A. Fazilah

Physicochemical properties of hydrothermally treated hemicellulose from oil palm frond.

Hemicelluloses from oil palm frond (OPF) were extracted using 3 M potassium hydroxide (KOH) for 4 h at 40 degrees C with stirring at 400 rpm to obtain hemicelluloses A and B. The total yield of the hemicellulose isolated from OPF was 33% (dry weight). Both hemicelluloses A and B were then subjected to hydrothermal treatment at 121 degrees C and 1.03 x 10(5) Pa for 10, 30, and 50 min. Physicochemical characterizations of hydrothermally treated hemicelluloses, such as Klason lignin content and reducing sugar content, were performed to study the effect of autohydrolysis processing on OPF-derived hemicelluloses. It was shown that Klason lignin content in hemicellulose A was higher than that in hemicellulose B and decreased after hydrothermal treatment. Hydrothermal treatment enhanced the solubility of hemicelluloses, which reflects their higher reducing sugar content. Monosaccharide analysis using HPLC showed that xylose was the predominant monosaccharide for both hemicelluloses A and B.

Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oil and Solvent Extracts of Torch Ginger Inflorescence (Etlingera elatior Jack.)

The chemical constituents of essential oil extracted from the young inflorescence of torch ginger plant by hydrodistillation method using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was analyzed. Additionally, the extracted essential oil and the crude solvent extracts (distilled water, absolute ethanol, and 50% ethanol) of the inflorescence were screened for their potential antimicrobial activities. Both the essential oil and solvent extracts exhibited antibacterial activities against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes). Bacillus subtilis was found to be more susceptible to torch ginger inflorescence essential oil (MIC, 0.78 mg/ml) compared to others under study. Of the Gram-negative bacteria screened, only Klebsiella pneumoniae was susceptible to the essential oil (MIC, 1.56) and solvent extracts (MIC, 3.1 and 1.6 for water and 50% ethanol, respectively). However, neither the essential oil nor the extracts exhibited any activities against the screened fungi or yeasts. The results obtained clearly indicated that the oil and extracts derived from the inflorescence of torch ginger has rich antibacterial activity and possess great potential to be used as a preservative in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Agricultural Biomass Utilisation as a Key Driver for Malaysian Bioeconomy

This chapter address some key opportunities and challenges for the bioeconomy development in Malaysia with an emphasis on biomass utilization, energy and industry applications. A few related areas have been reported and the discussion includes various resources including issues in supply chain pertaining to biomass sustainability and availability. Some examples of the food and food related ingredients project outcomes (rubber industry, banana, palm oil industry) were exhibited and their significance in Malaysian bioeconomy is proposed. Case studies and examples are provided to illustrate both driving forces and constraints (past, present and future) of bioeconomy development in Malaysia. A few bioeconomy projects in Malaysia which directly or indirectly contribute to international policy related to climate change, food technology and technology transfer are reported. An overview of the selected research project that was conducted by Universiti Sains Malaysia’s researchers in relation to biomass resource development and minimization of the environmental impacts was depicted through an integrated research flow diagram.