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Kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengesan asid deoksiribonukleik (DNA) spesies haiwan dalam campuran minyak sapi menggunakan teknik tindak balas rantaian polimerase (PCR) multipleks. Kebolehdapatan DNA daripada produk berminyak membolehkan analisis PCR dijalankan dan sekaligus boleh menentukan kehadiran spesies haiwan produk tersebut dengan menggunakan primer haiwan yang khusus-spesies. Gen sasaran adalah DNA mitokondria (mtDNA) Sitokrom oksidase II (COII) untuk menentukan lembu, manakala mtDNA tRNA-ATP8 dan DNA nuklear (nDNA) Elemen Nuklear Berselang pendek (SINE) untuk menentukan babi. Terdapat satu kawalan (S1) dan tiga sampel campuran minyak sapi dengan gelatin babi ditambah pada kepekatan berbeza iaitu 1%, 3% dan 5% (w/v) (S2, S3 dan S4). Analisis PCR simpleks menggunakan primer spesies-spesifik yang disebutkan, berjaya mengamplifikasi DNA lembu dengan amplikon bersaiz 165 bp (COII) dan DNA babi dengan amplikon 212 bp (tRNA-ATP8) dan 161 bp (SINE). Manakala, teknik PCR multipleks yang telah dioptimumkan menggunakan primer mtDNA (tRNA-ATP8) dan nDNA (SINE) untuk menentukan kehadiran haiwan babi, juga menghasilkan amplikon bersaiz yang sama. Oleh itu, kajian menunjukkan bahawa kaedah PCR multipleks adalah kaedah yang mudah, ringkas dan pantas untuk menentukan kehadiran DNA babi di dalam sampel campuran produk minyak sapi selain daripada kaedah PCR simpleks.

Selulosa bakteria (SB) adalah biopolimer yang penting kepada industri makanan kerana ciri uniknya seperti kapasiti pegangan air (WHC) dan kekuatan mekanikal yang tinggi. SB berpotensi untuk diinovasi dengan penambahan bahan pengawet bagi menyelesaikan masalah pencemaran makanan oleh bakteria patogen. Strain Komagataeibacter xylinus mampu menghasilkan SB yang tinggi melalui proses fermentasi. Namun, proses ini melibatkan penggunaan substrat berkos tinggi. Justeru, penyelidikan ini dijalankan untuk menghasilkan SB daripada punca bernilai rendah seperti minuman manis tamat tempoh dan menilai sifat antimikrob SB terhadap Salmonella Typhi. Fasa pertama kajian, faktor yang mempengaruhi penghasilan SB telah dikaji. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa hari optimum untuk penghasilan SB adalah pada hari ke-10 fermentasi sebanyak 122.06 g/l. Nilai pH menurun daripada 5.82 pada hari 0 kepada 3.95 setelah 12 hari fermentasi. Kepekatan sukrosa dan protein menurun secara signifikan (p

Islam is a religion that inspires its followers to seek knowledge continually and nurtures innovation, within the realms of Islamic rulings, towards an ameliorated quality of life. Up-to-date biotechnological techniques, specifically animal cloning, are involved in advancing society's health, social, and economic domains. The goal of animal cloning includes the production of genetically modified animal for human consumption. Therefore, this research endeavoured to study animal cloning's current scientific findings, examine the by-product of said process, and determine its permissibility in an Islamic context. This study employed descriptive literature reviews. Results concluded that animal cloning, especially in mammals, does not occur naturally as in plants. A broadly trusted and efficient animal cloning method is known as Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT), which includes three principal steps: oocyte enucleation; implantation of donor cells (or nucleus); and the activation of the embryo. Nevertheless, the limitations of SCNT, particularly to the Large Offspring Syndrome (LOS), should be noted. One of the forms of the application of animal cloning is in agriculture. From an Islamic perspective, determining the permissibility of consuming cloned animals as food is essentially based on whether the cloned animal conforms to Islamic law's principles and criteria. Islam interdicts animal cloning when it is executed without benefiting humans, religion, or society. Nonetheless, if it is done to preserve the livelihood and the needs of a community, then the process is deemed necessary and should be administered following the conditions outlined in Islam. Hence, the Islamic ruling for animal cloning is not rigid and varies proportionately with the current fatwa.

