about 30% of fruits and vegetables are damaged or affected by microorganisms, insects, pre- and post-harvest conditions during transportation and improper storage conditions. Edible coating is an effective approach for fruit preservation. It provides good barrier properties towards carbon dioxide, oxygen, and moisture vapor and at the same time beneficial for the environment and human health. The aim of this review is to investigate the potential of red macroalgae (Kappaphycus alvarezii) as an edible fruit coating. This edible red macroalgae abundant in Sabah is widespread around the world due to their carrageenan properties. Carrageenan is normally used as the main edible coating material due to its thickening stability and natural antioxidant. The carrageenan film from these algae is able to replace synthetic packaging and is more environmentally friendly. The abundant source of this algae in Sabah will ensure sustainability and cost effectiveness besides increasing the socio-economy of the local community. Red macroalgae has potential to be used as a bio preservative in fresh produce as it shows better quality characteristics in physicochemical properties of fruits such as weight loss, colour and firmness
COPEPOD AND NEMATODE PARASITES OF THE THREE-SPOTTED DAMSELFISH DASCYLLUS TRIMACULATUS FROM BIDONG ISLAND, TERENGGANU
No full textThis study focuses on the parasites in Dascyllus trimaculatus fish in Bidong Island. Though D. trimaculatus is a common reef fish, there is lack on parasites studies of this fish in Malaysia. The objectives of this study are to identify metazoan parasites and analyse the prevalence and mean intensity the parasites in D. trimaculatus. Sampling was randomly conducted on a coral colony of 100 meters within a 15m depth at Pantai Pasir Cina, Bidong Island. This research resulted in the identification of a copepod Lernaeocera branchialis and a nematode from the family Camallanidae. The copepods collected in this study infected 20 out of 42 D. trimaculatus specimens, whereas the nematode-like parasites collected infected 18 of out of 42 D. trimaculatus. All copepods found in the gills of D. trimaculatus had a prevalence of 4.95 and mean intensity of 47.62%, while the nematode-like parasite, which were found in the brain, had 2.72 prevalence and 42.86% mean intensity. This elucidates that both parasites are categorised as having light level but common frequency of infection, and the current IUCN status of D. trimaculatus has not been reported to be harmed by parasites. Though the mean intensity of both parasites is not harmful, the prevalence are concerning and might increase in the future, with further incorporation and monitoring of climate change factors that may affect the damselfish
ADAPTIVE TIME-STEPPING FOR RUNGE-KUTTA METHODS FOR ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
No full textOrdinary Differential Equations (ODEs) are usually used in numerous fields especially in solving the modelling problem. Numerical methods are one of the vital mathematical tools to solve the ODEs that appear in various modelling problems by determining the approximation solution close to the in exact solution if it exists. Runge-Kutta methods (RK) are the numerical methods used to integrate the ODEs by applying multistage methods at the midpoint of an interval which can efficiently produce a more accurate result or small magnitude of error. We proposed Runge-Kutta methods (RK) to solve the 1st_ order nonlinear stiff ODEs. The RK methods used in this research are known as the RK-2, RK-4, and RK-5 methods. We proved the existence and uniqueness of the ODEs before we solved it numerically. We also proved the absolute-stability of the RK methods to determine the overall stability of these methods. We found two suitable test cases which are the standard test problem and manufactured solution. We proved that by combining the adaptive step size with RK methods can result in more efficient computation. We implemented the 2nd_, 4th_ and 5th_ order of RK methods with step size adaptively algorithm to solve the test problem and manufactured solution via Octave programming language. The resulting numerical error and the stability of each method can be studied. We compared our results using several error plots versus the Central Processing Unit (CPU) time required to compute a given nonlinear 1st_ order stiff ODE problem. In a conclusion, RK methods which combine with the adaptive step size can result in more efficient computation and accuracy compare with the fixed step size RK methods
AN ASSESSMENT OF A RIVER HYDROLOGICAL REGIME ALTERATION: A CASE STUDY OF SUNGAI DUNGUN
No full textHydro-morphology of a river can be assessed using four main methods namely morphological assessment, physical habitat assessment, riparian habitat assessment and hydrological regime alteration assessment. This study focused on the fourth method where changes in flow rate are the criteria of river regime alteration. The Indicator of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA 7.0) was employed to study the pre- and post-impact of a major flood event in 2014 at Sungai Dungun as well as the other anthropogenic stress such as sand mining activities that occurred at Sungai Dungun. The daily flowrate from the monitoring site at Jerangau bridge (Station Number: 4832441) was obtained from DID (Department of Irrigation and Drainage) to assess the pre-impact flowrate (2002 – 2014) and post-impact flowrate (2015-2019). It was found that the flow duration curve decreased at the post-impact significantly compared to the pre-impact duration. The median flows dropped almost half between pre-impact and post-impact analysis. A few indicators were identified as the high range of variability approach (RVA) that defines the extent of alteration between pre- and post-analysis. The positive RVA of fall rate, high pulse duration, low pulse duration signifies the increase of frequency from pre-impact to the post-impact while negative RVA of 90-1-day minimum flows, 30-7 days maximum flows December, July and May median flow indicate the frequency of values in the category has decreased between pre- and post-analysis
PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF DRIED POWDER OF Passiflora Foetida LEAVES AND FRUITS AND ITS PHYTOCHEMICAL CONTENT OF CRUDE AQUEOUS AND ETHANOL EXTRACT
No full textPassiflora foetida is an edible plant that is underappreciated by most local communities even though it grows widely in many areas. The aim of this study is to measure the proximate composition of P. foetida’s leaves and fruits as well as to determine the most efficient solvent to extract phytochemicals from the plant parts. The proximate values determined in this study include the moisture, ash, protein, lipid, fiber and carbohydrate. Meanwhile for extraction efficiency, aqueous and ethanol were selected to quantitatively evaluate the composition of total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid and tannin. The result shows that the leaves and fruits of P. foetida contain 4.80±0.17% and 3.52±0.17% of ash, 18.41±0.47% and 10.00±0.45% of crude protein, and 15.28±0.49% and 27.49±0.52% of fiber, respectively. In terms of the yield of extraction, it shows that aqueous capable of extracting higher yield than ethanol. However, comparison between aqueous and ethanol for extracting phytochemicals, revealed that ethanol is capable of extracting significantly higher amount of TPC in both leaves and fruits, as well as flavonoid and tannin from the fruit material. Aqueous extract was identified to be the best extract for tannin in the leaves. Ethanol extracts lower yield, but the efficiency to extract most phytochemicals in the plant materials was considered to be better than aqueous
INCORPORATION EFFECT OF MANGO (Mangifera indica) KERNEL FLOUR ON THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL, ANTIOXIDANT AND SENSORIAL PROPERTIES OF PASTA
No full textThe incorporation of mango kernel flour (MKF) into pasta was carried out to maximise the utilisation of waste from mango industries. Mango kernels are reported to make up between 45% and 75% of a mango seed and its high antioxidant properties make it an ideal ingredient in pastas. This study aims to determine the physiochemical, antioxidant properties, and sensory acceptability of fresh pasta made with MKF. There were four formulations of pasta where MKF was incorporated at 0%, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5% (w/w). The pasta was analysed for its proximate composition, cooking quality, antioxidant properties, physical analysis, and sensory acceptance. The incorporation of MKF did not generally affect the proximate composition of pasta, however the fat content was increased at 7.5% MKF. The high MKF content had also affected the cooking properties, colour and texture of the pasta. As expected, the substitution of MKF increased the antioxidant properties of pasta at the 2.5% concentration level without affecting the cooking properties, colour and texture of the pasta. The MKF substitution only started to affect the acceptability in terms of colour and texture at 5% substitution level while other attributes including the overall acceptability was not significantly affected (p > 0.05). In conclusion, since the antioxidant properties of pasta was increased at the lowest level of MKF infusion while other properties were not significantly affected, pasta with 2.5% MKF could potentially increase the dietary value of pasta in terms of antioxidants while promoting the agricultural waste reduction
ANALISIS RANGKAIAN SOSIAL TERHADAP PEMAIN UTAMA DALAM MEMPERKASAKAN KEMPEN BEBAS BEG PLASTIK DI KUANTAN PAHANG
No full textPenggunaan beg plastik sangat popular di seluruh dunia. Di Malaysia beg plastik menjadi keperluan masyarakat terutama dalam proses jual beli. Peningkatan itu sekaligus mewujudkan kebimbangan bagi pemain utama seperti kerajaan persekutuan yang berperanan menggerak dan memperjuangkan kelestarian alam sekitar. Kempen bebas beg plastik merupakan kempen yang kerap dilaungkan dalam menggubah budaya penggunaan plastik dalam kehidupan seharian. Menerusi pelaksanaan kempen bebas beg plastik yang dijalankan di seluruh negeri khususnya di Kuantan, Pahang, maka kajian ini dapat mengkaji rangkaian pemain utama dengan menggunakan kaedah kualitatif temubual melalui Analisis Rangkaian Sosial (ARS). Secara khususnya, rangkaian tadbir berjaya memaparkan pelbagai saliran berkaitan komunikasi dan kerjasama antara pemain utama. Struktur berpusat didapati menjadi asbab kepada kapasiti terhad dalam menyelaraskan tindakan bersama. Temubual yang mendalam menunjukkan kepentingan kedudukan pemain utama dalam rangkaian tindakan bersama memudahkan pihak terlibat. Hasil kajian menunjukkan peluang lebih berkesan dan realistik jika diselaras hukuman dan tindakan di peringkat persekutuan dengan kerjasama Majlis Perbandaran, Jabatan Alam Sekitar, institusi penyelidikan, organisasi perniagaan dan pemain lain yang berkaitan. Justeru, kajian akan datang harus memperkasakan pendidikan dalam kalangan masyarakat dari setiap lapisan umur, kaum dan agama serta budaya. Malah, penerokaan terhadap keberkesanan penyampaian dan penerangan maklumat perlu divisualkan secara jelas oleh pihak berkepentingan dalam usaha mensifarkan penggunaan beg plastik di Malaysia
