This study was conducted to determine the physical and chemical composition of goat milk produced by eight local farms located in the central region of Malaysia. Farms 1 to 4 (Fl-SC, F2-SP, F3-SP, F4-SBC) reared Saanen-type goats while farms 5 to 8 (F5-JK, F6-JPEC, F7-JTC, F8-JC), Jamnapari-type goats. The common feedstuffs used in all farms comprised of fresh or silage from Napier grass, feed pellets, and brans while two farms, F5-JK and F6-JPEC supplemented the feeds with soybean-based product. The total solid content, dry matter, and proximate composition of goat milk and feedstuffs from the different farms were determined and the results analysed using principal component analysis. Total solid content of goat milk from the Jamnapari crossbreed had the highest solid content ranging from 11.81% to 17.54% compared to milk from farms with Saanen and Saanen crossbreed (10.95% to 14.63%). Jamnapari-type goats from F5-JK, F6-JPEC, and F8-JC had significantly higher (p < 0.05) milk fat and protein contents (7.36%, 7.14%, and 6.59% fat; 5.08%, 6.19%, and 4.23% protein, respectively) than milk from other farms but, milk produced by Saanen-type goats from F4-SBC contained similar protein content (4.34%) to that from F8-JC. Total ash and carbohydrate contents in milk ranged between 0.67% to 0.86% and 3.26% to 4.71%, respectively, regardless of goat breed. Feeding soybean-based products appear to have a positive influence on milk fat and protein content in Jamnapari-type goats.

A total of 32 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from 13 honey samples commercially marketed in Malaysia, 6 strains identified as Lactobacillus acidophilus by API CHL50. The isolates had antibacterial activities against multiple antibiotic resistant's Staphylococcus aureus (25 to 32 mm), Staphylococcus epidermis (14 to 22 mm) and Bacillus subtilis (12 to 19 mm) in the agar overlay method after 24 h incubation at 30 degrees C. The crude supernatant was heat stable at 90 degrees C and 121 degrees C for 1 h. Treatment with proteinase K and RNase II maintained the antimicrobial activity of all the supernatants except sample H006-A and H010-G. All the supernatants showed antimicrobial activities against target bacteria at pH 3 and pH 5 but not at pH 6 within 72 h incubation at 30 degrees C. S. aureus was not inhibited by sample H006-A isolated from Libyan honey and sample H008-D isolated from Malaysian honey at pH 5, compared to supernatants from other L. acidophilus isolates. The presence of different strains of L. acidophilus in honey obtained from different sources may contribute to the differences in the antimicrobial properties of honey.

Aspergillus flavus is a toxigenic fungus well known for the synthesis of aflatoxins that contaminate crops and food products. Antifungal peptides generated by lactic acid bacteria have a high potential for applications as biocontrol agent to prolong the shelf life of crops. In this study, antifungal activity of peptides generated by Lactobacilli's plantarum TE10 was tested against the spoilage fungi Aspergillus flavus MD3. L. plantarum TE10 was inoculated in MRS broth and incubated at 37 degrees C for 48 h and the antifungal activity was determined using dual agar overlay method. The cell free supernatant was fractionated using size exclusion chromatography, and the peptides were identified using LC-MS/MS. Scanning electron microscope was performed to determine the effects of the active fraction on the morphology of target fungi. The antifungal activity of the active fraction was further confirmed against selected fungi in fresh maize seeds. A total of 37 peptides were identified in fraction 7 that showed the highest antifungal activity. The peptides mixture in fraction 7 caused damage at the tip of the mycelia as observed by scanning electron microscope. Growth of A. flavus was observed after 7 days on the samples treated with distilled water and MRS broth, while slight growth was observed on the sample treated with fraction 7. Fraction 7 reduced the spore formation of A. flavus by 4 folds compared to the control. The results demonstrated promising application of the peptides mixture as bio-control agent to prevent the growth of A. flavus in maize.

