Products In Thailand Research Articles

Molecular Discrimination between Organic and Conventional Liquid Milk Products in Thailand Using 1H-NMR Metabolomics Approach

The aims of this study were to characterize and compare non-volatile polar metabolite profiles of organic and conventional liquid milk products using a non-targeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H-NMR) metabolomics approach. Pasteurized plain-liquid milk products from 10 different brands available in Thai marketplace were analyzed for their major chemical compositions and 1 H-NMR derived metabolome data. Results demonstrated no specific trend for differentiation between organic and conventional milk samples based on their pH, fat, protein, lactose, and milk solid-not-fat compositions. A total of 45 non-volatile polar metabolites in milk samples were identified by 1 H-NMR technique. The chemometric analysis allowed discrimination between organic and conventional milk samples based on their 1 H-NMR metabolite profiles. Changes in the relative concentration of formate, betaine, dimethyl sulfone, 2-oxoglutarate, creatine, pyruvate, butyrate, proline, acetoacetate, alanine, glycerophosphocholine, carnitine, and hippurate were statistically identified as potential biomarkers accountable for the discrimination between organic and conventional milk samples in this study. Variations of these compounds might be the reflections of animal diets, rumen fermentation, and physiological adaptation of the cows raised in organic dairy farming systems. Our findings provide new insights and support the effectiveness of using a non-targeted 1 H-NMR combined with chemometrics to investigate the molecular authenticity of organic food products.

Thermal Performance Analysis of a Newly Designed Circular Firewood Boiling Salt Stove

Different biomass stoves are introduced and distributed among people living in rural and urban areas, especially in developing countries. For salt crystal production in Thailand’s rural north-eastern area, open fire stoves are used in domestic and small productive activities. Their thermal efficiency is very low for converting heat into utilization energy. A new stove with a circular configuration was designed and constructed to consider its thermal efficiency and economics, which were compared with those from a traditional and an improved traditional stove. The obtained thermal efficiency of the newly designed stove was 14.77% higher than that of the improved stove and 81.45% higher than that of the traditional stove. For the same initial saline volume, the final amounts of salt crystals and salt flowers obtained from the newly designed stove was higher compared with those obtained from the improved stove and the traditional stove, respectively, resulting in a 69.25% shorter payback period.

Social Commerce’s Operation Activities Patterns in Thailand

Nowadays, S-Commerce is a popular business operation channel and tends to welcome more new business operators. However, most of them have an obstacle in choosing the correct tools for operations which are available in many patterns. The main objective of this research is to find the most popular pattern of trading activities through S-Commerce in Thailand as to be guidelines for new business operators. A survey by interview was conducted on methods used to implement buying and selling activities according to consumer buying decision-making process from 120 S-Commerce business operators in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region by convenience sampling. The obtained methods were analyzed to find out the most common patterns. The findings from the study showed that most sellers selected Facebook to promote their businesses by providing details through Facebook pages and allowing customers to contact them for more information via inbox and telephone. Making purchases, informing payment channels, and confirming product delivery are done in inbox and customers give feedback on Facebook pages, followed by using Facebook in combination with LINE. Details of the product were given through Facebook pages and LINE Timeline. Customers contact for more information through LINE Chat and telephone. Making purchases and informing payment channels are done through LINE Chat. Products are sent directly to customers. Customers give feedback through Facebook pages. Some buyers and sellers were asked and it was found that most buyers would like to ask for additional details through other channels and sellers would like to expand their groups of customers. Therefore, it is necessary to increase channels in implementing activities that are making purchase order and inventory management difficult. In this regard, they selected to offer products through different channels but control the number or ordering channels to be limited to ensure purchase orders will be better managed, suitable for small business with small capital. Additional functions should be developed in bringing purchase orders from chat channel to store and manage in a systematic manner and be easy to use. It can be seen that S-Commerce has been conducted worldwide and its tendency seems to be moving higher. Some products of Thailand are desired by foreigners. In order to expand customer bases overseas, an automatic language translation functions on social media should be developed. Keywords: Social Commerce (S-Commerce); Business operation; Buying and selling activities; Activities pattern

Interrelationships Among Factors Influencing Multimodal Transportation Efficiency of Agricultural Products in Thailand

