Malaysian Consumers' Perception Towards Yogurt in Kuala Lumpur

Yogurt, a fermented dairy product made with beneficial bacteria, is a rich source of calcium, protein, and probiotics, offering significant health benefits like improved digestion and immune support. Despite the recognized nutritional importance of dairy products, yogurt consumption in Malaysia and both children and adults fall short of meeting recommended daily dairy intake. This research investigates Kuala Lumpur consumers' perceptions of yogurt, addressing gaps in market supply and consumption data. Using a sample of 385 respondents, mainly aged 18–27 with high educational levels, the study explores factors influencing yogurt consumption, such as Knowledge factors and price. Findings show that most respondents (86%) like yogurt, consuming it 1–2 times per week, with strawberry flavor being most preferred. Price, taste, and store location were major motivators for purchase. Also, consumers showed a positive response to reduced yogurt prices; the price factors revealed significant effects related to consumer perception, indicating their sensitivity to pricing. The study applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), along with descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and binary regression, to reveal how attitudes, social influences, and perceived control shape yogurt consumption patterns in Kuala Lumpur. In summary, yogurt consumption in Kuala Lumpur is driven by health awareness, flavor preferences, and factors like price and promotions which influence trust. Consumers recognize yogurt's health benefits and associate it with a healthy lifestyle. The findings suggest that marketing strategies should focus on these preferences while leveraging the importance of promotions to enhance consumer appeal and market growth. This study's findings are limited by the narrow demographic focus, geographic scope, reliance on self-reported data, and lack of longitudinal analysis. The results guide yogurt producers and policymakers in tailoring strategies to enhance consumer trust, promote health awareness, and increase market reach

Bitter Cassava’s Media Composition Screening Experiment for Maximizing Callus Formation Frequency Using Plackett Burnman Design

Cassava is one of the crucial plant species due to its various applications. Bitter cassava is a variety known to have a higher starch content than sweet ones. Even though many studies have conducted multiple investigations on the application of in vitro cassava propagation, no studies have focused on exploring the possibility of initiating cassava from different types of explants, basal media, carbon sources, and plant growth regulators (PGRs). This present study aimed to screen various factors that significantly affect the growth of cassava calli and its formation frequency using Plackett Burmann in Design Expert v13 software. The screened factors include basal media (Murashige and Skoog, MS and Gamborg B5), carbon sources (sucrose, glucose, and maltose), and plant growth regulators: auxin (2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,4-D and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid, NAA) and cytokinin (6-Benzylaminopurine, BAP and kinetin) and the explants were cultivated for nine days. Gamborg B5 responded better to the callus formation frequency than MS. Among the different carbon sources, sucrose affected cassava callus formation significantly. 2,4-D was the main factor for callus formation, while both kinetin and BAP had a negative response to the callus formation. NAA also positively affected callus formation but was not as significant as 2,4-D. Between the different types of cassava explant used, the petiole formed the most stable callus formation frequency (84.52 %), followed by stem (82.14 %) and leaf (75.00 %). Run 7, 10, and 11 successfully induced callus from all explants with full-strength Gamborg B5, 4 mg/L 2,4-D, and 30 g/L sucrose. Most calli formed a compact structured callus except for the media with the combination of MS and Gamborg B5, which produced friable typed callus. To conclude, for different tested types of basal media, carbon sources, and PGRs, Gamborg B5, sucrose, and 2,4-D were the most significant factors that affect cassava callus formation

Optimisation of Anthocyanin Co-pigmentation from Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea) Flower and its Application in Gummy