A total of 24 strains of Vibrio alginolyticus were isolated from cockles (Anadara granosa) and identified for VibA and gyrB genes. All V. alginolyticus isolates were then tested against nine different antibiotics. In this study, the highest percentage of antibiotic resistance was obtained against penicillin (37.50%), followed by ampicillin, vancomycin (12.50%) and erythromycin (8.33%). All of V. alginolyticus isolates were susceptible against streptomycin, kanamycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and sulfamethoxazole. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay has confirmed the presence of four antibiotic resistance genes of penicillin (pbp2a), ampicillin (blaOXA), erythromycin (ermB) and vancomycin (vanB). Out of 24 V. alginolyticus isolates, 2 isolates possessed the tdh-related hemolysin (trh) (strains VA15 and VA16) and none for the thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh) gene. Both strains of the tdh-related hemolysin (trh) were susceptible to all antibiotics tested. The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index ranging between 0.2 and 0.3 with 5 antibiograms (A1–A5) was observed. Combination of enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) and antibiotic resistance indicated 18 genome types which showed genetic heterogeneity of those V. alginolyticus isolates. The results demonstrated the presence of V. alginolyticus strain found in cockles can be a potential risk to consumers and can contribute to the deterioration of human health in the study area. Thus, it is essential for local authority to provide the preventive measures in ensuring the cockles are safe for consumption.

Lactic acid has become one of the most important chemical substances used in various sectors. Its global market demand has significantly increased in recent years, with a CAGR of 18.7% from 2019 to 2025. Fermentation has been considered the preferred method for producing high-purity lactic acid in the industry over chemical synthesis. However, the recovery and separation of lactic acid from microbial fermentation media are relatively complicated and expensive, especially in the process relating to second-generation (2G) lactic acid recovery. This article reviews the development and progress related to lactic acid separation and recovery from fermentation broth. Various aspects are discussed thoroughly, such as the mechanism of lactic acid production through fermentation, the crucial factors that influence the fermentation process, and the separation and recovery process of conventional and advanced lactic acid separation methods. This review's highlight is the recovery of lactic acid by adsorption technique using ion-exchange resins with a brief focus on the potential of in-site separation strategies alongside the important factors that influenced the lactic acid recovery process by ion exchange. Apart from that, other lactic acid separation techniques, such as chemical neutralization, liquid–liquid extraction, membrane separation, and distillation, are also thoroughly reviewed.

Kajian dalam rumah kaca telah dijalankan untuk mengkaji kesan pestisid, kompos dan baja terhadap hasil tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv MT1) bermula dari April sehingga Disember 2015. Reka bentuk uji kaji yang digunakan semasa penanaman pokok tomato adalah ‘split-split plot’. Faktor yang diambil kira terbahagi kepada tiga peringkat dengan faktor utama merupakan kesan pestisid, faktor peringkat dua ialah rawatan baja dan faktor peringkat tiga ialah jenis kompos. Sejumlah enam belas (n=16) rawatan telah diberikan iaitu T1 sehingga T16. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan ketinggian pokok tertinggi bagi setiap bulan adalah daripada perlakuan yang berbeza manakala dari segi berat, didapati T10 menghasilkan berat daun paling tinggi (200.0 g), T6 menunjukkan berat batang yang paling tinggi (261.3 g) dan T3 menunjukkan berat akar yang paling tinggi (91.0 g). Perlakuan T12 (73.0 cm) menunjukkan nilai paling tinggi bagi panjang akar manakala saiz daun yang paling besar ditunjukkan oleh T11 (48.0 cm2 ). T15 menunjukkan berat buah yang tertinggi (560.3 g) dan bilangan buah bagi setiap pokok (32 buah) secara signifikan (p 0.05) dalam diameter buah (30.47 mm). Walau bagaimanapun, T12 menunjukkan nilai yang tidak signifikan (p>0.05) bagi berat buah (532.5 g) dan bilangan buah (17 buah) tetapi signifikan (p

Kajian ini dilakukan bagi mengesan DNA babi dan lembu daripada gelatin yang ditambah ke dalam surimi dengan menggunakan teknik tindak balas berantai polimerase (PCR) khusus-spesies simpleks dan multipleks. Bebola ikan berasaskan surimi telah dihasilkan dengan penambahan 5% (w/w) gelatin lembu dan 5% (w/w) gelatin babi serta dimasak menggunakan kaedah rebusan, pemanggangan, penggorengan dan autoklaf. Sebanyak tiga primer digunakan dalam analisis PCR iaitu sitokrom oksidase II (COII) untuk penentuan DNA lembu; dan dua primer untuk menentukan DNA babi, DNA mitokondria tRNA-ATP8 dan Elemen Nuklear Berselang Pendek (SINE). Analisis PCR simpleks menggunakan tiga primer khusus-spesies berjaya mengesan DNA lembu dan babi dalam kesemua sampel dengan penghasilan amplikon 165 bp (COII), 212 bp (RNA-ATP8) dan 161 bp (SINE). Pengoptimuman PCR multipleks dengan menggunakan primer tRNA-ATP8 dan SINE telah dilakukan dengan menggunakan program kitar; penyahaslian awal pada 95 °C selama dua min, diikuti 30 kitaran penyahaslian pada 94 °C selama 1 min, penyepuhan pada 55 °C selama 1 min, pemanjangan pada 72 °C selama dua min dan pemanjangan akhir pada 72 °C selama sepuluh min telah berjaya mengamplifikasi dua gen sasaran bagi pengesanan DNA babi. Faktor seperti suhu (121 °C) dan tekanan (15 psi) terhadap rawatan terma didapati memberikan kesan kepada kualiti DNA di dalam sampel yang diautoklaf dan ini ditunjukkan dengan penghasilan amplikon yang pudar pada gel agarose. Oleh itu, kajian analisis PCR multipleks menggunakan primer babi khusus-spesies adalah kaedah mudah dan cepat untuk menentukan kehadiran DNA babi yang terkandung di dalam produk makanan terproses seperti surimi.

