The effect of virgin coconut oil loaded solid lipid particles (VCO-SLPs) on skin hydration and skin elasticity

Virgin Coconut Oil is usually extracted from well matured and fresh coconut through specialized processes without damaging its natural nutrition. In this work, formulation, characterization and efficacy of VCO-SLPs have been studied. VCO-SLPs were prepared using ultrasonification of molten stearic acid and virgin coconut oil in an aqueous solution and particles with the size of 0.608 μm have been obtained. 20% concentration of VCO-SLPs of 0.608 μm particle size was added into the base lotion. Sensory study and skin evaluation study was conducted to compare the difference between lotion containing VCO-SLPs and lotion without VCO-SLPs. Moisturizing lotion incorporated with VCO-SLPs was found to increase skin hydration and skin elasticity by 24.8% and 2.60% respectively from day 0 to day 28. This shows that solid lipid particles has the potential to be utilized as a carrier for improved dermal delivery of VCO

Estimation of the surface area of a screen-printed carbon electrode modified with gold nanoparticles and cysteine using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

This work concerns with the estimation of the surface area of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and cysteine, using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Interpretation of EIS results was based on charge-transfer reactions at high frequencies, followed by diffusion through the monolayers at lower frequencies. Estimates of the electrode fractional surface coverage (θ), active site radius (ra), and the distance between two adjacent sites (2rb) were obtained by assuming that charge transfer occurred at the active sites and that there were planar diffusions of redox species to these sites. Using EIS, fractional surface coverage was estimated to be around 0.467 for EC modified SPCE, 0.497 for ETSC modified SPCE, and 0.25 for ETSTSC modified SPCE. For the EC modified SPCE, the ra and 2rb were estimated to be 14.8 µm and 68 µm. For the ETSC modified SPCE, the estimated ra and 2rb were 14.3 µm and 63.6 µm. The estimated ra and 2rb for ETSTSC were 13.42 µm and 85 µm. respectively. The inactive site areas for EC, ETSC and ETSTSC modified SPCEs were 0.0587 m2, 0.0624 m2, and 0.0314 m2. The results obtained during this research work suggest that modifying SPCEs using gold and cysteine through electrodeposition of AuNPs, linking with thiourea, self-assembly of AuNPs and self-assembly of cysteine (ETSC) resulted in an electrode with sufficiently high surface area that has the potential to be used as a biosensor for skin sensitiser detection

Employed Bacterial Species and Bacterial Cellulose (BC) Applications: The State of Play

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an uprising bio-polymer produced by various bacterial strains, which is infamous for its prominent biological properties and applications. Receiving ample attention due to those unique properties, various genus and bacterial strains have been used for BC biosynthesis and the studies of its production have been recorded throughout the years. Although a lot of research and implementation has been done on BC, studies in the search for low-cost, effective medium contributing to higher BC yields were still in continuation to this day. This review article overviews the employed bacterial strains and their recent advance, modified, and low-cost medium in the development of BC composites. Special emphasis is placed on the new-novel strains for BC production and BC applications. Compilations of literature were compiled to outline the sources and also findings by previous and recent researchers. It was found that numerous studies have attempted to enhance BC production, which includes the utilization of various bacterial strains to fulfill industrial needs. Hence, this review comprises bacterial genera and species, which are mainly used in the production of BC such as Komagataeibacter, Gluconobacter, Gluconacetobacter, Enterobacter, and Pseudomonas.The recent studies enforced on BC focusing on higher production and the application of BC on an industrial scale will also be reviewed

Formulation and characterization of [6]-gingerol loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC)

Nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) is the blend of solid lipid, liquid lipid and suitable surfactant for the purpose of encapsulated poorly water soluble drugs. [6]-gingerol is the main bioactive compound in Zingiber officinale, widely known as ginger in Malaysia. Zingiber officinale extract has been discovered to have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial effects to human body. The aim of this study is to develop NLC formulation for [6]-gingerol and to estimate the potential of NLC as a delivery system for these water insoluble drugs. In this work, the preparation of ginger oil loaded onto nanostructured lipid carrier (GO-NLC) was done by using ultrasonication method. The GO-NLCs were assessed by evaluating the morphology and its entrapment efficiency. The morphological study was performed by using Zetasizer Nano S and the entrapment efficiency analysis of NLC was performed using HPLC by detecting [6]-gingerol as active biomarker. The average particle size for GO-NLCs ranged from size 100 to 250 nm and the average encapsulation efficiency was 92.7± 3.03%.Based on analysis, it is proved that nanostructured lipid carriers has high potential to be nanocarriers for [6]-gingerol

Evaluation of chilling injury and internal browning condition on quality attributes, phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity during sub-optimal cold storage of Malaysian cultivar pineapples