Aspergillus flavus is a toxigenic fungus well known for the synthesis of aflatoxins that contaminate crops and food products. Antifungal peptides generated by lactic acid bacteria have a high potential for applications as biocontrol agent to prolong the shelf life of crops. In this study, antifungal activity of peptides generated by Lactobacilli's plantarum TE10 was tested against the spoilage fungi Aspergillus flavus MD3. L. plantarum TE10 was inoculated in MRS broth and incubated at 37 degrees C for 48 h and the antifungal activity was determined using dual agar overlay method. The cell free supernatant was fractionated using size exclusion chromatography, and the peptides were identified using LC-MS/MS. Scanning electron microscope was performed to determine the effects of the active fraction on the morphology of target fungi. The antifungal activity of the active fraction was further confirmed against selected fungi in fresh maize seeds. A total of 37 peptides were identified in fraction 7 that showed the highest antifungal activity. The peptides mixture in fraction 7 caused damage at the tip of the mycelia as observed by scanning electron microscope. Growth of A. flavus was observed after 7 days on the samples treated with distilled water and MRS broth, while slight growth was observed on the sample treated with fraction 7. Fraction 7 reduced the spore formation of A. flavus by 4 folds compared to the control. The results demonstrated promising application of the peptides mixture as bio-control agent to prevent the growth of A. flavus in maize.

The role of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in honey as antifungal activity has received little attention and their mechanism of inhibitory of fungi is not fully understood. In this study, LAB were isolated from honey samples from Malaysia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Twenty-five isolates were confirmed LAB by catalase test and Gram staining, and were screened for antifungal activity. Four LAB showed inhibitory activity against Candida spp. using the dual agar overlay method. And they were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum HS isolated from Al-Seder honey, Lactobacillus curvatus HH isolated from Al-Hanon honey, Pediococcus acidilactici HC isolated from Tualang honey and Pediococcus pentosaceus HM isolated from Al-Maray honey by the 16S rDNA sequence. The growth of Candida glabrata ATCC 2001 was strongly inhibited (> 15.0 mm) and (10 similar to 15 mm) by the isolates of L. curvatus HH and P. pentosaceus HM, respectively. The antifungal activity of the crude supernatant (cell free supernatant, CFS) was evaluated using well diffusion method. The CFS showed high antifungal activity against Candida spp. especially The CFS of L. curvatus HH was significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited growth of C. glabrata ATCC 2001, C. parapsilosis ATCC 2201, and C. tropicalis ATCC 750 with inhibitory zone 22.0, 15.6, and 14.7 mm, respectively. While CFS of P. pentosaceus HM was significantly (p < 0.05) effective against C. krusei, C. glabrata, and C. albicans with inhibition zone 17.2, 16.0, and 13.3 mm, respectively. The results indicated that LAB isolated from honey produced compounds which can be used to inhibit the growth of the pathogenic Candida species.

In the search for new preservatives from natural resources to replace or to reduce the use of chemical preservatives 4 strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were selected to be evaluated for their antifungal activity on selected foods. The supernatants of the selected strains delayed the growth of fungi for 23 to 40 d at 4 degrees C and 5 to 6 d at 20 and 30 degrees C in tomato puree, 19 to 29 d at 4 degrees C and 6 to 12 d at 20 and 30 degrees C in processed cheese, and 27 to 30 d at 4 degrees C and 12 to 24 d at 20 and 30 degrees C in commercial bread. The shelf life of bread with added LAB cells or their supernatants were longer than normal bread. This study demonstrates that Lactobacillus fermentum Te007, Pediococcus pentosaceus Te010, L. pentosus G004, and L. paracasi D5 either the cells or their supernatants could be used as biopreservative in bakery products and other processed foods.

Bioactive peptides can be generated from milk protein by fermentation with lactic acid bacteria. In this study, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from different food samples. Isolates that showed clear zone on modified de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) - CaCO3 agar, catalase negative and Gram positive were considered as LAB and used for this study. Seven isolates that showed proteolytic activity on skim milk agar produced whey that have free radical scavenging activity ranging from 14.7 to 50.8% (v/v) after 24 to 72 h fermentation, respectively as determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Ferrous chelating activity (FCA) of the whey showed similar values for EDTA after 24 h fermentation but decreased after 72 h for all LAB isolates with values between 41.8 to 97.6% (v/v) for 24 to 72 h, respectively. This study highlights that local LAB isolates have the potential to be used to generate peptides in whey with antioxidative activity from skim milk.