Cultured meat is meat produced from stem cell biopsies of cattle. Stem cells were cultured in a bioreactor in the presence of serum to grow the flesh to maturity. Cultured meat technology originated from regenerative medical technology; however, it has been given a new lease of life to produce cultured meat as an innovative food source in the future without involving cattle breeding. This technology can reduce the negative environmental impacts of global warming, water use, soil, and unethical handling of animals. In the excitement of accepting this new technology, the halal status of cultured meat is in question, as it can be produced from embryonic stem cells and myosatellite cells, each of which can be disputed for their halal status. Additionally, the process of culturing and maturation of stem cells involves the use of an impure medium derived from animal blood. Thus, cultured meat is acceptable to Muslims only if the stem cells, medium and scaffold biomaterials used to manufacture it are from Halal sources and shall be in line with the six principles discussed in this study. The discussion is based on Halal and haram animals; Animal slaughtering; Not derived from a source of najs (impurity)

A total of 24 strains of Vibrio alginolyticus were isolated from cockles (Anadara granosa) and identified for VibA and gyrB genes. All V. alginolyticus isolates were then tested against nine different antibiotics. In this study, the highest percentage of antibiotic resistance was obtained against penicillin (37.50%), followed by ampicillin, vancomycin (12.50%) and erythromycin (8.33%). All of V. alginolyticus isolates were susceptible against streptomycin, kanamycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and sulfamethoxazole. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay has confirmed the presence of four antibiotic resistance genes of penicillin (pbp2a), ampicillin (blaOXA), erythromycin (ermB) and vancomycin (vanB). Out of 24 V. alginolyticus isolates, 2 isolates possessed the tdh-related hemolysin (trh) (strains VA15 and VA16) and none for the thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh) gene. Both strains of the tdh-related hemolysin (trh) were susceptible to all antibiotics tested. The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index ranging between 0.2 and 0.3 with 5 antibiograms (A1-A5) was observed. Combination of enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) and antibiotic resistance indicated 18 genome types which showed genetic heterogeneity of those V. alginolyticus isolates. The results demonstrated the presence of V. alginolyticus strain found in cockles can be a potential risk to consumers and can contribute to the deterioration of human health in the study area. Thus, it is essential for local authority to provide the preventive measures in ensuring the cockles are safe for consumption.

Genomic DNA of 13 fish (n=13) species consist of four freshwater which were catfish (Clarias gariepinus), shark catfish (Pangasius larnaudii), tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), perch (Lates calcarifer) and nine marine species which were black pomfret (Parastromateus niger), anchovy (Stolephorus commersonii), mabong (Rastrelliger kanagurta), red snapper (Lutjanus erythropterus), herring (Chirocentrus dorab), ray fish (Himantura gerrardii), sardine (Decapterus macrosoma), mackerel (Euthynnus affinis) and tuna (Thunnus tuna) were differentiated using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Seven endonucleases of AluI, BsaJI, HaeIII, HindIII, HinfI, MboI and MboII were examined for the ability to digest cyt b amplicon from each species. Genomic DNA of pork (Sus scrofa domestica) were differentiated from fishes by comparing the digestion patterns produced by similar amplified region and enzymes used. In the present study, it was demonstrated that fishes and pork DNA genome were successfully differentiated using all endonucleases except for HindIII. Thus, PCR-RFLP analysis was found useful for future pork DNA detection in fish products.