CORRELATION BETWEEN TPC AND TFC WITH ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF Piper sarmentosum EXTRACT AND ITS FORMULATION FOR COSMETIC PURPOSES
No full textThis study investigates the characteristics of an antioxidant cream made from the methanol extract of Piper sarmentosum leaves, which is locally known as the wild betel or pokok kadok in Malay. The secondary metabolites of the leaves were subjected to phytochemical tests to detect the presence of natural compounds. Antioxidant activity was described by its total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), which was assessed by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. A phase diagram was constructed to find a possible region to formulate an antioxidant cream. In phytochemical screening, the methanolic extract showed positive presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and tannins. In quantitative analysis of antioxidative components, besides having significantly higher TFC content compared with quercetin (P<0.0001), the extract of P. sarmentosum leaves also displayed high phytochemical content and was proven to be an efficient free radical scavenger and reducing agent compared with ascorbic acid (p=0.0121). It was observed that the phytochemical compounds in the leaf extract like alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids and tannins were the major contributors of antioxidant activity. The leaf extract was also a suitable ingredient to produce a cream with good spreadability, homogeneity, consistency, appearance and pH
ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF SPENT COFFEE GROUND (SCG) EXTRACTED USING ULTRASONIC-ETHANOL ASSISTED EXTRACTION METHOD
No full textSpent coffee grounds (SCG) a by-product from coffee industries, coffee shops and domestic users contain large amounts of organic compounds which could be re-used as source antioxidants for foods or cosmetics. This project aims to study the antioxidant activity of three different spent ground coffee varieties (Robusta, Liberica and Arabica) extracted using ultrasonic-ethanol assisted extraction method utilizing 60% ethanol. The extracted samples were analysed using DPPH, FRAP, FTC and TBA, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and also individual flavonoids to measure the quality and quantity of antioxidative activity in spent coffee. Robusta and Liberica SCGs exhibited similar activity (p>0.05) towards DPPH scavenging and ferric reducing reaction. Both showed 77.99±0.92 and 77.75±0.04%, respectively for DPPH, and 26.82±2.92 and 24.41±0.49 mg TE/g dry sample, respectively for FRAP. In FTC and TBA analyses, Robusta SCG was found to have the least activity with 61.07±2.43% and 2.9±0.14% respectively. Spent Arabica has similar inhibition percentage (p>0.05) as Liberica SCG in FTC (57.08±0.9 and 50.54±4.23% respectively), yet has different inhibition activity (p<0.05) in TBA (4.3±0.14 and 7.4±1.41% respectively). Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were found to be the highest in Arabica SCG with 941.04±37.25 mg GAE and 78.21 mg QE/g dry sample, respectively. Liberica and Robusta SCGs contain a total of phenolic content of 661.14±2.86 and 547.51±59.5 mg GAE/g dry sample, respectively and a total of flavonoid content of 71.64±1.85 and 20.66±7.82 mg QE/g dry sample. Individual flavonoids of luteolin and quercetin were present in all the three spent ground coffee varieties. Results from the study illustrated that the three different varieties of SCGs showed different extract yields as well as diverse traits of antioxidant activity that could serve as a good antioxidant
EFFECTS OF PROBIOTICS (Bacillus sp.) ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF JUVENILE ORANGE SPOTTED GROUPER (Epinephelus coioides)
No full textThe present study conducted was to investigate the effect of probiotics (Bacillus sp.) on the growth performance of juvenile orange spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides). Probiotic (Bacillus sp.) of different concentration; 106 (T1) and 107 (T2) CFU/ml was sprayed on the feed, while a control (C) group was fed no probiotics. A total of 60 juvenile orange spotted grouper were used in this experiment. Each treatment had 3 replicates and each replicate contained 10 juveniles. The experiment was conducted for 31 days. The feed was given by calculation 3% of body weight of the grouper each week and the fish were fed 3 times a day. As for the result, neither T1 nor T2 treatments showed any significant improvement in the growth performance of the grouper when compared the control group. In T1, there is a significant difference in Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) only when compared with the control group. In this study, control showed better growth performance result may be caused by the insufficient concentration of probiotics in diets of juvenile Epinephelus coioides. Lastly, no mortality rate was recorded in this study. Overall, the inclusion of 106 and 107 CFU/ml of probiotic (Bacillus sp.) did not give desirable results towards growth performance of juvenile Epinephelus coioides and should be retested with a higher dosage