Enzymatic treatment in producing virgin coconut oil (VCO) may result in impure oil quality due to the manufacturing and storing processes that often cause damage, and decrease quality. VCO produced using pineapple extract as source of enzyme was green, caused by the green colour of the pineapple’s leaves, peels, and crowns. Therefore, the present work aimed to improve the quality of bromelain-extracted VCO by purifying and examining its appearance, moisture content, and free fatty acid content. Activated carbon and powdered cuttlefish bone were used as the purifying agent/adsorbent. VCO purification was done in a glass beaker by adding 0.05 g of adsorbent into the 50 mL of VCO, and stirred for 30 min at various temperatures (30, 40, and 50°C) to obtain the best setting for purification. The appearance, moisture content, and free fatty acid content were tested to analyse the quality of VCO before and after purification. The colour, moisture content, and free fatty acid content diminished during purification with both adsorbents. The most substantial reduction was for moisture content. The activated carbon was superior in diminishing colour and free fatty acid content, but the cuttlefish bone exceled in lowering moisture content. Double steps purification may be needed to improve the overall quality of bromelain-extracted VCO.

The present work aimed to determine the total airborne bacterial and fungal loads in three meat plants, identify the isolated fungi, and determine the fungal diversity. The air samples were collected from 23 different sampling points within the meat plants using two different techniques: the Petri dish exposure (sedimentation) method and the impaction method (using Mas-100 Eco Air Sampler device). Using the sedimentation method, the total mesophilic aerobic bacterial and fungal counts were found to be 1 - 180 CFU/Petri-15 min (mean 48.49 CFU/Petri-15 min) and 1 - 105 CFU/Petri (mean 19.845 CFU/Petri), respectively. Using the impaction method, the counts ranged from 8 to 385 CFU/m3 (mean 112.77 CFU/m3) for bacteria, and from 2 to 320 CFU/m3 (mean 57.45 CFU/m3) for fungi. A total of 76 isolates were obtained. The most commonly isolated fungal species were Mucor spp. (n = 28, 36.84%), Rhizopus spp. (n = 22, 28.94%), and Penicillium spp. (n = 18, 23.68%). Mucor racemosus (n = 20) and Rhizopus oryzae (n = 14) were the most common species. Additionally, Aspergillus spp. (n = 3, 3.94%), Geotrichum spp. (n = 3, 3.94%), Syncephalostrum sp. (n = 1, 1.31%), and Wallemia sp. (n = 1, 1.31%) were detected. The present work demonstrated that fungi, which could be pathogens and spoilers, may be present in the ambient air of meat plants. Therefore, maintaining air hygiene in meat plants, from economic and health perspectives, is essential.

Rejections to participate in scientific studies are inevitable and often overlooked in academic discourse. This study explores interview refusals among Halal food manufacturers in Australia, identifying systemic challenges in corporate communication that hinder transparency, collaboration, and industry growth. Sampling through website content analysis and gatekeeper communications, we found that manufacturers declined participation due to lack of cooperation, reluctance to discuss Halal issues, time and resource constraints, concerns over confidentiality, and gatekeeper barriers. These refusals impede efforts to improve Halal certification processes and address cultural sensitivities and logistical challenges in the Australian context. By highlighting interview refusals as a significant yet underexamined aspect of qualitative research, this study contributes to methodological discussions. It underscores the implications of non-cooperation for global competitiveness and compliance in the Halal industry. Future research should develop mechanisms to reduce rejection rates and better engage gatekeepers, particularly in segmented markets.

Recently, casein-derived hydrolases (BCH) have shown great potential for developing natural alternative treatments to treat metabolic syndrome. The present work aimed to isolate microorganisms that produce an extracellular caseinase from soil samples of rice root systems. The caseinase activity was determined by skim milk agar (SMA) assay. The BLASTn tool was used for phylogenetic analysis. The caseinase was purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation. The caseinase kinetics was determined to produce casein-derived hydrolases (BCH). The BCH revealed the antioxidant and the angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACE-I) activities. Our screening yielded caseinase secreted by a bacterial strain with 99% homology to Bacillus altitudinis 41KF2b called BaCaseinase. We then purified and determined the stability and kinetics of the BaCaseinase. It presented a Michaelis constant (Km) of 1.108 mg/mL, and a maximum velocity (Vm) of 21.27 × 104 U/mg at 45°C and pH 8. Next, we used the purified BaCaseinase to produce a bovine casein hydrolysate (BCH). The BCH showed three half-maximal inhibitory concentrations, including (IC50) of 0.60 ± 0.003 mg/mL for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, 0.13 ± 0.003 mg/mL for 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) scavenging activity, and 0.43 ± 0.002 mg/mL for ACE-I activity. The purified BaCaseinase is a heat-stable enzyme. This enzyme could digest bovine casein under multiple extreme conditions (an alkaline pH and a wide temperature range) to produce BCH that has both antioxidant and ACE-I activities. This enzyme shows promise for producing new hydrolysates, with the potential to treat metabolic syndrome.