This study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) amongst food handlers in food utensils hygiene and presence of bacterial contamination on food utensils. There were two approaches used in this study. In the first approach, 134 of food handlers from 75 food premises were interviewed via questionnaires to assess their knowledge, attitude and practice. In the second approach, the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and total coliform of 225 utensils (knives (75), chopping boards (75) and dish plates (75)) was examined. The result showed that the food handlers had sufficient level of knowledge (80.5%), attitude (87.4%) and practice (90.1%). Highest contamination was found on the chopping boards for the presence of S. aureus (82.8%), E. coli (9.7%) and total coliform (73.9%). Logistic regression analysis showed that knowledge contributes to the presence of E. coli on the dish plates; and total coliform on the knives. Thus, ongoing training that focused on food utensils hygiene must be emphasized to improve knowledge, attitude and practice amongst the food handlers.

In order to invent a porcine gelatine detection device using microbial resources, bacterial enzymes with a preference towards porcine gelatine and their candidate genes were evaluated. Five (n = 5) bacterial strains isolated from hot spring water and wet clay, Malaysia were screened for their gelatinase activity. The gelatinase enzyme was extracted and purified using ammonium sulphate precipitation prior to performing gelatinase assay on porcine, bovine and fish gelatine medium substrates. The G2 strain or Enterobacter aerogenes (Strain EA1) was selected for whole genome sequenced after showing a consistent trend of preference towards porcine gelatine. The gelatinase candidate gene gelEA1_9 was cloned and expressed. Based on one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with POST-HOC Duncan test (α = 0.05), the final product of gelEA1_9 was identified as a novel gelatinase. This gelatinase presented no significant difference in activity towards porcine gelatine. Hence, the present study demonstrated an enzyme-substrate interaction for porcine gelatine identification.

Sixty strains (n = 60) of Vibrio vulnificus were examined for their multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index, plasmid profiles, and DNA polymorphisms. Thirty-seven strains (n = 37) were isolated from cockles (Anadara granosa) in Malaysia, while 23 (n = 23) isolates were isolated from clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) in Qatar. All isolates were resistant to two or more of the antibiotics tested, with the most common resistances were demonstrated towards penicillin (93%), ampicillin (70%), cephalothin (65%), clindamycin (66%), vancomycin (64%), and erythromycin (51%). The antibiotic that experienced the least resistance was kanamycin (6%), and all isolates were susceptible to cefoperazone, streptomycin, and tetracycline. The MAR index for the V. vulnificus isolated from Malaysia and Qatar, possessed similar values which ranged from 0.2 to 0.7, respectively. Plasmid analysis demonstrated that 65% of V. vulnificus strains harbored plasmids, while 35% were not. Nineteen (P1&ndash, P19) plasmids profiles were observed. No specific cluster or group was observed although they were isolated from different sample sources and locations by phylogenetic analysis using GelCompar II software at an 80% similarity level. Results demonstrated the high MAR index and genomic heterogeneity of V. vulnificus, which are of great concern to the human health of those who have consumed cockles and clams from the study area.

This study was conducted to determine the presence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus on 30 samples of flower crab (Portunus pelagicus) collected from Negeri Sembilan (n = 15) and Selangor (n = 15) from March to July 2014. A total of 193 isolates of Vibrio sp. were isolated from the thiosulphate citrate bile-salt (TCBS) agar medium. Of 79 Vibrio isolates were identified as V. parahaemolyticus through biochemical testing methods. In V. parahaemolyticus identification by detection of regulatory gene toxR, 51 (64.6%) of 79 isolates contained toxR gene while none of the isolates contained virulence gene of tdh dan trh. by targeting toxR gene which produced amplicons of 368 bp molecular weight. All V. parahaemolyticus isolates were negative for tdh and trh genes. Keywords: Vibrio parahaemolyicus, flower crab, toxR, trh, tdh