Pineapple cold storage at sub-optimal temperature (4 ± 2 °C) and duration of storage (0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days) was periodically tracked to investigate its effect on physical injuries known as chilling injury (CI) and internal browning (IB), which contribute to degradation of pineapple’s quality attributes (i.e., pH, total soluble solids (TSS) concentration, ascorbic acid (AA) content, ion leakage (EL), antioxidant capacity, and total phenolic content (TPC). In this study, three main Malaysian pineapple cultivars were evaluated based on the hypothesis that pineapple’s physical injuries (CI and IB) affect the quality attributes, phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity. Towards day 28 of sub-optimal cold storage treatment, cv. Morris (Queen) showed higher CI and IB incidences. However, the incidences were not statistically significant at a significance level of 0.05 in two other pineapple varieties cv. Josephine(hybrid, between ‘Johor’ Spanish and Smooth Cayenne) and cv. MD-2 or gold (the hybrid of Smooth Cayenne)), which exhibited resistance to CI and IB. Meanwhile, it was found that sub-optimal cold storage up to 28 days affects CI and IB of three main Malaysian pineapple cultivars regardless of their genetic capability towards these injuries. Further, the study revealed that CI and IB symptoms were correlated with a decrease in TSS and pH, and an increase in the percentage of EL, TPC, antioxidant capacity, and antioxidant activities measured by FRAP and DPPH, respectively. Meanwhile, in terms of overall quality attributes result with focus interaction of TPC and antioxidant capacity, cv. MD-2 was observed to be impacted the most during sub-optimal cold storage. The study concluded that CI and IB conditions were positively correlated with the degradation of quality attributes as reflected in TSS content, pH, EL, TPC content, and total antioxidant capacity

Evaluation of Swietenia mahagoni Jacq seed extracts in promoting wound healing properties

Swietenia mahagoni or known as tunjuk langit is a widely known plant to possess good properties in treating diseases as well as a wound treatment. The purpose of this work was to examine the wound healing ability of the seed extracts in term of its ability to promote cell proliferation and migration. The extracts from two extraction methods, i.e. supercritical carbon dioxide and Soxhlet, were evaluate using cytotoxicity and scratch assays on human skin fibroblast cells. The findings showed that the extraction yield using supercritical fluid extraction was lower than Soxhlet method with 48.9% yield recovery. In addition, the seed extracts were able to stimulate cell growth and migratory effect. This information can be used as a basis to performed subsequent study to report wound healing activity of this plant material

A review and survey of Problem-Based Learning application in Engineering Education

This paper gives a review of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) applied in engineering courses worldwide, and a survey of academic staff who have implemented PBL in engineering classes in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The review of PBL application illustrates the extent of acceptance and success of PBL in schools of engineering in the international arena. The survey, on the other hand, illustrates the acceptance of PBL among engineering lecturers and the possibility of applying PBL in Malaysia. The main purpose of the survey is to obtain feedback on PBL regarding the impressions, set-backs and constraints faced, as well as innovations and tips for successful implementation from the faculty members involved

Effect of drying time and evaporated moisture on the dielectric behavior of ginger at 0.2 to 20 GHz.

Dielectric properties of ginger (Zingerber officinale Ross) were measured at 0.2 to 20 GHz and at temperature 26°C, using the HP-85070B open-ended coaxial line probe (OECP) coupled with a computer controlled software automated network analyzer (ANA). The dielectric constant for all samples was found to decrease with frequency. However, the dielectric loss factor decreased initially and started to increase at 2.45 GHz until 20 GHz following the trend of the dielectric properties of deionized water. The penetration depth was affected by evaporated moisture at the lower frequency region

Extraction of essential oils from Zingiberaceace famili by using Solvent-free Microwave Extraction (SFME), Microwave-assisted Extraction (MAE) and hydrodistillation (HD)

Solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) is a combination of dry and wet distillation with microwave heating. Both methods were compared with hydrodistillation (HD) for the extraction of essential oil from three types of rhizomes in Zingibereaceace family: Mango ginger (Curcuma amada), Java turmeric (Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb), and Black turmeric (Curcuma aeruginosa). Better results were obtained with SFME and MAE in terms of rapidity with 1 h extraction time using SFME and MAE vs. 4 h of extraction time using HD. SFME and MAE gives highest yield of essential oils at every second during the extraction process compared with HD

Quantitative analysis of performance of a hydrogen peroxide-based glucose biosensor

A partial glucose biosensor was constructed using a selective internal layer, an enzyme layer and a gold electrode. Both membrane layers are based on cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The performance of the partial glucose biosensor was analyzed particularly with respect to the interfering effects of acetaminophen, a non-ionic molecule. The sensitivity of the immobilized enzyme to glucose was high but it was not high enough to counter acetaminophen interference. The addition of the moderately selective PVA internal layer did not seem to have a significant effect on interference. A mathematical model was then used to analyze the performance of a completed biosensor. A simulated external layer was added to the two layers. The mathematical model predicted that the addition of an external layer with lowered permeability to solutes could improve the performance of the sensor