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This study aims to produce soursop vinegar and evaluate how its nutritional composition changes during production. This process offers a solution to convert acidic fruits like soursop into a nutritious product with a longer shelf life. Fresh soursop juice was extracted using a mechanical press, followed by alcoholic and acetous fermentation under different aerobic and anaerobic conditions, with some samples aerated. The nutritional analysis included proximate composition, vitamin C content, acetic acid, pH, and soluble solids (TSS or ºBrix). Results during fermentation showed increased moisture content (90.73–93.99%) compared to the control (78.56%) and a decrease in protein content (0.5–0.61%) when Saccharomyces cerevisiae was present (1.53–1.84% without it). Acetic acid and vitamin C levels remained relatively stable, while ºBrix values significantly decreased (4.83–7.00 ºBrix) compared to the initial 15 ºBrix of the control during fermentation. Aeration during production improved the vinegar’s antioxidative capacity, with the highest enhancement observed when Acetobacter sp. was added. Overall, this study highlights the potential of soursop vinegar to retain the nutritional composition of the fruit, resulting in a healthier, natural product with an extended shelf life.

Various popular fermented foods are produced commercially or at the household level. Chemical, physical, and microbiological changes may occur, either desirable or undesirable, in the food matrix during fermentation. Due to the scarcity of information in the literature regarding belacan (fermented shrimp) and pekasam (fermented freshwater fish) originating from the Malay Archipelago, this review will focus on the physiochemical changes, nutritional, microbiological, sensory, and biological activities of these food ingredients. Belacan is primarily composed of fermented blocks of shrimp with salt and usually is added as condiments in a small amount in cooking. In contrast, Pekasam consisted of freshwater fish in its original form, often fermented with ground toasted rice and natural acidulants, and can be used as the main dish. Both belacan and pekasam contain appreciable quantities of umami amino acids and 5′-ribonucleotides such as glutamate, inosinate, and guanylate from the protein degradation by both endogenous proteases and microbial growth. Unfortunately, the breakdown of proteins can contribute to the rise of biogenic amines, which can cause adverse effects on sensitive individuals. The growth of lactic acid bacteria is common, which is often considered safe, but spoilage microorganisms can easily contaminate the product in an unfavourable environment. Therefore, with rich nutrients and biological activities, the appropriate consumption of these food ingredients may contribute to better consumer health while increasing the acceptability of Malay traditional cuisines.

This review attempts to delineate the effects and roles of fermented foods on allergic responses (AR), specifically from milk, plant, and meat sources. Evidence for AR alleviation and aggravation were noted for many different fermented food groups. Positive outcomes on AR through fermented foods could be linked to microbial hydrolysis of food allergens, improvement in gut microbiota robustness, and modulation of the immune system that promotes a balance between T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cells. Studies on plant-based, non-protein rich fermented foods tend to show more favourable results compared to those on meat-based or protein-rich group. The usage of specific and known starter cultures are helpful in alleviating AR, as in the case for many yogurt, Kefir or Dahi products. Sufficient fermentation time was also deemed important, exemplified in studies that showed inefficient AR reduction through consumption of fresh cheese. However, formation of new allergens through fermentation of certain meat-based foods, or by using specific fermenting microbes (e.g. Penicillium sp.), is possible. Thus, combination of starter cultures and food substrates must be considered in preventing or eliminating AR from intake of these foods. This review may aid consumers to make informed decision during the consumption of fermented food.

The intensive amount of chemical usage in agricultural practices could contribute to a significant impact on food safety issues and environmental health. Over-usage of chemical fertilisers may alter soil characteristics and contaminate water sources, leading to several human and animal health issues. Recently, there have been efforts to use microbial biofertilisers as a more sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practice in the common household of Southeast Asia. Traditionally, this method tends to utilise leftover food materials and readily available bacterial cultures, such as yoghurt drinks, and ferment them under a specific period in either solid or liquid form. So far, most of the testimonial-based feedbacks from local communities have been positive, but only limited information is available in the literature regarding the usage of biofertiliser fermented food (BFF). Previously, raw food waste has been used in the agriculture system to promote plant growth, however, the functional role of fermented food in enhancing plant growth have yet to be discovered. An understanding of the symbiotic relationship between fermented food and plants could be exploited to improve agricultural plant production more sustainably. Fermented food is known to be rich in good microbial flora (especially lactic acid bacteria (LAB)). LAB exist in different sources of fermented food and can act as a plant growth-promoting agent, improving the nutrient availability of food waste and other organic materials. Therefore, in this review, the potential use of seafood-based, plant-based, and animal-based fermented food as biofertiliser, especially from Southeast Asia, will be discussed based on their types and microbial and nutritional contents. The different types of fermented food provide a wide range of microbial flora for the enrichment of proteins, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals content in enhancing plant growth and overall development of the plant. The current advanc