Thailand is the world’s leading agricultural products exporter. The transportation of agricultural products in Thailand relies mainly on roads because of its extensive network and convenience. However, with the limited capacity, traffic congestion, air pollution, and high fuel prices, this transportation mode becomes less effective. The government, then, attempts to develop and promote multimodal transportation, especially rail and water modes, to reduce the logistics costs and increase the transportation network efficiency. This study extracts five key factors influencing multimodal transportation efficiency of agricultural products in Thailand, namely Multimodal Transportation Infrastructure, Operation, Multimodal Service Provider, Market, and Road Constraints factors, as well as examines their interrelationships using the structural equation modeling method. The results show significant direct and indirect relationships among the five key multimodal transportation efficiency factors. It is found that with better multimodal transportation-related operations, multimodal transportation market is improved through less use of road transportation and more multimodal service providers in the market. Moreover, policymakers should focus on improving multimodal transportation-related infrastructures, such as container yards, access roads to train station and port, and transshipment equipment, in order to increase multimodal transportation efficiency and encourage the use of multimodal transportation. Engineering managers can use the study results in decision-making of transportation mode selection. Policymakers in government sector may apply the study results to establish effective policies to achieve a sustainable transportation system, which, in turn, gives rises to national industrial competitiveness on a global scale.

A new tool for quality control to monitor contamination of six non-halal meats in food industry by multiplex high-resolution melting analysis (HRMA)

The demand for halal food is increasing with the growing Muslim population worldwide. The aim of this research was to develop a multiplex high-resolution melting analysis (HRMA) for detecting contamination of halal foods with six non-halal meats (from donkey, cat, pig, rat, dog, and monkey). The primers designed for the analysis showed high specificity for target animal DNA and 100% accuracy. The melting profiles of the targeted animal DNA were unique and could be easily observed for species discrimination. The limit of detection for the target animal DNA was 0.01 ng, except for pig (0.001 ng). The accuracy of detection was 100% in a test to check the reliability of the developed technique using beef meatballs contaminated with 10% or 1% non-halal animal meats. Moreover, the technique was further verified using 260 commercial food products in Thailand. Two samples were found to be contaminated with pig DNA. This multiplex HRMA could be used as a rapid and high throughput technique for detecting non-halal animal contaminants in halal foods and as a useful tool for monitoring and assuring food quality for Muslim and general consumers.

Design and Technology Transfer to Social Community on the Seagrass (Krajood) Wicker Products in Thailand

Design and Technology Transfer to Social Community on the Seagrass (Krajood) Wicker Products in Thailand

Agrochemical Usage Inventory and Measured Residues in Streams Within an Off-Season Durian Production Region of Thailand

Rising demand for off-season durian production in Thailand has led to increased agrichemical use and potential environmental and health concerns. In this study, we surveyed 117 farmers and collected water samples from 11 villages in Krungching Sub-district. Overall, 108 agrochemicals were listed as being used in off-season durian production, but we focused on residual concentrations of the persistent herbicides glyphosate and paraquat in surface water. We applied a pollution release and transfer registry for 2016 to determine an application rate of 288,149 kg/year for these agrichemicals. These were primarily detected during the dry season, and not the wet season. This reporting system can be used to develop seasonal environmental surveillance and monitoring tools for more sustainable use of agrochemical substances in off-season durian production in environmentally sensitive areas such as the Krungching River watershed, especially during the first stage of cultivation (dry season), in order to ensure the use of agricultural chemicals under appropriate circumstances. Further studies are needed to better understand the full diversity of persistent agrochemical substance usage and disposal, in order to reorient agricultural activities to focus on local needs and capabilities as part of efforts to implement more sustainable agriculture in Thailand.

Dual-Purpose of the Winged Bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.), the Neglected Tropical Legume, Based on Pod and Tuber Yields.