Aims: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the inhibitory activity of the cell-free supernatants (CFS) of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolates and determine the effect of pH, enzymes and heat treatment on the antifungal activity against Candida species. Methodology and results: A total of 25 strains of LAB were isolated from honey samples from Malaysia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Four from twenty-five LAB isolates showed antifungal activity against Candida spp. and were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum (HS), L. curvatus (HH), Pediococcus acid lactic (HC), and P. pentosaceus (HM) using 16S rDNA sequence. The CFS of these isolates were evaluated for their antifungal activity using microtiter plate assay. The antifungal activity showed significant inhibitory activity against all Candida spp. especially growth of C. glabrata ATCC 2001 was significant (p < 0.001) completely inhibited by CFS of HH and HM at pH 3. Similarly, growth of C. glabrata ATCC2001 was significantly inhibited (p < 0.001) when treated with previously heated CFS of L. curvatus HH and P. pentosaceus HM at 90 degrees C and 121 degrees C. While, the growth of C. krusei ATCC 6258 was completely inhibited by CFS of L. curvatus HH at 121 degrees C. Treatment the CFS of LAB isolates with proteinase K and RNase II increased the antifungal activity against C. krusei and C. glabrata, whereas the activity of CFS produced by P. acidilactici was lost when treated with RNase II, especially against C. krusei. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: This study demonstrated that treated supernatant of LAB isolates with heating, adjusted pH and enzymes can be used to inhibit the growth of pathogenic Candida spp.

Maintaining a safe food supply has become an ever-changing endeavour as some emerging pathogens are discovered. Relying on traditional methods of thermal processing to create microbiologically safe foods is not sufficient. Research on finding other methods of controlling the growth and multiplication of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria needs to be explored. The use of crude bacteriocin produced by lactic acid bacteria may be one promising solution of controlling microbial growth in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. The ability of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to produce metabolites with broad-spectrum inhibitory activity that are heat stable is an important criterion for the application of LAB as preservative in food. 'Satar' was used as a model for this study because it is highly perishable and has a short shelf life (<12 h) at ambient temperature and, therefore, is unable to be stored for a long period of time. This chapter briefly describes the background of 'Satar' and its relations to microbiological safety. The study focused on choosing the suitable strains of LAB, identifying the isolates phenotypically using biochemical tests and VITEK 2 Compact System. The isolates were tested on their ability to inhibit LAB microflora, ability to inhibit a broad spectrum of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and ability to exhibit the antimicrobial activity after being subjected to heating temperatures. Among nine isolates of LAB from fermented fish, supernatants of four isolates were studied extensively for their heat stability at different heating temperatures (70, 80, 90, 100 and 121 degrees C) and heating times (5 and 20 min). Two strains, Lb. acidophilus and Lb. plantarum, were chosen for the incorporation of their crude bacteriocin in raw ' Satar', and their characteristics and microbiological shelf life were evaluated. Incorporation of crude bacteriocin of Lb. acidophilus and Lb. plantarum at 3 % and 6 % did not significantly affect (P>0.05) the water activity and pH, but significantly increased the moisture content when Satar was stored more than 20 h at ambient temperature. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) for a* value and b* value of 'Satar' among all samples at 0 h of storage time, except after 3 h of storage at ambient temperature. The colour analysis of samples showed a range of colour between grey and light grey. The incorporation of 3 % and 6 % crude bacteriocin of Lb. acidophilus and Lb. plantarum in raw ' Satar' could extend the shelf life from 8 h to 20 h and 17 h, respectively. This study has proven that LAB can be used to extend the shelf life of ready-to-eat food.

Stichopus horrens flesh was explored as a potential source for generating peptides with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory capacity using 6 proteases, namely alcalase, flavourzyme, trypsin, papain, bromelain, and protamex. Degree of hydrolysis (DH) and peptide profiling (SDS-PAGE) of Stichopus horrens hydrolysates (SHHs) was also assessed. Alcalase hydrolysate showed the highest DH value (39.8%) followed by flavourzyme hydrolysate (32.7%). Overall, alcalase hydrolysate exhibited the highest ACE inhibitory activity (IC50 value of 0.41 mg/mL) followed by flavourzyme hydrolysate (IC50 value of 2.24 mg/mL), trypsin hydrolysate (IC50 value of 2.28 mg/mL), papain hydrolysate (IC50 value of 2.48 mg/mL), bromelain hydrolysate (IC50 value of 4.21 mg/mL), and protamex hydrolysate (IC50 value of 6.38 mg/mL). The SDS-PAGE results showed that alcalase hydrolysate represented a unique pattern compared to others, which yielded potent ACE inhibitory peptides with molecular weight distribution lower than 20 kDa. The evaluation of the relationship between DH and IC50 values of alcalase and flavourzyme hydrolysates revealed that the trend between those parameters was related to the type of the protease used. We concluded that the tested SHHs would be used as a potential source of functional ACE inhibitory peptides for physiological benefits.