In contrast to natural food colours, food manufacturers have increasingly used synthetic food colours to achieve attributes such as low cost, excellent appearance, high colour intensity, increased colour stability, and consistency. Furthermore, natural colourants such as anthocyanins have been linked to potential health advantages such as dietary antioxidants. Pea Flower (Clitoria ternatea) was utilized in this research because the high quantity of polyacylated anthocyanins known as ternatins in blue pea flowers which is a distinctive property of anthocyanins found in blue pea flowers. The purpose of this research is to improve anthocyanin thermal stability via co-pigmentation process from Butterfly Pea flower and to analyse the physicochemical features of gummy. The potential of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for optimising anthocyanin co-pigmentation from Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea) flower was investigated in this study. The effect of two test variables on the half-life of anthocyanin was studied in a specific range of pH 3-6 and anthocyanin to metal ratio (1:1 to 1:100). The data from the experiment were analysed using the RSM of MINITAB Software (Version 19), and the optimum half-life of anthocyanin of 191 minutes was established and verified. The optimal conditions were stated to be pH 3.75 and an anthocyanin:metal ratio of 1:75. A significant regression equation or model with a correlation value of 95.38% was also achieved at the 5% level. For the application of gummy, three types of gummies (synthetic blue incorporated gummy (F1), anthocyanin incorporated gummy (F2) and co-pigmented anthocyanin incorporated gummy (F3)) were produced to analyse its physicochemical qualities. The physicochemical qualities of F3 gummy were reported to retain the physicochemical since the pH values, water activity, moisture content, and textural properties were not significantly different (p>0.05). However, due to the % difference in polymeric colour present, the colour in terms of hue angle was noted to have a significant difference between F1, F2, and F3

Exploring Farmers' Knowledge and Awareness in Employing Beneficial Plants for Paddy Pest Management in Besut, Terengganu

The presence of beneficial insects such as parasitoids and predators in paddy fields is very important as such insects help in pest population management and reduce pesticide use. To ensure beneficial insects are sustained in the field, their food source and shelter must always be sufficient, therefore, ecological engineering techniques can be applied. This idea encompasses plant management through habitat manipulation, which helps support biological pest control operations by encouraging the growth of beneficial plants in the fields that serve as a source of food and shelter for beneficial insects. However, the knowledge and awareness of local farmers, especially in Besut, Terengganu used this biological control technique in managing paddy pests are still unknown. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to determine the level of knowledge and awareness of paddy farmers on the use of beneficial plants in controlling paddy pests among paddy farmers in Besut, Terengganu. This quantitative research design study used a questionnaire by face to face with 56 paddy farmers as the main respondents. Based on the survey, the paddy cultivation in Besut was dominated by middle-aged male farmers which 76.8% of them have secondary education with more than 20 years of paddy cultivation experience. Results showed that most of the farmers have a moderate level of knowledge (67.9%) and awareness (73.4%) about the use of beneficial plants in controlling paddy pests. Therefore, it is necessary to hold a continuous awareness program by local authorities about the importance of using beneficial plants in paddy fields in the future

Effect of Fresh Azolla (Azolla pinnata) on Growth and Yield of TR8 Rice Variety under Reduced Nitrogen Rates

Nitrogen is required practically throughout the vegetative phase of rice especially during tillering and panicle initiation stage. Therefore, many synthetic fertilizers are required in rice cultivation. However, synthetic chemical fertilizers are extremely expensive. In addition, the use of chemical fertilizers has detrimental effects on the environment and human health over time. Thus, the use of Azolla as a biofertilizer can replenish nitrogen in the rice field. However, the effect of fresh Azolla in promoting TR8 rice variety growth and yield has not been reported. This experiment was conducted in the insect-proof rain shelter at the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sandakan Campus, Sabah, from August until December 2022. The experiment was laid in a completely randomized design (CRD) for six treatments with five replications. The treatments used in this study were: T1: 60 kg ha-1 N, 30 kg ha-1 P2O5, 30 kg ha-1 K2O + 0% Azolla, T2: 50 kg ha-1 N, 30 kg ha-1 P2O5, 30 kg ha-1 K2O + 10% Azolla, T3: 40 kg ha-1 N, 30 kg ha-1 P2O5, 30 kg ha-1 K2O + 20% Azolla, T4: 30 kg ha-1 N, 30 kg ha-1 P2O5, 30 kg ha-1 K2O + 30% Azolla, T5: 20 kg ha-1 N, 30 kg ha-1 P2O5, 30 kg ha-1 K2O + 40% Azolla, T6: 100% Azolla (50 g). The rice plants were cultivated on the same planting medium of topsoil and goat dung with a ratio of 3:1. The plant height, number of tillers, panicle number per plant, spikelet number per panicle, grain weight per panicle and 1000 grain weight showed significant differences (p<0.05) among the treatments. Results revealed T4 recorded the highest number of tillers (41) compared to T6 (27, negative control) and T1 (32, positive control). There were 51% and 28% differences between T4 and T6 and T1, respectively. In addition, the T3 and T4 produced higher panicle number per plant (47%), spikelet number per panicle (9.4%), grain weight per panicle (27.1%) and 1000 grain weight (9%) compared to T6 (negative control), but showed a similar performance as T1 (positive control). Therefore, T4 is recommended for TR8 rice production with lower chemical fertilizer application with the addition of Azolla