Winged beans (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.) are grown as a vegetable legume crop in Thailand. All parts of the plant, including pods, seeds, leaves, flowers, and tubers are edible and are rich in protein and nutrients. Although the major consumption of winged bean is based on pod and tuber yields, only the people of Myanmar and Indonesia utilize winged bean tubers as food materials. The usefulness of the winged bean as an alternative crop for staple food and feed can shed some light on the impact of winged bean. Therefore, the evaluation of the dual purpose of the winged bean based on pod tuber yields is the objective of this study. In this study, ten-winged bean accessions—six accessions obtained from introduced sources and four accessions obtained from local Thai varieties—were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at the Agronomy Field Crop Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand from September 2019 to April 2020 and from October 2020 to April 2021. Data, including total pod weight, number of pods, pod length, 10-pod weight, and tuber weight were recorded, and the proximate nutrient and mineral contents in the tubers were also determined. The results revealed that the principal effects of year (Y) and genotype (G) were significant for total pod weight and the number of pods. Moreover, the Y × G interactions were principal effects upon the total pod weights and tuber weights. The results indicated that superior genotype and appropriate environmental conditions are key elements in successful winged bean production for both pod and tuber yields. The winged bean accessions W099 and W018 were consistent in both experimental years for pod and tuber yields at 23.6 and 18.36 T/ha and 15.20 and 15.5 T/ha, respectively. Each accession also proved high in tuber protein content at 20.92% and 21.04%, respectively, as well as significant in fiber, energy, and minerals. The results suggest that the winged bean accessions W099 and W018 can be used for dual-purpose winged bean production in Thailand.

X-ray and infrared spectroscopy study on contamination of asbestos in Thai commercial cosmetic talc powder product

It is well-known that asbestos such as asbestosis and mesothelioma is a fiber causing lung diseases. Talc is used for commercial applications for example paints, plastics, papers, ceramics, construction materials, and cosmetics. It is well-known that the cosmetic talc powder is used for preventing diaper rash as a deodorant. The sampling in this work has been done from various commercial products in Thailand. Their microstructure and elemental composition are analyzed using a scanning electron microscope coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS). A small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) based on synchrotron radiation are also carried out to determine their phase composition and functional groups. It has been found that fibers with asbestos-like shapes are present in somesamples. The main composition of oxygen, silicon, and magnesium in samples are in the form of the functional groups that associate with absorption band in the range of 3600-3700 cm -1 of IR spectra. It is proposed that there are 6 from 17 samples that possibly have asbestos contamination.

Halal Affair Operation Regulations B.E. 2552/C.E.2009 Involve in Thai Halal Products Ecosystem

Many critics of current Halal Affair Operation Regulation B.E. 2552 (HAOR 2015) from the Muslim consumers concerning Halal products in Thailand. They argue that the HAOR is inadequate to protect Muslim consumers. The absence of clear guidelines and effective monitoring systems concerning Halal products have resulted in Halal products and Muslim consumers receiving inadequate protections, particularly in relation to the abuse of the Halal logos. The HAOR 2015 sets a maximum suspension for one year. This is considered inadequate in preventing irresponsible manufacturers. The paper utilises doctrinal legal analysis and a library based research approach to provide insights in understanding the HAOR 2015 and legal analysis. The paper provides suggestions to enhance the protection of Muslim consumers and upgrade the status of Halal products. The paper also suggests that education should play an important role in promoting HAOR 2015 towards protecting Halal products in Thailand.

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 inhibition activity of Plukenetia volubilis L. leaves extract for anti-aging application

Plukenetia volubilis L. leaves were part of the traditional diets in many countries. P. volubilis leaves were used to make tea and sold as local products in Thailand. There is less information on the composition of P. volubilis leaves. Previous study revealed that roasted leaves extract with hot water showed the highest antioxidant activity and the antioxidant property might be due to the presence of flavonoid. The present study was carried out to determine the quercetin content in P. volubilis leaves extract and evaluate the anti-aging potential activities including MMP-2 inhibition activity and telomerase stimulation activity. P. volubilis leaves were roasted in hot air oven and extracted with hot water. The extract was investigated for quercetin content by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In vitro cytotoxicity, MMP-2 inhibition activity and telomerase stimulation activity were determined for anti-aging properties. The results revealed that P. volubilis leaves contained quercetin 50.50±4.78 mg/g DW. The extract showed no cytotoxicity on human skin fibroblast with cell viability of 96.76-120.83%. It demonstrated the potential of MMP-2 inhibition (8.74±2.84%) activity but lower than ascorbic acid. P. volubilis leave extract did not have telomerase stimulation activity on the human Hela cell line. However, the results from this study have indicated the possibility of anti-aging potential of P. volubilis leaves extract.

A trivariate Gaussian copula stochastic frontier model with sample selection

We propose a new stochastic frontier model with sample selection, in which the dependencies between the sample selection mechanism, the inefficiency term and the two-sided error in the production equation are modeled by a trivariate Gaussian copula. This model is compared to Greene's original stochastic frontier model with sample selection, and to an alternative model based on two bivariate copulas. The relative performances of the three models are analyzed using simulated data and cross-sectional data about Jasmine rice production in Thailand. We show that our trivariate Gaussian copula model has the best performance among all models, and that ignoring some correlations may cause estimation bias as well as over or underestimation of technical efficiency scores.