The use of secondary metabolites of lactic acid bacteria for preservation of foods is increasingly gaining interest to the food industry to replace synthetic preservatives. In this study, the cell free supernatant containing peptides obtained from Lactobacillus plantarum IS10 was fractionated by size exclusion chromatography using sephadex G-25, and tested against Aspergillus flavus MD3, Penicillium rogueforti MD4 and Eurotium rubrum MD5. Among the fractions, fraction number 10 showed 60% antifungal activity at a concentration of 0.02 mg peptide/mL. Four novel peptides out of twenty peptides obtained from fraction 10 were identified and determined by de novo sequencing. Peptide FPSHTGMSVPPP with a net charge +1, hydrophobicity ratio 58% and molecular weight of 1253 was further studied. The selected peptide showed a good activity at a concentration of 5 mg/mL against selected fungi and poor activity at low concentrations. This work indicates that L plantarum IS10 has the capability of producing peptides which are affective against spoilage fungi. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bio-preservation, a promising preservation method that involves the use of "friendly" microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria, has recently become a topic of considerable interest. In the present study, 16 lactic acid bacteria isolates were evaluated for antifungal activity against six fungi commonly associated with bread spoilage. The antifungal compounds were heat stable at 121 A degrees C, and only four isolates, DU15, IT10, TE10, and IS10, showed partial loss of activity when supernatants were treated with proteolytic enzymes. The four isolates showed high inhibition activity at pH 3 and were identified using 16S rDNA sequencing as belonging to Leuconostoc mesenteroides DU15, Lactobacillus plantarum TE10, Lactobacillus plantarum IT10, and Lactobacillus plantarum IS10. The minimum germination inhibitions were 30 mg, 50 mg, 40 mg, and 50 mg for TE10, IT10, DU15, and IS10 respectively. The optimum conditions for the strains to produce antifungal compounds were 37 A degrees C for 48 h for IT10, IS10, and TE10, and 30 A degrees C for 24 h for DU15. Antifungal activity was increased threefold when supernatants were filtered using 10 KDa membranes. These findings demonstrate the potential of using lactic acid bacteria antifungal peptides as natural preservatives in bakery products to control the growth of spoilage fungi.

Keropok lekor is a popular Terengganu heritage traditional snack and its microbiological safety is one of the important aspects should be of concern. Thus, the present study was carried out to assess microbiological status of keropok lekor, and its production premises in Kuala Terengganu and Marang. A total of 136 samples were collected randomly from eight premises (in three replicates) comprising of raw materials, food contact surfaces and ready to eat (RTE). All samples were analysed for aerobic plate count (APC), total coliforms (TC) count, Escherichia coli and detection of foodborne pathogens. Results showed that the APC and TC count in raw materials (fish flesh, sago starch, ice, dough and chilli paste) ranged from below the detection limit (< 1.0 log(10) CFU/g) to 6.7 log(10) CFU/g and 4.6 log(10) CFU/g, respectively. While, food contact surfaces have the APC and TC in the range of < 1.0 to 6.4 log(10) CFU/cm(2) and < 1.0 to 4.1 log(10) CFU/cm(2), respectively. The food handlers hand swabs had APC and TC counts between 2.2 to 6.4 log(10) CFU/cm(2) and < 1.0 to 4.4 log(10) CFU/cm(2), respectively. RTE keropok lekor and dipping sauce contained APC in 1.8 to 5.5 log(10) CFU/g and < 1.0 to 5.1 log(10) CFU/g range, respectively. TC was detected as unsatisfactory level (> 1.7 lo g(10) CFU/g) in three keropok lekor samples. E. coli was found in 10.29% of samples and all of them were non-diarrheagenic serotypes. Two RTE keropok lekor and display containers were contaminated with E. coli. Coagulase positive staphylococci, Salmonella and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were detected in four, two and one samples, respectively, with none of them found to have Vibrio cholerae and Listeria monocytogenes. High prevalence of indicator organisms in food contact surfaces and food handlers hand indicated that hygiene practices were not well implemented. The unsatisfactory levels of presence of APC, TC and E. coli in RTE keropok lekor also described cross contamination due to inadequate hygiene practices after cooking process.

The ability of Leuconostoc mesenteroides DU15 to produce antifungal peptides that inhibit growth of Aspergillus niger was evaluated under optimum growth conditions of 30 degrees C for 48 h. The cell-free supernatant showed inhibitory activity against A. niger. Five novel peptides were isolated with the sequences GPFPL, YVPLF, LLHGVPLP, GPFPLEMTLGPT, and TVYPFPGPL as identified by de novo sequencing using PEAKS 6 software. Peptide LLHGVPLP was the only positively charged (cationic peptides) and peptide GPFPLEMTLGPT negatively charged (anionic), whereas the rest are neutral. The identified peptides had high hydrophobicity ratio and low molecular weights with amino acids sequences ranging from 5 to 12 residues. The mode of action of these peptides is observed under the scanning electron microscope and is due to cell lysis of fungi. This work reveals the potential of peptides from L. mesenteroides DU15 as natural antifungal preservatives in inhibiting the growth of A. niger that is implicated to the spoilage during storage.

