Drying Characteristics of Roselle: Study of the Two-term Exponential Model and Drying Parameters

Thin-layer drying experiments with Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa .L) were carried out in a constant temperature and humidity chamber. Four temperatures (35, 45, 55, and 65°C) and five relative humidities (30, 35, 40, 45, and 50%RH) were tested. Statistical analysis on twelve thinlayer drying model proved the superiority of two-term exponential model. The objectives of this work were to evaluate and validate the two-term exponential model; besides, examine the effects of the drying conditions on the drying rate and constant. Validation of the developed model was done using two criterions, plotting of the predicted against experimental moisture contents and the residual versus predicted moisture content. The average values of the drying constant (k) and coefficient (a) were 0.009167 and 0.776132, respectively

Current review towards the new best practices of Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM) in Malaysia

Corporate Real Estate (CRE) is referring to land and buildings owned by companies which are not primarily in the real estate business used for operational purpose. CRE covers the entire range of activities. Awareness of knowledge of CRE in Malaysia lacks because the researcher found that the operation of properties owned by a few large companies is undermanaged and underused. This review paper focuses on the definition of corporate real estate (CRE), components of CRE, and the current practice in the industry. This paper a desk analysis reviewing the literature on general management of the corporate real estate. By using the secondary data such as Company Annual Report, Previous studies and other relevant sources. There are several different issues to examine along the way, from the business strategies, Constituent and tools to help make the right decisions. It draws a framework for CRE analysis. From this paper, we can find the issue to improve the current practice on the CRE in Malaysia

Disclosure of nanomaterials under nanotechnology product inventory, voluntary certification, and voluntary labelling

Nanotechnology has revolutionised the food industry and flooded the consumers' market worldwide with engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), creating concerns on potential risks towards safety and health. This article analyses the institutional approach for disclosure of information on the presence of ENMs in food products and their limitations. It adopts a doctrinal approach and content analysis by examining relevant literature on disclosure of nanomaterials from journal articles and books from online databases and institutional websites. To overcome the limitations of the institutional approach of nanotechnology product inventories, voluntary certification programme, and voluntary labelling, this article proposes that the information disclosed must be in full and accurate. More importantly, the information on potential risks of exposure, use of nanotechnology, or presence of nanomaterials must be verified and constantly updated. This study hopes to significantly contribute to improving the transparency of nanofood information systems

Heat transfer model to predict human skin temperature under comfort levels by using bioheat equation

Thermal comfort is the human subject perceived satisfaction to the environmental condition. The human comfort level is affected by skin temperature. Currently to determine the human skin temperature by using human experiment in a controlled environment. However, the experiment is very rigorous and exhaustive. This study was conducted to predict human skin temperature under comfort level with using the finite element method and the bioheat equation. The bioheat equation is used to predict the initial value of human skin temperature with the influence of the metabolic heat generation and the blood perfusion. It is discovered the skin temperature of the human subject experiment fluctuates. However, the result obtained from the model remains unchanged until the simulation ends. The predicted results from the model were well in agreement with the experimental results with an acceptable error of 1.05%

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis for flavonoids profiling of Napier grass herbal tea

Natural plant products are becoming more and more essential in helping to promote safe well-being worldwide. This leads to a substantial rise in the consumption of various herbal teas. The presence of beneficial bioactive ingredients such as flavonoids may be correlated with Napier grass herbal tea having health benefits associated with their intake. Studies have shown that herbal teas have preferentially high antioxidant activity due to the presence of flavonoids in them. The purpose of this study was to identify the Napier grass herbal teas flavonoids prepared under different conditions. Napier grass herbal teas have been formulated using green tea and black tea processes, respectively. The tea samples were extracted in water (95°C, 30 mins) and 60% (v/v) aqueous methanol (30 mins), respectively. Approximately, 1% (v/v) aqueous acetic acid solution (solvent A) and acetonitrile (solvent B) were used as the mobile phase. The flow rate was adjusted to 0.7 mL/min, the column was thermostatically controlled at 28°C, and the injection column was kept at 20 μL. HPLC chromatograms were detected using a photodiode array UV detector at 272 nm. Gallic acid, P-coumaric acid, catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, quercetin, rutin, myricetin and kaempferol were found in both Napier grass water and methanolic extracts, respectively. The findings suggested that the HPLC techniques are ideal for the detection and identification of flavonoids in Napier grass teas

Antioxidant’s properties of Murraya koenigii: a comparative study of three different extraction methods

Nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries have been increasingly engaged in finding natural alternatives compounds as potential antioxidants. The use of phytochemicals is introduced as a good source of natural antioxidants. Murayya koenigii leaves, commonly used in cooking and traditional medicines have been examined for their remarkable antioxidant potential, yet still, it remains an understudied herb. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the antioxidant properties and flavonoids profile in M. koenigii leaves extracted using; solvent assisted extraction (SAE), microwave assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE). The antioxidant properties of M. koenigii were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). M. koenigii leaves extracted using the UAE method have responded strongly towards a 2, 2-diphenyl -2-picryl-hydrazyl DPPH assay with the highest inhibition (%) of 78.00±1.00. Using the ferric thiocyanate (FTC) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method assays, the M. koenigii leaves with the lowest absorbance were assigned as a sample with the highest antioxidant activity. The M. koenigii leaves extracted using UAE had the lowest absorbance with 0.01±0.00. In the TPC assay, the MAE method showed the highest total phenolic content (120.60±14.81 mg GAE/g sample). The TFC assay demonstrated that MAE methods have the highest total phenolic content (93.38±4.33 mg QE/g sample. The M. koenigii leaves extracted by MAE showed the highest gallic acid, catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, rutin and kaempferol concentration (mg/L). M. koenigii leaves subjected to SAE extraction has the highest concentration of p-coumaric acid, myricetin and quercetin (mg/L). This study found that M. koenigii leaves extracted using UAE exhibited better antioxidant activities than that of MAE and SAE. These useful findings have managed to narrow the knowledge gap regarding the effects of different extraction methods on the antioxidant property of M. koenigii