Plant cell culture technology serves as an effective alternative system for in vitro production of bioactive molecules, as it allows for the exploration of valuable compounds under a controlled environment. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of plant growth regulator (PGR); 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) on the expression of compounds in coloured callus of Capsicum frutescens, a vital spice in various cuisines worldwide. The differential accumulation of compounds in the callus was analysed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) and the PGR concentration that resulted in the highest accumulation of the valuable compounds was identified. In this study, calli of various colours (cream, yellow and green) were successfully produced from C. frutescens through plant tissue culture. The increase in 2,4-D concentrations was found to increase callus growth index (GI) and specific growth rate (Sg), where the highest GI (0.5690) and Sg (0.6348 mg/week) were observed in callus produced in media supplemented with 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D. LCMS data analyses showed that 19 compounds were detected in the callus, with 8 compounds (fatty acids and phenolics) were successfully identified, while the remaining 11 compounds were reported as unknowns. Yellow-coloured callus was observed to contain the highest number of compounds (18 compounds), while green callus contained the least (14 compounds). This analysis provides valuable information on the application of biotechnological tools such as plant tissue culture as an alternative for sustainable production of compounds with high bioactivity in Capsicum frutescens.

Fructooligosaccharides can be produced by direct enzymatic conversion from sucrose-rich sugarcane syrup (SS) consisting of 58.93% sucrose yielding 21.28 g FOS/100 g sucrose. This study evaluated the prebiotic effect of unpurified/purified SS containing FOS for the modulation of the human intestinal microbial composition and short-chain fatty acid production. The unpurified and purified FOS substrates, which were a mixture of 1-kestose, nystose and 1F-fructosylnystose, were supplemented into human faecal culture using a pH-controlled batch fermentation system and significantly increased the Bifidobacterium counts after 5 h fermentation, while Bacteroides/Prevotella counts were highest throughout 24 h fermentation. Meanwhile, Lactobacillus/Enterococcus exhibited a slight increase after 5 h fermentation before reaching a plateau afterwards. The steady Bacteroides/Prevotella growth and increased Bifidobacterium population promoted an increase in the production of short-chain fatty acids acetate (58 ± 2.70 mM), propionate (9.19 ± 5.94 mM) and butyrate (7.15 ± 2.28 mM). These results provide evidence that representative gut microbiota could utilise the enzymatically synthesised FOS to generate short-chain fatty acids as metabolites in pH-controlled conditions, thus FOS from SS are a potential prebiotic ingredient for foods and health drinks.

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) have gained significant attention for their prebiotic properties. Given that sugarcane syrup (SS) is sucrose-rich but with other nutritional benefits, its direct transformation into FOS may add value to this product. Therefore, the aims of this study were to develop FOS conversion from SS and to define the kinetic behaviour of FOS synthesized in a 1-L specialized pH-stat bioreactor (SPSB). The SS was composed of sucrose (58.93%) with considerable antioxidant capacities and Ƴ-aminobutyric acid. The developed SPSB process consisted of three stages: evaporation of sugarcane juice into syrup (68–75 °Brix) (stage 1), optimization of the Viscozyme L and SS mixture at different reaction temperatures (47–55 °C) (stage 2), and upscaling of the optimized reaction system under defined conditions in a 1 L-SPSB system (stage 3). In the 1 L-SPSB system, the enzymatic reaction yielded 32.22% of FOS from SS after a 6 h reaction, which is comparable with a pure system containing an equivalent concentration of 10% of sucrose as initial substrate with 39.55% yield. This result demonstrated the efficient conversion of SS into FOS, supporting the utilization of sugarcane juice for its health benefits.

In a commercial oyster mushroom farm, from 300 g of the total harvest, only the cap and stem of the fruiting body parts are harvested (200 g) while the unused lower section called fruiting-body-base (FBB) is discarded (50 g). A new antioxidative FBB flour (FBBF) conversion to mixed-ratio chicken patty was recently developed which converts 16.67% of FBB into an edible flour. At the initial stage, pretreatments of FBBF were optimized at particle size (106 µm) and citric acid concentration (0.5 g/100 mL) to improve flour antioxidant responses. Such pretreatments boosted total phenolic content (2.31 ± 0.53 mg GAE/g) and DPPH (51.53 ± 1.51%) of pretreated FBBF. Mixed-ratio chicken patty containing FBBF (10%, 20%, 30%) significantly (P < 0.05) influenced the hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, and chewiness of the patties. However, only the hardness and chewiness increased proportionally with the increase FBBF in concentration. Notably, 60 panellists considered that 10% FBBF-chicken patty sensory attributes, including lightness, redness, and yellowness, is acceptable to consumers. This information could be used to market any type of commercial mushroom farm waste as alternative food products.

The commercialisation of sugarcane juice is limited due to its rapid quality degradation. This study was conducted to determine the effect of High Pressure Processing (HPP) and High Pressure Homogenisation (HPH) on physicochemical, antioxidant properties and microbiological quality of red sugarcane juice. The red sugarcane juice samples, Kapur, Madu, Serai and Ragnar were subjected to HPP and HPH at 300 MPa for 2 and 5 min before the analysis was performed. Initial brix content, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and nutritional content of sugarcane juice values of showed that Madu juice contained the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant properties (FRAP and DPPH radical scavenging assay) amongst all variants. HPP-treated juice showed no significant difference to the untreated juice in terms of physicochemical properties (total soluble solid, pH and colour), microbial count and polyphenoloxidase activity. In contrast, HPH showed significant decrease in microbial load and polyphenoloxidase activity. The sugar cane juice subjected to HPP and HPH for 5 min showed significant increase and significant decrease, respectively, in term of TPC as compared to untreated sample. In conclusion, HPP appears to be an effective approach to retain TSS, pH and colour of the red sugarcane juice, while increasing the antioxidant quantity which is desirable in the commercialisation of the juice. However, HPH is a better method to reduce PPO activity and microbial load, thus beneficial in reducing the browning process and potentially extending the shelf life.