Slaughtering is the first step in meat processing. It involves killing an animal for the production of meat. Effectiveness of slaughter is determined by the amount of blood removed from the animal. This study aimed to compare the chemical changes and microbiological quality of broiler chicken meat slaughtered by Halal and Non-Halal slaughter methods during refrigerated storage. A total of sixty (60) broiler chickens were slaughtered by: i) Neck cutting (NC) - by severing the jugular veins, carotid arteries, trachea and the oesophagus according to the Islamic ritual method of slaughter and (ii) Neck poking (NP) - by poking the neck of the bird with a sharp object. Residual blood was quantified by measuring the haem iron content in the breast meat samples. Storage stability of chicken meat was evaluated by measuring the extent of lipid oxidation determined by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and by assessing the microbiological quality of the meat. Haem iron content decreased significantly (P<0.05) during 9-day storage at 4 degrees C. Haem iron content ranged between 1.31-2.55 mg/100g sample and 2.05-3.25 mg/100g sample in neck cut and neck poked chickens respectively. Slaughter method had no significant effect (P>0.05) on chicken meat lipid oxidation at 1, 3, and 9 day of storage at 4 degrees C. However, at 5 and 7 day of storage, significant differences (P<0.05) were observed, with neck poked meat samples recording significantly higher levels of malondaldehyde (MDA) than that from neck cut samples. A significantly (P<0.05) higher total viable count (TVC) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count were observed in neck poked samples as compared to the neck cut samples throughout the storage time. The total viable count and LAB counts reached the highest value of 6.28 log(10) CFU/g and 3.93 log(10) CFU/g respectively after 9 d of refrigerated storage in neck poked meat samples as compared to 5.26 log(10) CFU/g and 3.76 log(10) CFU/g recorded in neck cut meat samples after 9 d of refrigerated storage respectively. This study showed that slaughter method had a positive effect on chemical changes and microbial quality of chicken meat during refrigerated storage. (c) All Rights Reserved

This study investigates the sources of anticipatory socialisation of prospective primary headteachers in deciding to accept the school head post. In exploring their socialisation sources, a series of interviews with seven novice Malaysian primary headteachers was conducted. The transcripts from the semi-structured interviews formed the basis of the findings. The findings reveal that former headteachers substantially influence prospective heads' decision in accepting the decision to become primary headteachers followed by teachers' colleagues. Similarly, family members and heads' own willingness and ambition to become a school head also played crucial role in accepting the post as school heads. The results are important since little studies were found examining the concept of anticipatory socialisation within the context of socialisation sources in headship within Malaysian educational system.

The microbiological quality of thirty ready-to-eat (RTE) keropok lekor (a sausage shape Malaysian fish product) was evaluated in comparison to microbiological guidelines for ready to eat foods. The two E. coli isolates were subjected to DNA sequencing, identified and tested for their resistance towards fifteen different antibiotics. The survival and growth of the isolated E. coli strains inoculated in keropok lekor at atmospheric air and vacuum packaging were also evaluated. Results revealed that four samples (13.33%) contained Enterobacteriaceae counts that exceeded the recommended allowable counts of 4.0 log(10) CFU/g. Unsatisfactory level of coliforms (> 1.7 log(10) CFU/g) was also observed in ten of the samples; two of which contained E. coli (2.1 +/- 0.17 and 3.7 +/- 0.02 log(10) CFU/g), suggesting of poor hygiene and sanitation practices. While the 'Possible E10' E. coli strain was observably resistant towards Nalidixic acid (30 mu g) alone, B10 E. coli isolate was worryingly resistant towards Ampicillin (10 mu g), Ceftazidime (30 mu g), Ciprofloxacin (5 mu g), Ceftriaxone (30 mu g), Nalidixic acid (30 mu g) and Tetracycline (30 mu g). This study also revealed that the growth and survival of the 'Possible E10' and B10 E. coli strains were not significantly affected by vacuum packaging when stored at both 4 degrees C and 28 degrees C. Therefore, intervention programmes to alert and educate small-medium enterprisers (SMEs) of keropok lekor producers on food safety as well as potential health risks that can be associated due to inappropriate handling procedures of such product, merits consideration.