Comparison of the frying performance of refined, bleached and deodorized palm olein and coconut oil

The frying performance of refined, bleached and deodorized palm olein (RBDPO) and refined, bleached and deodorized coconut oil (RBDCO) was compared in this study. The oils were studied during intermittent frying of potato chips at 180C for 5 h/day for 5 consecutive days. The indices used for assessment of frying performance of the oils were fatty acid composition (FAC), peroxide value (PV), anisidine value (AnV), % free fatty acid (FFA), iodine value (IV), % polar component, polymer content, color, viscosity, smoke point and foaming tendency. The results showed that RBDPO was superior to RBDCO in frying performance in terms of % FFA, iodine value, foaming tendency and smoke point. However, RBDCO performed better than RBDPO with respect to % polar component, polymer content, resistance to oxidation, color and viscosity. Flavor evaluation showed that potato chips fried in RBDPO were preferred by the panelists

Determination of sodium fatty acid in soap Formulation Using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and multivariate calibrations.

Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy using an attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory has been investigated as a method for the determination of sodium-fatty acid (sodium-FA) in soap formulations. Multivariate calibrations namely partial least squares regression (PLS) and principle component regression (PCR) were developed for the prediction of sodium-FA using spectral ranges on the basis of relevant IR absorption bands related to sodium-FA. The sodium-FA content in soap formulations was predicted accurately at wavenumbers of 1,570–1,550 cm−1, which is specific for RCOO− Na+ vibration. The PLS method was found to be a consistently better predictor when both PLS and principal component regression (PCR) analyses were used for quantification of sodium-FA. Furthermore, FTIR spectroscopy can be an alternative technique to American oil Chemist Society methods which use a titrimetric technique because FTIR offers rapid, easy sample preparation and is friendly to the environment

Adaptive Management Framework for Evaluating and Adjusting Microclimate Parameters in Tropical Greenhouse Crop Production Systems

High operational costs of greenhouse production in hot and humid climate condition due to the initial investments on structure, equipment, and energy necessitate practicing advanced techniques for more efficient use of available resources. This chapter describes design and concepts of an adaptive management framework for evaluating and adjusting optimality degrees and comfort ratios of microclimate parameters, as well as predicting the expected yield in greenhouse cultivation of tomato. A systematic approach is presented for automatic data collection and processing with the objective to produce knowledge‐based information in achieving optimum microclimate for high‐quality and high‐yield tomato. Applications of relevant computer models are demonstrated through case‐study examples for use in an iterative way to simulate and compare different scenarios. The presented framework can contribute to future studies for providing best management decisions such as site selection, optimum growing season, scheduling efficiencies, energy management with different climate control systems, and risk assessments associated with each task

Kinetic study of copper (II) removal from aqueous solution onto unmodified kenaf fibre

Adsorption has been proven as an excellent method for industrial wastewater treatment. Therefore, there is a need to explore new sources of alternative and inexpensive adsorbent for elimination of heavy metals. In this study, a series of batch experiments was conducted to study the adsorption potential of kenaf as an adsorbent for Cu (II) removal from aqueous solutions. The specific objectives are to obtain kinetics determination and measure the adsorption capacity in batch system. The single adsorption kinetics was carried out at a constant temperature of 30±1°C using an incubator shaker operated at 200 rpm. The results showed that the equilibrium time for removal of Cu (II) was 3 h at pH 5.0. The pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order models were used to describe adsorption kinetics of Cu (II). It was observed that the adsorption kinetics of Cu (II) ions onto kenaf followed pseudo second-order model. This suggests that the chemisorption mechanism is the rate-limiting step in the adsorption uptake. This study established the feasibility of kenaf as an effective adsorbent for removing Cu (II) from aqueous solution

Road orientation of housing subdivision in Majlis Bandaraya Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia

Street network is a city crucial element. The current guidelines of road design generally include road width, cross-sections and street hierarchy which are to be taken into consideration during the design phase of the network. Research have shown that road orientation affects the quality of a housing subdivision. However, there are limited studies on street orientation with most of them concentrating on the effects of the orientation on housing subdivision rather than the factors which give rise to its orientation. This research aims to analyse the street network of housing subdivisions located within Majlis Bandaraya Iskandar Puteri (MBIP) to identify the aspects which influence its orientation. Street networks of 71 housing subdivisions under the administration of MBIP were extracted using the OS Mnx Python programming tool to visualize the street networks in terms of polar charts. The findings of the study imply that the size of a housing subdivision does not affect the manner of streets within it are designed. Street pattern is associated with the time of development and the socioeconomic status of the community within the housing subdivision. Such findings contribute to better understanding of street orientation and can assist urban planners to create a better living environment

Effect of the Cross Linkers’ Concentration on the Immobilization of Recombinant Escherichia Coli Cells on Hollow Fiber Membrane for Excretion of Cyclodextrin Glucanotransferase (CGTase)

The excretion of recombinant proteins into the culture medium is a preferred approach over cytoplasmic expression because of the high specific activity and ease of purification. However, cell lysis is one of a major problem during the excretion of recombinant protein due to the pressure build up in the periplasmic space through overproduction of the expressed recombinant protein. Cell immobilization is a promising solution for the improvement of protein excretion with reduction in cell lysis. In this study, the effect of cross linkers concentrations on the process of cell immobilization for the cyclodextringlucanotransferase (CGTase) excretion and cell viability were investigated. The hollow fiber membrane was treated using different concentrations (0.3, 0.67 and 1%) of cross linkers namely glutaraldehyde (GA), poly-L-lysine (PLL) and polyethylenimine (PEI). The optimum concentration of cross linkers was found to be 0.3% with the high excretion of CGTase. Interestingly, the immobilized cell on the non-treated hollow fiber membrane showed up to 15% increment of CGTase excretion with 55% reduction of cell lysis, as compared to the immobilized cells on the treated hollow fiber membrane. It could be concluded that, the low concentration of cross linkers exhibited the highest CGTase excretion. Moreover, the non-treated hollow fiber membrane is a promising approach for attachment of cells to the membrane without requiring treatment with any chemicals for the production of recombinant enzyme