For centuries, Azadirachta indica or neem has been utilized as a primary source of medicine due to its antimicrobial, larvacidal, antimalarial and antifungal properties. Recently, its potential as an effective biopesticide has garnered attention, especially towards efficient and continuous production of its bioactive compounds. The present study investigated the effect of the plant growth regulators (PGRs) thiadiazuron (TDZ) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) on the induction of colored callus formation and subsequent accumulation of azadirachtin (AZA) in A. indica. An efficient protocol was established for micropropagation and colored callus production of this species, followed by quantification of AZA (a mixture of azadirachtin A and B) and its safety assessment. For induction of the callus, leaf and petiole explants obtained from a young growing neem plant were excised and cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with TDZ (0.2–0.6 mg L−1) and 2,4-D (0.2–0.6 mg L−1), either applied singly or in combination. Callus was successfully induced from both explant types at different rates, where media with 0.6 mg L−1 of TDZ resulted in the highest fresh weight (3.38 ± 0.08 g). In general, media with a single hormone (particularly TDZ) was more effective in producing a high mass of callus compared to combined PGRs. A culture duration of six weeks resulted in the production of green, brown and cream colored callus. The highest callus weight and accumulation of AZA was recorded in green callus (214.53 ± 33.63 mg g−1 dry weight (DW)) induced using TDZ. On the other hand, small amounts of AZA were detected in both brown and cream callus. Further experimentation indicated that the green callus with the highest AZA was found to be non-toxic (LC50 at 4606 µg mL−1) to the zebrafish animal model. These results suggested that the addition of different PGRs during in vitro culture could prominently affect callus and secondary metabolite production and can furt

Crude glycerol (CG) can be used as a substrate for microbial bioconversion. However, due to presence of many impurities, manymicroorganisms are unable to utilise this substrate efficiently. +e present study is trying to improve CG using as the feedstock ofAspergillusterreusfor the production of lovastatin, (+)-geodin, and sulochrin. +e CG was pretreated chemically (solvents) andphysically (activated carbon (AC) and water softener (WS)) to separate most of the impurities from the CG. For solventpretreatments, petroleum ether (PE) produced the largest increase of lovastatin (92.8%) when compared to positive control andpure glycerol (PG) and up to 820% when compared to negative control (CG). In contrast, diethyl ether (DE) produced the largestincrease in (+)-geodin at 80.81% (versus CG) and 176.23% (versus PG). +e largest increase in toluene (Tol) was observed insulochrin production, at 67.22% (versus CG) and 183.85% (versus PG). For physical pretreatments, the pattern of metaboliteproduction in AC (lovastatin: 20.65 mg/L, (+)-geodin: 7.42 mg/L, sulochrin: 11.74 mg/L) resembled PG (lovastatin: 21.8 mg/L,(+)-geodin: 8.60 mg/L, sulochrin: 8.18 mg/L), while WS (lovastatin: 11.25 mg/L, (+)-geodin: 15.38 mg/L, sulochrin: 16.85 mg/L)resembled CG (lovastatin: 7.1 mg/L, (+)-geodin:17.10 mg/L, sulochrin:14.78 mg/L) at day 6 of fermentation. +ese results indicatethat solvent pretreatments on CG are excellent for metabolites production inA. terreus, depending on the solvents used. Incontrast, physical pretreatments are only feasible for (+)-geodin and sulochrin production. +erefore, different strategies can beemployed to manipulate theA. terreusbioconversion using improved CG by using a few simple pretreatment strategies.

Carbon source is a key component of metabolites synthesis in microorganisms. This work examined the effects of selected carbon sources in the form of carbohydrates, on the growth of Aspergillus terreus ATCC 20542 and the production of lovastatin. Slowly metabolised carbohydrates, such as D-galactose (consumption rate, r=3.11), produced a high microbial biomass, XFINAL (9.44 g/L) compared to other carbohydrates, but with a low biomass yield coefficient (YLOV/X=1.68). In contrast, D-ribose (YLOV/X=) which showed moderate biomass growth (XFINAL=8.78 g/L) and consumption rate (r=5.44 g/day), produced the highest lovastatin amount (51.81 mg/L, day 6). These indicate little correlation between biomass growth and lovastatin production. Notably, culture consisting of pellets with short hairy surface feature is associated with enhanced lovastatin production. Our findings suggest that the production of lovastatin by Aspergillus terreus is highly influenced by the choice of carbohydrates that will shape the pellet morphology rather than the rate of carbohydrates metabolism.