Effect of salicylic acid on carotenoids and chlorophyll content in Mas Cotek (Ficus Deltoidea Jack Var. Trengganuensis) leaves and its Retinol Activity Equivalents (RAE)

This study was conducted to determine the effect of different concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) (control, 0.01, 0.10, 1.00 mM) on carotenoids and chlorophyll content and its retinol activity equivalents (RAE) value in Ficus deltoidea Jack var. trengganuensis leaves. In this study, 12 seedlings of Ficus deltoidea Jack var. trengganuensis were sprayed with different concentrations of SA. Carotenoid content was determined using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and chlorophyll content was determined using chlorophyll meter. Retinol activity equivalents were calculated using RAE formulation. From the results obtained, two types of carotenoids, lutein and β-carotene, were detected in HPLC. The highest lutein and β-carotene content present in Ficus deltoidea Jack var. trengganuensis leaves extract was found in 0.10 mM SA treatment (93.50b ± 0.71 μg/g DW) for lutein and (282.00b ± 46.67 μg/g DW) for β-carotene, while the lowest lutein compound was found in 1.00 mM SA treatment (30.25a ± 1.77 μg/g DW) while the least β-carotenoid content was found in (1.00 mM SA) treatment (63.00a ± 0.71 μg/g DW). The same goes for retinol activity equivalents, the highest retinol activity equivalents was recorded in 0.10 mM SA treatment while lowest in 1.00 mM SA treatment. For chlorophyll content, the highest reading was showed in 0.10 mM SA treatment (73.50b ± 0.71 μg/g DW) while the lowest reading was in 1.00mM SA treatment (42.10a ± 1.41 μg/g DW). From this study, it can be concluded that salicylic acid at a certain concentration could increase or improve the carotenoid or chlorophyll content. Thus, it could be an alternative source of carotenoid and chlorophyll for the food and pharmaceutical industry in the future

Nutritional Composition and Glycaemic Index of Milk Chocolate using Different Sweeteners

Palm sugar is a type of sugar that has been claimed to be a healthier alternative sweetener to sucrose because it contains minerals, vitamins, and antioxidant and exhibits low glycaemic index. Malaysian Tualang honey has been reported to provide significant nutritional and medicinal benefits. The substitution of the sugarcane used in the milk chocolate with these natural sweeteners is known to lowering the GI value of milk chocolate. In this study, the glycaemic index of the respondents after consuming the test chocolates (control, PS, H) and the proximate analysis of the chocolate were evaluated. One group of female students named Group A (n=10) were asked to consumed the control, PS and H chocolates after an overnight fasting. Blood glucose level were evaluated at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. The result showed that the consuming the control, PS and H chocolates cause a slower rise in the respondent’s blood glucose level indicating low GI food. The proximate analysis revealed that both chocolates sweetened with palm sugar and honey had significantly higher moisture content but no significant different observed for fat and protein content compared to control. Chocolate sweetened with palm sugar also had significantly higher ash and crude fibre content compared to contro

Bioactive compounds in Cucumis melo L. and its beneficial health effects: a scoping review

Cucumis melo L. possesses numerous medicinal and nutritive functions due to the rich sources of biological active compounds. However, Cucumis melo L. processing generate by-products that threaten the environment. This study aims to explore the bioactive compounds present in different melon parts and the fruit’s beneficial health effects. A methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley was used to conduct the scoping review. An electronic database search for English academic articles was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and ScienceDirect encompassing years between 1999 and 2019. All types of studies, excluding systematic review or review papers were eligible for inclusion. Out of 602 studies identified, a total of 18 studies were included. Both peels and seeds were rich in phenolic compounds. The seed oil contained rich sources of tocopherols, while β-carotene and vitamin C were found in the flesh. Next, the main beneficial health effects included antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-angiogenic, anti-diabetic, anti-bacterial and anti-hypothyroidism activities, which were attributable to the presence of bioactive compounds. In summary, Cucumis melo L., particularly its seeds and peels exhibited various health benefits. This was an indicative of the potential of incorporating these by-products into various food and nutraceutical applications to create novel functional food or dietary supplements