Thioureas play an important role in medicinal chemistry and agricultures due to their biological activity such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, herbicides, rodenticides, phenoloxidase enzymatic inhibitors, anti-HIV and anti-tumor agents. In this study, five substituted bis-thioureas have been synthesized. The isophataloyl chloride and 2,6pyridinedicarbonyl dichloride were easily converted to bis-isothiocyanate compound via the reaction with ammonium thiocyanate by solid–liquid phase transfer catalysis of polyethylene glycol-400 (PEG-400). Bis-isothiocyanate compound was reacted with aniline derivatives to produce substituted bis-thioureas in good yield at room temperature. All the novel compounds were obtained as yellow solid after recrystallization using DMF/EtOH/H2O. Their c h e m i c a l structures were confirmed by Infrared spectrosopy (IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) H and C and mass spectrometry. The five synthesized compounds were screened for antimicrobial activities using disc diffusion method for antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus Subtilis and Staphylococcus Aureus), Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia Coli and Salmonella Typhi) and a mold (Aspergillus Niger). All tested compounds showed low antimicrobial activity since the diameter of inhibition zone (IZ) measure was less than positive control inhibition zone.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the Escherichia coli and coliforms level of food utensils at sixty food premises in Kuala Pilah, Malaysia. The swab technique was used to investigate the presence of E. coli and coliforms on 180 of food utensils (chopping boards: 60, knives: 60 and dish plates: 60). The results indicated that 180 of food utensils were contaminated with E. coli and coliforms. More than 60% of the coliforms were exceeded the acceptable limit compared to E. coli on the food utensils. The one-way ANOVA analysis demonstrated that the presence of E. coli and coliforms differed significantly among the three types of food utensils (knives, chopping boards, and dish plates). In conclusion, this study revealed that there are hygiene issues exist in every food premises. The food utensils are safe to use during the food preparation if the presence of E. coli and coliforms are not exceed the acceptable limit. Thus, it is recommended that the food handlers in the food premises should improve effective cleaning and sanitizing of food utensils in their daily work.The aim of this study was to evaluate the Escherichia coli and coliforms level of food utensils at sixty food premises in Kuala Pilah, Malaysia. The swab technique was used to investigate the presence of E. coli and coliforms on 180 of food utensils (chopping boards: 60, knives: 60 and dish plates: 60). The results indicated that 180 of food utensils were contaminated with E. coli and coliforms. More than 60% of the coliforms were exceeded the acceptable limit compared to E. coli on the food utensils. The one-way ANOVA analysis demonstrated that the presence of E. coli and coliforms differed significantly among the three types of food utensils (knives, chopping boards, and dish plates). In conclusion, this study revealed that there are hygiene issues exist in every food premises. The food utensils are safe to use during the food preparation if the presence of E. coli and coliforms are not exceed the acceptable limit. Thus, it is recommended that the food handlers in the food premises should improve effect...

Halal authentication of gelatin capsules was conducted using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-southern hybridization on chip and conventional PCR analysis. The primers used in PCR-southern hybridization were targeted on mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) of cytochrome b (cyt b) gene and its amplicon was 276 bp. In conventional PCR, three pairs of mtDNA primers targeted cyt b, cytochrome oxidase II (COII) and ATP6 gene were tested, resulting of 398, 212 and 83 bp amplicons, respectively. Of 20 brands examined using PCR-southern hybridization, 6 capsules (C1–C6) were found to be porcine DNA positive but none were positive using conventional PCR method. The sensitivity of each primer in the detection of porcine DNA was 0.25 ng (cyt b), 0.1 ng (COII), 0.001 ng (Olipro™ Chip) and 0.0001 ng (ATP6). Results demonstrated that the PCR-southern hybridization on chip was useful and reliable for verifying porcine DNA in gelatin capsules compared to conventional PCR.

Starch-grafted polyacrylamide hydrogels were successfully prepared via chemical polymerization method in basic solution, which provides a homogeneous suspension in the reaction system. The results obtained from Fourier transform infrared–attenuated total reflectance confirmed that the monomer polyacrylamide was grafted onto the starch backbone as shown by the cross-linked peak at 1638 cm−1. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the morphology of starch-grafted polyacrylamide hydrogels has a highly porous structure which provides excellent water absorption capacity with a swelling ratio up to 124%. The X-ray diffraction showed no significant crystallization peaks, indicating that an amorphous hydrogel has been produced. Supported by differential scanning calorimetry, the highest transition glass temperature was observed at 101°C. The starch-grafted polyacrylamide hydrogel extracts inhibited Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Salmonella typhimurium growth The fish embryo toxicity test demonstrated that the hydrogel with 2:1 ratio of polyacrylamide: starch has an acceptable level of toxicity. This result indicates that the synthesized hydrogel is applicable for biological purposes with further modifications.

Biodegradation of crude oil hydrocarbon by microorganisms in seawater is generally slow because of the harsh environmental condition due to high salinity. The aim of this study was to compare sawdust (SD) and oil palm empty fruit bunch wastes as suitable carrier material to immobilise hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial consortium culture to accelerate and improve crude oil degradation in seawater. The consortium culture was found able to tolerate salinity up to 3 %, where the degradation of crude oil was not inhibited (p > 0.05). In artificial seawater, suspension of bacterial consortium culture was able to degrade 83.3 ± 3.00 % of crude oil within 8 weeks, which indicated the possibility of using consortium culture in seawater. When tested in seawater, suspension of consortium culture managed to degrade 47.7 ± 1.53 % of crude oil in 8 weeks. In order to improve the performance of consortium culture, immobilisation of consortium culture onto SD and oil palm empty fruit bunch was successfully undertaken when formation of biofilm layers was observed under scanning electron microscope. Immobilising consortium culture onto oil palm empty fruit bunch and SD was shown to increase crude oil biodegradation to 68.7 ± 4.04 and 62.3 ± 5.51 % in 8 weeks, respectively. This study demonstrated immobilisation of consortium culture onto SD and oil palm empty fruit bunch can be utilised as ready-to-use seeds to improve and accelerate crude oil biodegradation in seawater.