Electric vehicle policy in Thailand: Limitations of product champions

Thailand established herself as an automobile production and export hub, partly due to industrial policy. Targeting a particular vehicle type has successfully promoted specialisation of production and exports of pickup trucks. Past success led policymakers to continue the use of this so-called production champion policy to diversify automobile production in Thailand. Analysis of subsequent generations of product champion policy show that policy was successful in terms of promoting Thailand as a production and export location but failed to establish a dominant product champion akin to pickup trucks.

Toxicity and Anti-Oxidation Capacity of The Extracts from Caulerpa lentillifera

Caulerpa lentillifera (sea grape) has been widely used in pharmaceutical industry and health-care products in Thailand. In this study, we attempted to evaluate the toxicity and antioxidant capacity of sea grape extracts in five fractions (ethanol- CLET, hexane- CLHE, ethyl acetate- CLEA, butanol-CLBU, and aqueous-CLAQ). The extracts were evaluated for cytotoxicity by MTT and LDH assays on four cell lines, fibroblast (L929), macrophages (RAW 264.7), hepatocytes (FL83B), and keratinocytes (HaCaT). Genotoxicity was tested by comet assay and micronucleus assay on human lymphoblast cells (TK6). The antioxidant capacity was measured by DPPH and ABTS scavenging assays. Our results demonstrated low cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of CLET, CLBU and CLAQ. When tested by DPPH and ABTS assays, CLET, CLEA, and CLHE showed high antioxidant activity. In conclusion, CLET, CLBU, and CLAQ demonstrated no toxic effects, and CLET, CLEA, and CLHE exhibited high antioxidant capacity. Therefore, our results indicated that CLET, CLEA, and CLHE could be consumed safely at doses lower than 500 and 200 μg/ml for CLHE and CLEA, respectively. Keywords: Anti-oxidation, Caulerpa lentillifera, Cytotoxicity, Genotoxicity

A conceptual framework for cross-border impacts of climate change

Climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability studies tend to confine their attention to impacts and responses within the same geographical region. However, this approach ignores cross-border climate change impacts that occur remotely from the location of their initial impact and that may severely disrupt societies and livelihoods. We propose a conceptual framework and accompanying nomenclature for describing and analysing such cross-border impacts. The conceptual framework distinguishes an initial impact that is caused by a climate trigger within a specific region. Downstream consequences of that impact propagate through an impact transmission system while adaptation responses to deal with the impact propagate through a response transmission system. A key to understanding cross-border impacts and responses is a recognition of different types of climate triggers, categories of cross-border impacts, the scales and dynamics of impact transmission, the targets and dynamics of responses and the socio-economic and environmental context that also encompasses factors and processes unrelated to climate change. These insights can then provide a basis for identifying relevant causal relationships. We apply the framework to the floods that affected industrial production in Thailand in 2011, and to projected Arctic sea ice decline, and demonstrate that the framework can usefully capture the complex system dynamics of cross-border climate impacts. It also provides a useful mechanism to identify and understand adaptation strategies and their potential consequences in the wider context of resilience planning. The cross-border dimensions of climate impacts could become increasingly important as climate changes intensify. We conclude that our framework will allow for these to be properly accounted for, help to identify new areas of empirical and model-based research and thereby support climate risk management.

Multiobjective land–water allocation model for sustainable agriculture with predictive stochastic yield response

AbstractConsider an agricultural land–water resource allocation problem in which yields are spatial dependent and stochastically correlated. To achieve sustainability, we formulate a multiobjective (MO) optimization problem, in which the decision maker determines the cultivation areas and the supplemental irrigation water levels at different locations, with social, economic, and environmental goals in mind. For the social goal, we minimize the root mean squared difference of incomes among locations. For the economic goal, we minimize the production risk. We show that minimizing production risk is equivalent to maximizing the service level, when demand is normally distributed. For the environmental goal, we minimize the resource utilization. Assume that the yield vector at different locations follows a multivariate normal distribution. We formulate the MO optimization problem using a weight global criterion method, and we provide a sufficient condition for convex quadratic programming. We demonstrate the applicability of our proposed framework in the case study of sugarcane production in Thailand. To capture yield response to water, we propose several models including linear and nonlinear regressions, and we obtain the closed‐form expression for the linear and probit yield response models. The numerical experiment reveals that our solution significantly improves the social and economic goals, compared to the current policy. Finally, we illustrate how to apply our model to quantify the monetary value from reducing yield variability, which could be resulted from smart irrigation or precision agriculture.