The present work utilised purple potatoes as the raw material to perform response surface methodology (RSM) and an artificial neural network (ANN) model. The objectives of the present work were to enhance the efficiency of ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction of total flavonoids from purple potatoes, and evaluate their antioxidant activity. The results demonstrated that the ANN model achieved a higher predictive accuracy, with a correlation coefficient of 0.99553 than the RSM model (R2 = 0.9919). The optimal extraction process conditions were the addition of 51.34 U/mL enzyme, extraction duration of 36.21 min, and extraction temperature of 53.12°C. The total flavonoid yield was 9.81 mg/g under these conditions, suggesting higher prediction ability of ANN. The scavenging rates of OH and DPPH(2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) were 81.6 and 61.8%, respectively, for the purple potato extract concentration of 0.24 mg/mL. The present work proposes a novel approach integrating ANN with ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic extraction to predict and optimise flavonoid yields, demonstrating superior accuracy over traditional methods. The findings advance the extraction of bioactive compounds, and highlight ANN's potential for modelling complex non-linear relationships in food science.

Initially, non-degradable plastics have been employed to fulfil the demand for food packaging. However, increasing environmental concerns associated with conventional packaging materials have prompted a search for sustainable alternatives. Biodegradable polymer-based materials are emerging as significant options for packaging applications that align with the principles of sustainable development. Nevertheless, these materials frequently exhibit limitations in their properties when applied to food packaging. In response to these challenges, the development of bio-nanocomposites offers a novel approach to enhancing the properties of biodegradable materials. Incorporating nanosized fillers into biodegradable polymer matrices can facilitate the production of bio-nanocomposite food packaging. Carbon-based nanofillers have become a prominent strategy for generating nanocomposites with improved functionalities among the various methodologies. Noteworthy carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon dots, carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, and graphitic carbon nitride have been identified as effective agents for enhancing the performance characteristics of biodegradable packaging. The present review aims to elucidate recent advancements concerning the impact of carbon-based nanomaterials on the barrier, functional, mechanical, thermal, visual, and biodegradability properties of polymers, particularly in the context of biodegradable food packaging applications, while also providing insights into future directions in this field.

Effective post-harvest handling and grading of cocoa fruit require a comprehensive understanding of its physical and chemical characteristics. The cocoa pod husk (CPH), a significant by-product, has potential applications due to its valuable chemical properties. The present work thus aimed to (1) characterise the physico-chemical properties of cocoa fruit and its husk, (2) develop predictive models for cocoa fruit mass based on physical parameters, and (3) optimise short-time blanching conditions to enhance the chemical quality of CPH. The methodology included measuring physical parameters (weight, dimensions, roundness, volume, surface area, and projected area), and developing predictive models for cocoa fruit mass using linear, quadratic, S-curve, and power models. Chemical analyses of CPH involved determining pH, biomass composition, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and dietary fibre content. Optimisation of blanching conditions was conducted using a response surface methodology with temperature and time as variables. Results indicated that a non-linear model based on projected area effectively predicted cocoa fruit mass, with the prolate spheroid volume model offering the highest accuracy. Optimal blanching conditions (79°C for 12.5 sec) yielded 36.19% crude fibre and 4.189% protein, with crude fibre content influenced by temperature, and a significant temperature-time interaction effect on protein content (p < 0.05). These findings suggested that CPH can be repurposed as a functional food ingredient rich in phenolics, antioxidants, and dietary fibre, offering practical applications for value-added agricultural waste recovery.

Tocotrienol, a well-known antioxidant, was encapsulated within microcapsule for application in mayonnaise to determine the storage stability and sensory evaluation. Tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) nanoemulsion was first prepared by treated pea protein isolate-flaxseed gum complex, which was then spray dried into microcapsule using maltodextrin-starch sodium octenyl succinate. The present work aimed to determine the physico-chemical, oxidative, and sensory properties of TRF-fortified mayonnaises. Firstly, the control (C-Mayo) and TRF-fortified mayonnaise produced from microcapsule (M-mayo) and bulk oil (O-mayo) were stored at 4°C for four weeks. M-mayo was stable against storage due to low increments of lightness (1.19%), redness (7.50%), yellowness (9.11%), firmness (44.82%), consistency (63.22%), and viscosity (21.29%) as compared to C-mayo and O-mayo. In week 4, M-mayo showed a significantly lower peroxide value (2.66 mq/kg) compared to O-mayo (8.62 mq/kg). After storage, the degradation of tocopherol and tocotrienol isomers was lower in M-mayo (ranging from 11.86 to 30.76%) than in O-mayo (ranging from 22.23 to 34.15%). β-tocotrienol was the most unstable isomer in both types of mayonnaises during storage. In sensory evaluation, M-mayo obtained the highest rating for colour (7.60), while other sensory attributes (aroma, taste, creaminess, sourness, and overall acceptability) obtained similar ratings (ranging from 6.45 to 7.29) with other samples. Overall, the results showed that mayonnaise fortified with TRF microcapsule was able to reduce oxidation, and enhance their nutritional properties without affecting the sensory properties.

Lactobacillus plantarum is a widely distributed and significant probiotic species. A strain, L. plantarum Lrld-22, was isolated from traditional fermented yak dairy products in Qinghai province. The whole genome of Lrld-22 was sequenced, and the sequence result was assembled into a 3,246 Mbp sketch genome. Two plasma sequences of 81,471 and 41,833 bp were detected. The Lrld-22 genome was made up of a single circular chromosome, measuring 3,246,150 bp and containing 3,284 genes, 99 uncoded RNAs, and a number of repetitive sequences. The genome had a GC content of 44.58%, and no prophage region was detected. Functional annotation revealed a large number of the genes involved in carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolisms, suggesting that L. plantarum Lrld-22 could have enhanced capabilities for carbohydrate and fat utilisation.