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Listeria monocytogenes is a psychrophilic bacterium that commonly contaminates and grows in food stored at refrigeration temperature. It can cause serious illness in the elderly, pregnant women, children and immunocompromised individuals. Thus, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in eight selected salad vegetables and characterized antibiotic resistance profiles of L. monocytogenes isolates. A total of 154 salad samples were purchased from four different districts in Terengganu namely Besut, Jerteh, Kemaman and Kuala Terengganu. Samples were enriched with Listeria Enrichment Broth (LEB) at 30˚С for 24 hr before being subjected to selective medium PALCAM agar and PCR and LAMP assays. The L. monocytogenes isolates were tested against seven antibiotics using disk diffusion method. Percentage of L. monocytogenes in samples were detected at 5.19, 3.89 and 3.25% using PCR assay, LAMP assay and plating, respectively. L. monocytogenes isolates showed resistance towards tetracycline, vancomycin, penicillin G and erythromycin. Three isolates have multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index higher than 0.2 which indicate the contamination from high-risk or animal sources. It can be concluded that vegetable samples were contaminated with L. monocytogenes that exhibit antibiotic resistance. Consumption of raw vegetables will pose significant risk of foodborne infection.

The present study focusing on the performances of advanced oxidation process by using ozonation method towards Methyl Orange based on the efficiency of colour removal and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal. Factorial design with response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the interaction between operational conditions, such as pH, initial concentration, contact time and persulfate dosage to obtain the optimum range conditions using a semi-batch reactor. The range of independent variables investigated were pH (3-11), initial concentration (100-500mg/L), contact time (10-50min) and persulfate dosage (20-100mM) while the response variables were colour removal and COD removal of Methyl Orange. The experimental results and statistical analysis showed all the parameters were significant. Thus, from this findings, optimization of operational conditions that had been suggested from the ozone/persulfate RSM analysis were (pH 3, 100 mg/L, 50min, 60mM) that would be produced 99% Colour Removal and 80% COD Removal and help in promoting an efficient ozonation process. The effect list data that showed the most contributed effects to increase the percentages of colour removal were pH and persulfate dosage whereas the contact time and initial concentration had the highest positive effects on the COD removal. Other than that, the interaction between pH, contact time and persulfate dosage were found to be the most influencing interaction. Therefore the least influencing interaction was interaction between persulfate dosage and pH. In this study, the correlation coefficient value R2 for colour removal and COD removal of Methyl Orange were R2= 0.9976 and R2= 0.9924 which suggested a good fit of the first-order regression model with the experimental data.

Arm are essential in order to perform manual material handling work that normally involves lifting, handling, placing, push and pull, carrying and moving heavy loads. When these work elements are performed over prolonged periods repeatedly, it will expose workers arm to awkward posture and possible ergonomic risk factor. For example, work element that requires repetitions frequently may lead the arm to face physical stress and mental fatigue. The situation can be extremely risky if the worker task requires higher focus or time consumable. These issues are unavoidable in palm oil harvesting process since the workers are still using manual handling when harvesting the fresh fruit bunch (FFB). The worker using a chisel to harvest the young palms and a sickle mounted on a bamboo or aluminum pole to harvest taller palms. When perform this work element combining with heavy physical workload, it may lead to work-related muscle disorders (WSMDs). This study was conducted to identify the force reaction and inverse dynamic analysis during oil palm harvesting process using ergonomics software called Anybody Technology. Inverse dynamic analysis is a technique for figuring strengths and/or moments of power (torques) taking into account the kinematics (movement) of a body and the body’s inertial properties.

Oil palm frond has been utilized as a solid biomass fuel for gasification to produce synthesis gas or syngas to be used for heat and power generation. A fuel pre-treatment method by means of extensively-drying OPF blocks at 150°C and 200°C for 4 hours was implemented to investigate the effects of the fuel in terms of drying efficiency and gasification performances. Tar, pyrolysis oil and condensates were found to be squeezed out by heat during drying, signifying volatilization of fuel at temperatures between water boiling point at 100°C and fuel pyrolysis point at 280°C. Syngas produced from the updraft gasification of extensively-dried OPF blocks was analyzed and tested for sustainable gas flares. The syngas was found to be composed of 16.5% CO, 10% CO2, 4% H2 and 0.9% CH4 and was produced at gasification temperatures lower than that exhibited by normal OPF blocks.