Salmonella contamination in raw vegetables: A review

Raw vegetables that experience increasing demand by consumer due to the healthy nutrients. It is thought consumption of raw vegetables will help in reducing chronic diseases such as hypertension, obesity, cholesterol and diabetes. With the increasing consumption of raw vegetables, several outbreaks linked to the pathogen contamination in these vegetables have been reported worldwide. One of the most common pathogen contamination is Salmonella. Salmonella have two species which are S. bongori and S. enterica. Of these, only S. enterica that cause human infection. However, there are roughly 1500 serovars within S. enterica. Salmonella are ubiquitously present in the environment and easily contaminate food if no proper handling being practices throughout the supply chain. Various vegetables have been implicated with the contamination of Salmonella. Thus, this paper review contamination of Salmonella in vegetables from various studies and the outbreaks

Elevating Harumanis Mango Postharvest Physico-Chemical Quality Using Preharvest Treatments Approach

Postharvest activities are mainly carried out to maintain fruit quality and prolong the shelf life of produce. However, the produce quality is limited to the quality during the harvesting. Preharvest treatment can be used as an alternative to improve fruit quality. Harumanis mango is one of the important seasonal fruits in Malaysia and only available within few months period per year. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different chemical foliar at preharvest stage on fruit physicochemical properties. Experiment was conducted using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 4 replicates and three treatments were used on 20 years old Harumanis tree in this preliminary study in Sintok, Kedah (1% calcium chloride(T2), 0.15%Chelated zinc(T3) and 0.02% salicylic acid (T4)) with tap water as control (T1). Mango trees were sprayed on week 10-11 after fruit set before fruit were harvested on week 14. Results shows there are significant finding for total soluble solid (TSS), vitamin C, total titratable acidity (TTA), and peel color. Control fruits have significantly higher values compared to other treatments but scored the lowest for vitamin C and TTA content with T4 yield highest vitamin C content. Thus, this treatment (T4) has higher sugar acid ratio (123.72%) than other treatments. In terms of peel colour, zinc treatment produces more greenish skin hue compared to other treatments. In conclusion, T4 yields the best results in term of fruit quality (vitamin C, TTA and sugar acid ratio). However, more research needs to be done on the combination of zinc (T3) and salicylic acid (T4) sprays

Feasibility of Pre-Harvest Sago Frond as State-of-the-Art Resources to Produce Animal Feed

Global crises such as climate change, war and borderless diseases are the factors that lead to limited supply and unstable prices of the raw material to produce animal feed placing a major burden on the farmers and smallholders to produce livestock at a reliable cost. Malaysia is among the most affected country due to its high dependency on imported resources to produce animal feed. Hence, cheap and locally available raw material is the key to producing sustainable and safety-ensured animal feed for domestic consumption. Due to the adaptability and resilient nature of sago palm towards extreme environmental distress, sago frond was selected as an alternative raw material to produce animal feed in the form of silage. Sago frond was pruned from growing sago palm (age between 3-7 years), then leaves and rachis were pulverised before vacuum packed into silo bag. Analysis shows that optimised sago frond silage (1:1 RSF/SL) possessed five ideal characteristics that include dry matter (47.76 %), acid detergent fibre (31.98 %), total water-soluble sugar (2.4 g/Kg), minimum pH (4.3) and protein content (16.85 %). Hence, the ensiling technique applies to produce high-quality animal feed from optimum formulated sago frond by preserving nutrient content and improving in-vitro digestibility of the silage designated for ruminant consumption. The feeding trial shows significant growth performance of animal models (Malin Breed Sheep) fed with optimised SFSil with Average Daily Gain (61.12 g/day) and Feed Conversion Ratio (9.64 g/g). Therefore, manufacturing animal feed from pre-harvest sago frond provides the solution to high dependency on imported animal feed and also offers a new lucrative commodity for the sago farmers while waiting for the sago palm to be harvestable