This study aim to review important virulence factors of Vibrio vulnificus that implicated in pathogen city of this bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus is a gram negative marine bacterium causing food borne infections include septicemia, gastroenteritis and wound infection in humans and marine vertebrates; as well as possess variety of virulence factors; the virulence factors of V. vulnificus are not yet well explained. The extracellular Capsule Polysaccharide (CPS) of V. vulnificus is a primary virulence factor which allows bacteria survival in the human host. The ability of V. vulnificus to cause disease is associated with the production of "Multifunctional-Auto processing RTX" (MARTXVv) toxin that encodes by RtxA1 gene, HlyU plays an essential role in regulation of the virulence of the human pathogen, HlyU regulate the expression of the repeat-in-toxin (RtxA1) gene, hemolysin gene (vvhA) play an additive role for pathogenesis of V. vulnificus. In this review we focus on the main important virulence factors, the extracellular Capsule Polysaccharide (CPS), RTX" (MARTXVv) toxin, Virulence-correlated gene (vcgC), adherence of bacteria to the host cells and resistance to acid stress. These virulence factors serve as a credible biomarker to detection of potentially virulent factors of V. vulnificus strains.

This study reports enhanced degradation of crude oil hydrocarbons by a bacterial consortium culture (CC) immobilized onto sawdust (SD) and oil palms empty fruit bunch (OPEFB). The bacterial surface hydrophobic property of the bacterial CC was 60.3 ± 2.20 %, which suggested high bacterial cell attachment onto the carrier materials. The free bacterial CC exhibited the ability to produce exopolysaccharide (EPS) in minimal salt medium (MSM). The highest value of EPS produced by free bacteria CC was 61.3 ± 2.10 %. Due to their surface hydrophobic properties and ability to produce EPS, the bacterial CC was self-immobilized onto OPEFB and SD. The immobilized bacterial CC was then used to degrade crude oil hydrocarbons. The results showed that bacterial CC immobilized onto OPEFB and SD increased degradation of crude oil by 17.52 % and, 15.85 % respectively, at week 6 of incubation, and shortened the time to complete degradation by 25 % (from 8 to 6 weeks) compared to free bacterial CC. Immobilized bacterial CC enhanced biosurfactant production, as indicated by the emulsification index (E24%). Thus, the present study demonstrated that bacterial CC immobilized onto carrier materials increases crude oil degradation by increasing production of biosurfactants.

Papaya (Carica papaya L. cv. Eksotika) is one of the most commonly consumed tropical fruits by humans, especially Malaysians. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the maturity stage (12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 weeks after anthesis) of papaya fruit on its physicochemical properties, antioxidant capacity and sensory characteristics. Papaya fruits were selected and classified based on their visual maturity, i.e., stages 1 to 5. The activities of several antioxidants were tested, including the Total Phenolic Content (TPC), Total Flavonoid Content (TFC), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino- bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS). The physicochemical changes were measured in terms of the pH, Titratable Acidity (TA), moisture, Total Soluble Solids (TSS) and pulp color of the papaya fruits at the five ripening stages. Significant differences (p

Carbohydrates from hydrolyzed biomass has been a potential feedstock for fermentative hydrogen production. In this study, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) was treated by sulfuric acid in different concentrations at 120 °C for 15 min in the autoclave. The optimal condition for pretreatment was obtained when OPEFB was hydrolyzing at 6% (w/v) sulfuric acid concentration, which gave the highest total sugar of 26.89 g/L and 78.51% of sugar production yield. However, the best conversion efficiency of OPEFB pretreatment was 39.47 at sulfuric acid concentration of 4%. A series of batch fermentation were performed to determine the effect of pH in fermentation media and the potential of this prehydrolysate was used as a substrate for fermentative hydrogen production under optimum pretreatment conditions. The prehydrolysate of OPEFB was efficiently converted to hydrogen via fermentation by acclimatized mixed consortia. The maximum hydrogen production was 690 mL H2 L−1 medium, which corresponded to the yield of 1.98 molH2/molxylose achieved at pH 5.5 with initial total sugar concentration of 5 g/L. Therefore, the results implied that OPEFB prehydrolysate is prospective substrate for efficient fermentative hydrogen conducted at low controlled pH. No methane gas was detected throughout the fermentation.

