Quality management practices of food manufacturers: a comparative study between small, medium and large companies in Malaysia

The objective of this study is to identify the extent of quality management (QM) practices implemented by the food manufacturing companies in Malaysia. Second, is to identify the level of QM practices implemented by the small, medium, and large food manufacturing companies in Malaysia. In addition, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between quality management practices with the operational performance and market performance of the food manufacturing companies in Malaysia. This study utilized quantitative approach by constructing a survey questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed statistically using SPSS version 22.0. Food manufacturing companies were discovered implementing all the quality management practices components measured. In terms of the types of QM practices, GMP, HACCP, ISO 9001 and TQM were implemented. The implementation level in terms of the components and types of QM practices was found highest in large companies, followed by medium companies and small companies. Statistical different was observed in the implementation level between small companies with medium and large companies. However, no significant difference discovered between medium companies and large companies. It was found that quality management practices were significantly related with the operational performance and market performance of the food manufacturing companies in Malaysia. This study carries an important message in terms of the managerial economics in which a specific company performance can be improved individually by implementing the identified QM practices. This is particularly important to the small sized and medium sized enterprises for effective resources control. This study served as the framework for food manufacturing industries to understand their current position in implementing the QM practices. At the same time, promote continuous improvement in the current practices via benchmarking process

Factors influencing the SME business success in Malaysia

Purpose: The research aimed to investigate the factors that influence SME business success in Malaysia. Research methodology: This study employed a quantitative research design and used a paper-based online questionnaire to collect data from 100 SME entrepreneurs in Malaysia. Smart PLS 3.2.8 was used to analyse the data collected in this study. Results: The study concluded that the factors of entrepreneurs’ personalities traits and effective marketing have no significant relationship with SME business success, while the strategic planning and management is significantly positive related to SME business success. Limitations: The present study had a small number of respondents to obtain more accurate results. Contribution: The results can be useful to optimise the local SME business performance by presenting the factor that is significantly and positively influencing business success. This study makes a new attempt to demonstrate the effect of strategic planning and management on SME business success in Malaysia. Besides, the research emphasises the importance of implementation of strategic planning and management in SME business to enhance the rate of business success. Keywords: Business success, Malaysia, SM

Web cluster load balancing via genetic-fuzzy based algorithm

In this genetic-fuzzy based Generalized Dimension Exchange (GDE) method is proposed to uniformly distribute the unprecedented Web cluster workload. Fuzzy set theory is used to capture the vagueness of the workload during redistribution period. Fuzzy set theory is used to capture the vagueness of the workload during redistribution period. According to the experts’ subjective evaluations, a fuzzy inference system is established to aggregate the fuzzy web performance metrics into a so-called load-weight index which indicates the servers workload intensity. Based on the load-weight index, the genetic-fuzzy algorithm is applied to equally redistribute the workload among in the servers. Finally, a simulation of 20 load-weight indices in a topology of 3-cube form Web cluster is implemented to illustrate the functionality of the proposed method

Comprehensive study on transglycosylation of CGTase from various sources

Transglycosylation is the in-vivo or in-vitro process of transferring glycosyl groups from a donor to an acceptor, which is usually performed by enzymatic reactions because of their simplicity, low steric hindrance, high regionspecificity, low production cost, and mild processing conditions. One of the enzymes commonly used in the transglycosylation reaction is cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase). The transglycosylated products, catalyzed by CGTase, are widely used in food additives, supplements, and personal care and cosmetic products. This is due to improvements in the solubility, stability, bioactivity and length of the synthesized products. This paper's focus is on the importance of enzymes used in the transglycosylation reaction, their characteristics and mechanism of action, sources and production yield, and donor and acceptor specificities. Moreover, the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the enzymatic reaction, catalysis of glycosidic linkages, and advantages of CGTase transglycosylation reactions are discussed in detail

Modelling and control of partially shaded photovoltaic arrays

The photovoltaic (PV) array controlled by Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) method for optimum PV power generation, particularly when the PV array is under partially shaded condition is presented in this paper. The system modelling is carried out in MATLAB-SIMULINK where the PV array is formed by five series connected identical PV modules. Under uniform solar irradiance conditions, the PV module and the PV array present nonlinear P-V characteristic but the maximum power point (MPP) can be easily identified. However, when the PV array is under shaded conditions, the P-V characteristic becomes more complex with the present of multiple MPP. While the PV array operated at local MPP, the generated power is limited. Thus, the investigation on MPPT approach is carried out to maximize the PV generated power even when the PV array is under partially shaded conditions (PSC). Fuzzy logic is adopted into the conventional MPPT to form fuzzy logic based MPPT (FMPPT) for better performance. The developed MPPT and FMPPT are compared, particularly the performances on the transient response and the steady state response when the array is under various shaded conditions. FMPPT shows better performance where the simulation results demonstrate FMPPT is able to facilitate the PV array to reach the MPP faster while it helps the PV array to produce a more stable output power