Antioxidant and Colour in Selected Local Fruits

Fruit pigments are associated with the presence of antioxidants. This study determined the content of antioxidant components (total phenolic content (TPC), ascorbic acid, beta carotene and lycopene) and colour in selected local fruits (papaya, watermelon, dragon fruit, wax apple, and jackfruit). The TPC, ascorbic acid, beta carotene and lycopene were determined spectrophotometrically. Ascorbic acid content was determined using the 2,6-Dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) titration method. Colour was assessed by tristimulus colorimetry based on the reflection spectrum. Total soluble solids (TSS) were also determined. Papaya has TPC (61.86 mg GAE/100 g), ascorbic acid (31.14 mg/100 mL), lycopene (4.82 mg/100 g), beta carotene (19.98 mg /100 g), TSS (10.17 °Brix) and colour profile L*(41.30), a*(24.07), b*(26.48), chroma value (35.79) and hue angle (47.70°). Wax apple has TPC (94.20 mg GAE/100 g), ascorbic acid (11.13 mg/100 mL), lycopene (1.62 mg/100 g), TSS (10.00 °Brix) and colour profile L*(63.42), a*(0.42), b*(7.64), chroma value (7.66) and hue angle (86.69°). Dragon fruit has TPC (179.985 mg GAE/100 g), ascorbic acid (5.94 mg/100 mL), beta carotene (3.98 mg/100 g), TSS (10.30 °Brix) and colour profile L*(21.45), b*(0.66), chroma value (6.86) and hue angle (5.52°). Jackfruit has TPC (75.16 mg GAE/100 g), lycopene (2.31 mg/100 g), beta carotene (9.25 mg/100 g), TSS (20.43 °Brix) and colour profile L*(71.74), a*(5.79) and hue angle (82.98°). Watermelon has ascorbic acid (19.28 mg/100 mL), lycopene (36.55 mg/100 g), beta carotene (14.37 mg/100 g) and colour profile b* (12.36), chroma value (26.98) and hue angle (27.22°). The a* value has a significant positive correlation (p<0.05) with the content of ascorbic acid, lycopene, and beta carotene while the chroma value shows a negative correlation with the total phenolic content (p<0.05). The b* value showing a negative correlation with the total phenolic content (p<0.05). Local fruits can be a good source of nutrient, phytochemicals, and antioxidants

Growth Simulation and Risk Assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in Chicken Liver at Refrigeration Condition

Listeria monocytogenes is an important emerging foodborne pathogen with infections causing high mortality rates (20-30%). It can cause sporadic but serious cases of listeriosis especially among pregnant women and the elderly. Emergence of multiple antibiotic resistant strains further complicate treatment of listeriosis cases. The goals of present study include to assess the risk of listeriosis among general population, pregnant women, elderly and immunocompromised from contaminated chicken liver consumption in Malaysia. L. monocytogenes growth data at temperature 4oC were used to determine the probability of listeriosis from chicken liver consumption using exponential model. The data obtained was used to calculate probability of infection among vulnerable groups (pregnant women, elderly and immunocompromised). Monte Carlo simulation with 10 000 iteration was used to determine the distribution of expected cases and rate of infection. Monte Carlo simulation showed L. monocytogenes in chicken liver at refrigerated increased by 20.50 fold. Immunocompromised patient was estimated to show the highest risk of listeriosis followed by pregnant women, elderly and general population. This study concluded that L. monocytogenes presence in chicken liver and inadequate safe food practices that cause cross contamination pose significant risk of listeriosis among the consumers. &nbsp