This study aimed at determining the presence and characterization of Escherichia coli and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) from imported frozen beef meats. Seventy-four (74) frozen imported beef meat samples from two countries, India (42 samples) and Australia (32 samples), were collected and tested for E. coli. These samples were purchased from the frozen meat sections of five different supermarkets in different locations in Selangor, Malaysia, from April 2012 to October 2014. A total of 222 E. coli strains were isolated from the meat samples; 126 strains were isolated from country A (India), and 96 E. coli strains were from country of origin B (Australia), respectively. A total of 70 E. coli strains were identified and characterized. All E. coli strains were isolated into Fluorocult medium and identified using API 20E kit. All selected E. coli strains were characterized for Shiga toxin genes (stx1 and stx2). All biochemically identified E. coli in this study were further subjected to molecular detection through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and characterization using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Of the 70 E. coli strains, 11 strains were positive for both Shiga toxin genes (stx1 and stx2) and 11 (11/70) strains were positive for stx1 gene, while 25 (25/70) strains were positive for stx2 gene. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene of all the E. coli isolates in this study was successfully sequenced and analyzed, and based on sequence data obtained, a phylogenetic tree of the 16S rRNA gene was performed using Clustal W programme in MEGA 6.06 software. Phylogenetic tree showed that the E. coli isolates in our study cluster with the strain of E. coli isolated in other countries, which further confirm that the isolates of E. coli in this study are similar to those obtained in other studies. As a result, all the strains obtained in this study proved to be a strain of pathogenic E. coli, which may cause a serious outbreak of food-borne disease. The isolation of pathogenic E. coli strains from the imported meat samples calls for prudent management of imported meats by the relevant authorities.

Study on the comparison of cow manure (CM) and empty fruit bunches (EFB) compost application as planting medium was conducted using four different treatments of fertilizer (without fertilizer, chemical fertilizer, organic fertilizer, and both fertilizer) on growth and yield of chili (Capsicum annum). The experiment started on August until December 2014 which consisted of eight treatments and were laid in a completely randomized block design (CRBD) with three replications. Variety chili that was used was Cilibangi 3. The seed was planted inside the tray for one week and transferred into the polybag containing growth media consisted of soil, compost (CM or EFB compost) and sand with ratio 3:2:1. Treatments without fertilizer were acted as a control. Throughout the study, plant growth performance and yield were recorded. The highest height of the plants for CM compost was 100.8 cm using chemical fertilizer and have significant different between the groups. For EFB compost was 92.7 cm using also chemical fert...

A glasshouse experiment was conducted to study the effect of different type of compost and fertilizers on the growth of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). The experiment consisted of sixteen treatments. Compost of Empty fruit bunch (EFB) and cow dung is mixed in the ratio of 3:2:1 (soil: compost: sand) and put into 25.4 mm2 polyethylene bag. Organic fertilizer of 10 ml were added twice a week, while inorganic fertilizer was applied at the rate of 3 g per polyethylene bag of soil three weeks after sowing. Treatment without fertilizer application was established as a control. The treatments were laid in a split-split plot design with three replications. Plant growth was assessed using accumulating plant height, fresh weight and dry weight. The application of organic plus inorganic fertilizer had significant effects on plant height. The application of organic fertilizer combination with cow dung gave significant difference to plant mass (fresh and dry). The data obtained from these treatments were significantly higher than the data obtained from the control (without fertilizer). In conclusion, the type of compost did not gave significant difference towards plant height while it only gave significant difference towards plant mass.

This study was conducted to detect the presence of porcine DNA in meat products in the market using different mitochondrial (mt) DNA on conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Porcine DNA detection in meat products was tested due to some issues associated with the adulteration of food products in Malaysia. This is an important issue especially for Halal authentication which is required for some religious practices such as in Islam and Hinduism. Many techniques have been developed for determining the Halal status of food products. In this paper, Polymerase Chain Reaction method was used to detect the presence of porcine DNA in meat products. Positive and negative controls were always present for each batch of extraction. DNA of raw pork meat was used as a positive control while nucleus free water is used as negative control. DNA of meat products was amplified by using species-specific primer namely mtATP6 with band size of 83-bp and Pork1 and Pork2 with band size of 531-base pair (bp) mitochondrial (mt) DNA D-loop primer to detect pork species. The present study demonstrated that none of the samples were contaminated with porcine residuals but selected samples with pork meat were positive. The species-specific PCR amplification yielded excellent results for identification of pork derivatives in food products and it is a potentially reliable and suitable technique in routine food analysis for Halal certification

Vibrio vulnificus infections are worldwide public health problems associated with illnesses resulting from consumption of raw or partially cooked seafood. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and identification of V. vulnificus in cockles from local wet (40) and supermarkets (38) from Selangor, Malaysia from July 2013 to February 2014. A total of 78(n=78) cockle were examined for the presence of V. vulnificus and at about 32% (25/78) cockle samples were positive to this bacterium. Colonies morphological observation and biochemical characterization for those isolates showed 60% (15/78) of isolates were classified as biotype 1 and 40% (10/78) belong to biotype 2.