Comprehensive study on transglycosylation of CGTase from various sources

Transglycosylation is the in-vivo or in-vitro process of transferring glycosyl groups from a donor to an acceptor, which is usually performed by enzymatic reactions because of their simplicity, low steric hindrance, high region specificity, low production cost, and mild processing conditions. One of the enzymes commonly used in the transglycosylation reaction is cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase). The transglycosylated products, cata lyzed by CGTase, are widely used in food additives, supplements, and personal care and cosmetic products. This is due to improvements in the solubility, stability, bioactivity and length of the synthesized products. This paper's focus is on the importance of enzymes used in the transglycosylation reaction, their characteristics and mecha nism of action, sources and production yield, and donor and acceptor specificities. Moreover, the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the enzymatic reaction, catalysis of glycosidic linkages, and advantages of CGTase transglycosylation reactions are discussed in detail

The CYP2C19*1/*2 Genotype Does Not Adequately Predict Clopidogrel Response in Healthy Malaysian Volunteers

Background. The CYP2C19*2 allele may be associated with a reduced antiplatelet effect for clopidogrel. Here, we assessed whether CYP2C19*2 alleles correlate with clopidogrel responsiveness following the administration of clopidogrel in healthy Malaysian volunteers. Methods. Ninety volunteers were genotyped for CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3 alleles. Forty-five of 90 volunteers were included in the clopidogrel response studies and triaged into three genotypes, namely, CYP2C19*1/*1 (n=17), CYP2C19*1/*2 (n=21), and CYP2C19*2/*2 (n=7). All subjects received 300 mg of clopidogrel, and platelet reactivity was assessed after a four-hour loading utilizing the VerifyNow-P2Y12 assay. Platelet activity was reported using P2Y12 reaction units (PRUs), and nonresponder status was prespecified at PRU ≥ 230. Results. Following clopidogrel intake, CYP2C19*2/*2 carriers had a significantly higher mean PRU compared to the CYP2C19*1/*2 and CYP2C19*1/*1 (291.0 ± 62.1 versus 232.5 ± 81.4 versus 147.4 ± 87.2 PRU, P<0.001) carriers. Almost half of the participants (46.7%) were found to be nonresponders (3 were CYP2C19*1/*1, 11 were CYP2C19*1/*2, and 7 were CYP2C19*2/*2). Conclusion. In healthy Malaysian volunteers, CYP2C19*2 allele was associated with a decrease in platelet responsiveness to clopidogrel. However, clopidogrel nonresponders can be found not only in the carriers of CYP2C19*2/*2, but also in the carriers of CYP2C19*1/*2 and CYP2C19*1/*1. The present paper demonstrated that genotype information does not correlate with clopidogrel response, and genotyping may represent a less robust approach compared to platelet activity testing in guiding clopidogrel therapy

Effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure, electrical and magnetotransport properties of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 compound

In this work, we report the effect of sintering temperature (900°C, 1000°C, 1100°C and 1200°C) on the electrical and magnetotransport properties of polycrystalline La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO). Single phase of LSMO hexagonal structure (R-3c) accompanied with minor phases was successfully synthesized by co-precipitation method. With increasing sintering temperature, grain growth was promoted and grain connectivity was improved. It was found that an enhancement of resistivity on smaller grain size was due to larger grain surface over volume (grain boundaries effect). The shifting of the metal-insulator transition (TMI) to higher temperature was also responsible for observed changes in physical properties. TMI of 900°C, 1000°C and 1100°C were 232 K, 278 K and 298 K respectively however 1200°C was out of measurement range (higher than 300 K). In summary, CP900 with smaller grain size distribution (~200 nm) displayed the highest resistivity and MR% of -19.2% (at 80 K, 10 kG)

Kinetic retention of sialic acid and antioxidants in Malaysian edible bird's nest during low-temperature drying

Drying is one of the essential processing steps for dried edible bird’s nest; however, sialic acid and antioxidant can be highly thermosensitive and unstable. Therefore, aim of this study was to determine the degradation kinetics of sialic acid and antioxidants during low-temperature drying at 25–40°C as compared to conventional hot air-drying at 70°C. These compounds’ degradation exhibited first-order kinetics. Sialic acid and antioxidant retentions were 83.9 and 96.6%, respectively, at 25°C, and 78.7 and 91.5% at 40°C, respectively, by low-temperature drying; while, 42.5 and 38.7%, respectively, at 70°C by conventional hot air-drying. Finally, empirical models were significantly fitted to predict sialic acid and antioxidant retention as edible bird’s nest reached a certain level of drying, which may be useful from the processing standpoint and validate the usage of low-temperature drying as a process tool for retention of sialic acid and antioxidant in edible bird’s nest