Determination of free fatty acids in crude palm oil and refined-bleached-deodorized palm olein using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

A rapid direct Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic method using a 100 µ BaF2 transmission cell was developed for the determination of free fatty acid (FFA) in crude palm oil (CPO) and refined-bleached-deodorized (RBD) palm olein, covering an analytical range of 3.0–6.5% and 0.07–0.6% FFA, respectively. The samples were prepared by hydrolyzing oil with enzyme in an incubator. The optimal calibration models were constructed based on partial least squares (PLS) analysis using the FTIR carboxyl region (C=O) from 1722 to 1690 cm−1. The resulting PLS calibrations were linear over the range tested. The standard errors of calibration (SEC) obtained were 0.08% FFA for CPO with correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.992 and 0.01% FFA for RBD palm olein with R2 of 0.994. The standard errors of performance (SEP) were 0.04% FFA for CPO with R2 of 0.998 and 0.006% FFA for RBD palm olein with R2 of 0.998, respectively. In terms of reproducibility (r) and accuracy (a), both FTIR and chemical methods showed comparable results. Because of its simpler and more rapid analysis, which is less than 2 min per sample, as well as the minimum use of solvents and labor, FTIR has an advantage over the wet chemical method

Evaluation of feed flow rate on the physicochemical properties of fish oil microcapsules

Fish oil is one of the sources of fatty acids and plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Regular intake of fish oil can prevent cardiovascular-related disease and improve the development of infants' and young children's brain functions. However, fish oil is highly prone to oxidative deterioration, leading to higher shelf-stability reduction. Microencapsulation by spray drying technology offers a better solution by protecting the oil from further oxidation, enabling it to be delivered to food products without affecting its properties. The present study focuses on the physicochemical properties of fish oil microcapsules by spray drying techniques with different feed flow rates. The feed flow rate studied was 280 mL/h to 444 mL/h, combining maltodextrin and whey protein isolates as biopolymers. The physicochemical properties evaluated were moisture content, particle size distribution, free fatty acid, acid value and encapsulation efficiency. This work aimed to identify the most suitable feed flow rate based on the evaluated physicochemical properties. It was observed that the moisture content and particle size distribution were increased from 3.15 0.01 % to 3.54 0.06 % and 27.621 0.320 μm to 50.636 1.321 μm from the feed flow rate of 280 mL/h to 444 mL/h, respectively. The fish oil microcapsules produced using a feed flow rate of 280 mL/h recorded the highest free fatty acid, acid value and encapsulation efficiency of 5.11 0.101 %, 2.82 0.004 mg (KOH/g) and 80.89 0.231 %. Thus, it can be suggested that spray drying with a low feed flow rate of 280 mL/h can produce fish oil microcapsules with a lower moisture content, particle size distribution, free fatty acid, and acid value with higher encapsulation efficiency

Recovery of omega-3 fish oil from Monopterus albus using microwave assisted extraction process

Fish oil are currently high in demand due to its wide range of therapeutic benefits. High content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) derived from various sources of marine life in fish oil are essential in human mental developments and metabolism. Swamp Eel Fish, scientifically known as Monopterus Albus is a freshwater fish that highly in demands across South-East Asia and can easily be found in Malaysia. This paper presents the study on the extraction of fish oil from the Monopterus Albus eel fish using microwave assisted extraction (MAE) process with ethanol as a solvent. The yield, acid value and free fatty acid (FFA) content of the Monopterus Albus eel fish oil were studied at different solvent concentrations (0 % v/v-100 % v/v) and solid-to-solvent ratios (0.04 g/ml-0.13 g/ml) with constant time, temperature and power of 30 min, 60 °C and 800 W, respectively. Concentrated Monopterus Albus fish oil was analyzed using 785 DMP Titrino Metrom and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the oil yield increases with the increases of solvent concentration and solid-to-solvent ratios with the highest yield of 14.60 % at 100 % v/v and 0.13 g/ml, respectively. Acid values and free fatty acid content recorded was 2.19 mg KOH/g and 1.14 %. Morphology of the before and after extraction process displayed significant structural changes on the surfaces of the sample indicated effectiveness of microwave-assisted extraction in extracting fish oil. The findings from this study suggested the best operating conditions to extracts fish oil from the Monopterus Albus eel fish

A new method for determination of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) in RBD palm olein with FTIR spectroscopy

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of refined bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm olein samples between 3600 and 2800 cm-1 were used for quantitative determination of the content of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). The method was based on sodium chloride (NaCl) windows with transmission path fixed at 50 μm at room temperature. Fifty stripped oil samples spiked with known amounts of TBHQ concentrations up to 300 mg/ kg (ppm) were separated into two sets for calibration and validation models based on partial least squares (PLS) analyses. The accuracy of the method was comparable to that of the method established by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9961 and standard error of calibration of (SEC) 5.06. The model was validated, and the R2 of validation and standard error of prediction were 0.9951 and 6.49, respectively. The standard deviation of difference for repeatability for the method was comparable to that for the IUPAC method. The new FTIR method developed for determining TBHQ in palm olein was demonstrated to be efficient, accurate, rapid and required minimum solvent as only acetone was used for cleaning NaCl windows. The method is suitable for routine quality control analysis. © Copyright 2004, Blackwell Publishing