Effect of Different Solvents Extraction on the Total Phenolic Content and Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Sacha Inchi Leaves Oil

Plukenetia volubilis L., also known as Sacha Inchi is a unique commercial crop that has gained in popularity due to its nutrient-rich and functional benefits to human health. There has been significant research on Sacha Inchi seed, only few studies on the leaves have been conducted. Oil extraction from Sacha Inchi leaves is underutilised and mostly unknown to the general public. This study analyzed the effect of pre-treatment which is fresh and dried leaves for solvent extraction on oil yield, Total Phenolic Contents (TPC), and free radical scavenging properties of oil extracted from Sacha Inchi leaves. The dried leaves sample which dried in oven drying at 30°C at 48 hours, was compared to the fresh sample of Plukenetia volubilis L leaves. Proximate analysis was carried out on the leaf samples by AOAC method. The nutritional values of Sacha Inchi leave revealing that the dried leaves contained higher composition values of crude fiber (13.43%), protein (18.6%), carbohydrate (47.96%) and ash (3.53%) than Sacha Inchi fresh leaves contained lower contents of protein (6.31%), fibre (3.86%), fat (1.16%), ash (2.47%) and carbohydrate (21.39%), except for moisture content (58.15%). For comparison, the Sacha Inchi leaves were also extracted with Soxhlet extraction, using three different solvents for oil extraction: ethanol, propanol, and hexane from fresh and air-dried leaves yielded the oil yield. Overall, the ethanol extraction for dried leaves produced the highest oil yield (21.35%) than propanol (7.89%) and hexane (5.3%). The greatest TPC values (0.64 and 0.65 mg GAE/g) were found in fresh and air-dried leaves extracted with ethanol extraction, as opposed to leaves extracted with propanol (0.33 and 0.49 mg GAE/g) and hexane (0.45 and 0.59 mg GAE/g). Additionally, the fresh sample with ethanol extract showed a 48.13 ± 29.44% percent inhibition of the free radical-scavenging assay, whereas the air-dried sample showed a higher percentage at 61.18 ± 23.26%. Both analyses produced the same results, with the maximum TPC and free radical scavenging activity reported in air-dried Sacha Inchi leaf samples with ethanol extract versus fresh leaves samples

A mini review of healthy bars – purchasing motives and challenges: towards Halalan Toyyiban approach

Nowadays, the consumption of healthy bars has increased worldwide due to the nutritional values and versatility of the products. The latest study explains these different healthy bars, their typical ingredients, and consumers’ growing awareness on food safety and quality simultaneously demanding halal-certified products. This review article compares different healthy bars that influence consumers’ purchasing motives and elaborates on the obstacles producers encounter while producing these healthy bars using halal and toyyib. The review was carried out by going through information from 98 publications related to four types of nutritious bars: (i) cereal-based bars, (ii) energy bars, (iii) fruit-based bars and (iv) vegetable-based bars. Meanwhile, the packaging attribute is the most crucial component influencing consumers’ purchasing decisions. Manufacturers discovered the most challenging tasks are keeping up with the demand for unique ingredients in healthy bars and not forgetting consumers’ demand for halalan toyyiban food products

Effect of abiotic stress on carotenoids accumulation in pumpkin plants under light and dark conditions