Genomic DNA of Escherichia coli were characterized by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-Polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) and the presence of Shiga toxin gene-I (Stx1) and Shiga toxin gene-2 (Stx2). These isolates were originated from imported raw beef which are come from two countries namely Australia and India. The isolation of E. coli was conducted by using Eosin Methylene Blue Agar (EMBA). A total of 94 strains had been isolated from 30 samples of imported raw beefand 42 strains had been detected positively E. coli by doing biochemical tests. All strains had been tested and the results of biochemical tests showed that 3 strains were from Australia samples while the other 39 strains were from India samples. The biochemical tests used are Indole test, Methyl Red test, Voges-Proskauer test and Citrate test. All the 42 strains were examined for Shiga toxin (stx1 and stx2) gene detection by two pair primers which are stx2F (5’-TTCTTCGGTATCCTATTCCC-3’), stx2R (5’-ATGCATCTCTGGTCATTGTA-3’), stx1F (5’-CAGTTAATGTGGTGGCGAAG-3’), and stx1R (5’-CTGTCACAGTAACAACCGT-3’). The results showed that none of the strains are positive for Shiga toxin gene. Application of ERIC-PCR method towards E. coli had successfully shown the high diversity polymorphism in 21 different genome types of DNA with primers ERIC1R (5’- CACTTAGGGGTCCTCGAATGTA- 3’) and ERIC2R (5’- AAGTAAGTGACTGGGGTGACGC- 3’).

This study was conducted to detect the presence of porcine DNA in meat products in the market using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and commercial PCR-southern hybridization analysis. Porcine DNA detection in meat products was tested due to some issues associated with the adulteration of food products in Malaysia. This is an important issue especially for Halal authentication which is required for some religious practices such as in Islam and Hinduisms. Many techniques have been developed for determining the Halal status of food products. In this paper, mt-DNA D-loop primer and cytochrome (cyt) b were used to detect the presence of porcine DNA in meat products. Positive and negative controls were always present for each batch of extraction. DNA of raw pork meat was used as a positive control while nucleus free water is used as negative control. A pair of oligonucleotide primer was used namely Pork1 and Pork2 which produced amplicon of 531 base pair (bp) in size. While, PCR-southern hybridization was conducted using primers readily supplied by commercial PCR-Southern hybridization and produced amplicon with 276 bp in size. In the present study, demonstrated that none of the samples were contaminated with porcine residuals but selected samples with pork meat were positive. The species-specific PCR amplification yielded excellent results for identification of pork derivatives in food products and it is a potentially reliable and suitable technique in routine food analysis for Halal certification.

Papaya (Carica papaya L. cv Eksotika) is one of the most commonly consumed tropical fruits by humans, especially Malaysians. The objective of this study was to determine the phenolic compounds and antioxidants activity in different ripening stages of papaya fruit. The fruits were harvested at five different, stages RS1, RS2, RS3, RS4, and RS5 corresponding to 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 weeks after anthesis, respectively. Papayas fruit at five different stage of ripening were obtained from farms at Pusat Flora Cheras, JabatanPertanian and Hulu Langat Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia. The antioxidants activity were analyzed using the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant Power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The analyses were conducted in triplicate and the data were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS. The results showed significant differences (P< 0.05) were found at different stages of ripening. The total phenol content TPC, TFC, FRAP and DPPH values increased significantly (P

The occurrence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in raw Corbicula moltkiana Prime from Lake Singkarak and Pasar Raya Padang market and in cooked samples in West Sumatera, Indonesia, was studied. Thirteen raw and seven cooked bivalve samples were positive using CHROMAgar Vibrio medium. All 47 V parahaemolyticus isolates were positive for toxR gene but negative for trh. However, 36% (17/47) of V parahaemolyticus strains were positive for tdh gene. Antibiotic profiling showed that 76% and 38% of isolates from raw and cooked bivalves respectively were resistant to ampicillin. Using RAPD-PCR analysis, most of the strains were clustered according to their source of isolation but some of the strains from raw and cooked samples were clustered together. These results indicate that pathogenic V parahaemolyticus isolates are present in Corbicula moltkiana Prime in West Sumatera, Indonesia, suggesting that V parahaemolyticus may also be present in seafood in other regions of Indonesia.