Antimicrobial Resistance Phenotypes and Genotypes of Salmonella spp. Isolated from Commercial Duck Meat Production in Thailand and Their Minimal Inhibitory Concentration of Disinfectants.

Salmonella is an important foodborne bacterium that has become increasingly resistant to critical antimicrobial and disinfectant agents. The aim of this study was to characterize antimicrobial and disinfectant resistance of Salmonella spp. isolated from ducks raised for meat in Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand. A total of 694 fecal samples from ducks were collected in 2018. Of which, 85 samples were positive for Salmonella (12.2%), and 12 Salmonella serovars were identified from 125 Salmonella isolates. The Altona serovar was the predominant serotype found in this study (36.5%). All isolates showed resistance to at least one class of antimicrobial, and 23.2% displayed multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype. The blaTEM, aadA2, strA, and dfrA12 genes were detected in antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella, whereas the genes within a plasmid-borne qnr family that presented in fluoroquinolone-susceptible Salmonella strains were qnrB (3.8%) and qnrS (1.5%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of benzalkonium chloride (BKC), cetylpyridium chloride (CPC), and hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) ranged between 128 and 512 μg/mL, while that of didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) was between 32 and 128 μg/mL. The presences of qacEΔ1, mdfA, sugE(c), sugE(p), and ydgE genes were less prevalent (0.8-1.6%). Taken together, our results indicate that duck is an important source of Salmonella with antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals. Active surveillance programs for antimicrobial and disinfectant resistance in duck production are needed for an early detection of resistance strains of public health importance.

Mother plant and pre-basic seed potato production in Thailand

Mother plant and pre-basic seed potato production in Thailand

Measurement of 222Rn Exhalation Rate from Natural Rubber Latex Pillows Randomed from Online Market in Thailand

Radon is a natural radioactive gas, and it is increasingly interesting worldwide because it affects the human healthy and increases lung cancer risk when people receive high concentrations over extended periods of time by inhalation. The study was to measure the radon concentration, determine the radon exhalation rate, and estimate annual effective dose level in order to set up a policy on controlling the contamination of radon in the natural rubber latex products in Thailand, and the radon concentrations were measured from natural rubber latex pillows randomized from online market in Thailand by closed chamber system technique with ATMOS 12 DPX. The results showed that the equilibrium radon concentrations were ranged between 11 ± 2 and 43 ± 5 Bqm–3 with an average value of 17 ± 9 Bqm–3. All measured radon concentrations were well below the allowed maximum contamination level of radon concentration in collected samples of 148 and 300 Bqm–3, recommended by the USEPA and the ICRP, respectively. The exhalation rates from natural rubber latex pillows were ranged 12 ± 3 and 60 ± 7 mBq m–2 h–1 with an average value of 25.7 ± 14.4 mBq m–2 h–1. The annual effective doses calculated for inhalation were between 0.12 ± 0.03 and 0.43 ± 0.05 mSv y–1, and also well lower than the annual effective dose for general public (1.0 mSv y–1) recommended by the ICRP.

Impacts of El Nino and La Nina on Palm Oil Production: Evidence from Selected Palm Oil Producing Countries

Palm oil is one of the most important edible oils commercialized in world oils and fats market. However, agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate change. For instance, El Nino is the warm phase of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) while La Nina is the opposite of El Nino, the cold phase of ENSO. Strong El Nino and La Nina events cause global changes especially in temperature and rainfall, subsequently affect agricultural areas and causing considerable economic losses. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the impacts of El Nino and La Nina on palm oil production in selected palm oil producing countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand from 1980 to 2019 using the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that area harvested and palm oil price affect palm oil production significantly in all palm oil producing countries. Nevertheless, the ENSO effects are not apparent. Only the El Nino dummy coefficients are negative and statistically significant in Thailand, suggesting that the occurrence of El Nino events is more pronounced than the La Nina events on palm oil production in Thailand. Hence, this study suggests that a good water management system is needed to allow the palm oil to achieve optimum production.