In nature, environmental factors highly influence the carotenoid composition in pumpkin plants and these factors were difficult to control; thus, carotenoid content is varied quantitatively and qualitatively. However, certain parameters can be controlled and this can be conducted in the laboratory through biogenesis manipulation. This approach uses environmental stress as a tool to alter the carotenoid pathway in the plants. The main objective of this study was to observe the inhibiting and enhancing effect of abiotic stress on individual carotenoid accumulation in pumpkin plants under light and dark conditions. The abiotic stresses used were plant elicitors which consisted of Ultra Violet light exposure, Polyethylene Glycol 4000, Salicylic Acid, and half strength nutrients using Murashige and Skoog Salt. After two weeks of treatments, the pumpkin leaves and stems were harvested, freeze dried and extracted to determine the carotenoids compound using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Results showed that there was a significant difference (p<0.005) of lutein content (2.668 + 0.565 µg/g) in pumpkin leaves once exposed to Ultra Violet light with the absence of β-carotene compared to the control treatment; lutein (3.119 ± 0.210 µg/g) and β-carotene (0.838 + 0.05 µg/g). There were significant differences of carotenoids content under dark condition with the value of lutein at 0.472 + 0.008 µg/g to 1.247 + 0.047 µg/g and β-carotene from not detected to 1.360 + 0.003. The highest amount of lutein in pumpkin stem was detected in the Salicylic acid treatment under light condition (0.930 + 0.101 µg/g) and the highest amount of β-carotene in the pumpkin stem was detected in the Salicylic acid treatment under dark condition (0.234 + 0.018 µg/g). The carotenoid content varied in each treatment due to the adaptation of pumpkin plants with abiotic stress induced to them

Carotenoid content in pumpkin from different locality in Malaysia

The increasing demand of carotenoid in global market has led to the analysis of carotenoid content in a variety of fruits and vegetables. In this study, pumpkins from different locality in Malaysia were analyzed. Pumpkin is believed to have health benefits due to its carotenoid content and other anti-oxidant compounds. UV-VIS spectrophotometer and HPLC analysis was conducted to analyze the total carotenoid and individual carotenoid in pumpkin. The total carotenoid content in pumpkin from different localities in Malaysia was ranged from 21.78 ug/g to 33.45 ug/g

Carotenoid content in different locality of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) in Malaysia

Pumpkin is believed to have health benefits due to its carotenoid content. Carotenoids are bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical potential. Carotenoids compound such as α-carotene and β-carotene react as provitamin A in human body, while lutein and zeaxanthin are two major components of the macular pigment of the retina. There are many extensive research has been done to study the benefit of these compounds to improve the nutritional value either for human consumption or commercialization purposes. The aim of this study is to identify the carotenoid content in pumpkin from five different localities in Malaysia. Carotenoid content in fruits and vegetables varies due to certain factors such as variety, level of maturity, climate or geographic site of production, part of the plant utilized, environment conditions during agricultural production, post-harvest handling, processing, and storage conditions. Based on these factors, measures could be taken to identify the individual carotenoid concentrations. In this study, pumpkins from Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Kedah and Melaka were analyzed. HPLC analysis was conducted to analyse the individual carotenoid in pumpkin. The individual carotenoids detected were α-carotene; which ranged from 1.26 mg/100g to 10.20 mg/100g, β-carotene; 29.16 mg/100g to 154.76 mg/100g and small amount of lutein were detected ranged from 0.22 mg/100g to 0.46 mg/100g. However lutein compound was not detected in pumpkin from Perak. The retinol equivalent was also calculated

Impact of date powder, sacha inchi oil, and moringa powder in a novel cognitive-enhancing health bar: an evaluation of physicochemical properties and functional benefits

Recent trends show a growing preference for healthy snacks in diets, particularly among health-conscious consumers, with snack bars gaining popularity among youth. This study aimed to develop and analyse a nutritious health bar to enhance cognitive performance. The health bar's formulation was created using design expert software. Comprehensive testing included proximate analysis, fatty acid profiling, and vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant evaluations, complemented by texture and colour assessments. Findings reveal these bars to be nutritionally rich, featuring excellent physical characteristics. They are notably abundant in essential fats (omega-3 and omega-6), vitamins, and minerals. The bars' high essential fat content, varied vitamin and mineral composition, and strong antioxidant properties align with the Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNI) for Malaysian children and adolescents. This composition suggests that these health bars could effectively boost cognitive performance in this group