Alkohol (arak dan etanol) dalam makanan halal / A Anis Najiha and W.A. Wan Nadiah

Alkohol adalah satu istilah yang sinonim dengan arak, sejenis minuman yang dilarang dalam Islam. Justeru itu, muncul tanggapan bahawa kehadiran etanol yang turut dikenali sebagai alkohol, juga tidak dibenarkan dalam makanan halal. Ini secara tidak langsung menyebabkan kehadiran atau penambahan etanol dalam makanan menjadi satu isu yang cukup berkontroversi di kalangan pengguna Muslim. Dengan nilai terkini pasaran global makanan halal yang dianggarkan bernilai USD 600 billion dolar, hal ini bukan sahaja merupakan isu agama malahan turut menjadi satu isu ekonomi. Justeru itu, kertas kerja ini dihasilkan untuk menjelaskan mengenai persoalan alkohol (arak dan etanol) dalam makanan halal melalui tinjauan ilmiah. Tinjauan mendapati terdapat perselisihan pendapat di kalangan ulama mengenai status etanol. Ini berbeza dengan kesepakatan ulama tentang pengharaman arak dalam Islam. Terdapat dua pandangan utama dalam kalangan ulama Islam mengenai status etanol. Sebahagian ulama tidak membenarkan etanol. Manakala sebahagian yang lain pula membenarkan kewujudan etanol dengan syarat-syarat tertentu. Ini merujuk kepada bagaimana etanol ini wujud (secara semulajadi atau ditambah untuk membantu pemprosesan makanan) dan peratusan akhirnya dalam makanan dan minuman halal

Perceived versus actual knowledge of alcohol and halal food among food technology undergraduate students in a Malaysian university

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perceived knowledge of the general concept of halal food and actual knowledge of halal food principles with emphasis on alcohol (alcoholic drinks and ethanol). Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional descriptive survey, using quantitative research methods, was utilized. A self-administered survey was distributed to 188 undergraduate students of the food technology programme at Universiti Sains Malaysia, and a total of 114 responses were obtained. Findings – Results indicate that respondents believed that they have above average competence regarding the concept, sources, ingredients, processing and the overall production of halal foods (score: 3.75-4.18). In addition, all of the 114 respondents also agreed that alcoholic drinks are fundamentally prohibited in Islam. However, the survey also revealed that the respondents were less certain about the application of alcohol in halal food production. Respondents’ actual knowledge on these issues was low to average. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited by its cross-sectional nature. In addition, the research was only conducted on undergraduate-level students of the food technology programme, and therefore, results derived might not be generalized to the other segments of the population. The overall uncertainty and misconception about the application of alcohol in halal food highlights the need to improve the knowledge of these undergraduate students to more than a mere theory of the concepts of halal and haram. Originality/value – No previous study has been conducted to explore the issue pertaining to alcohol in halal food, and this paper categorically strives to fill this gap

The relationship between halal food management system critical constructs, operational performance and product quality

Given the limited studies on Halal food management system, this study seeks to assess the relationship between the Halal food management system critical constructs, operational performance and product quality. Structured questionnaires were gathered from a total of 163 Halal certified SMEs manufacturers in Malaysia, through convenience sampling techniques. Data were initially subjected to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify the underlying constructs. Partial least squares (PLS) was then used to examine the extent to which critical constructs of halal food management system influence operational performance and product quality. The results showed that not all critical constructs were directly and positively associated with organisational performance and product quality. The lack of significant relationships between critical constructs and performance constructs are intriguing and should be an impetus for further investigations into potential contingencies and indirect associations of Halal food management system critical constructs on performance constructs. In addition, rather than a piecemeal approach, companies may need to holistically and systemically implement all the Halal food management system critical constructs

Abstracts of the International Halal Science Conference 2023

This book presents the extended abstracts of the selected contributions to the International Halal Science Conference, held on 22-23 August 2023 by the International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), IIUM, Malaysia in collaboration with Halalan Thayyiban Research Centre, University Islam Sultan Sharif (UNISSA), Brunei Darussalam. With the increasing global interest in halal products and services, this conference is timely. Conference Title:  International Halal Science ConferenceConference Acronym: IHASC23Conference Theme: Halal Industry Sustainability Through ScienceConference Date: 22-23 August 2023Conference Venue: International Islamic University (IIUM), MalaysiaConference Organizer: International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), International Islamic University (IIUM), Malaysi