Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are known to inhibit the growth of fungi and LAB cells or its can be used as biocontrol against plant pathogens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of selected LAB strains isolated from rhizospheric soil against Fusarium spp. These fungi were isolated from infected different plant parts and identified as F. oxysporum strain KAML01, Fusarium sp. CID124, Fusarium sp. fus 124 and F. proliferatum with 99 % similarity using Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) analysis. Five LAB strains were showed strong antifungal activity against the Fusarium spp. were evaluated using dual overlay method. Isolates MSS1 and FCF11 were 100% similarity with Lactobacillus plantarum and isolate MSS5 99% was similarity with Pediococcus pentoceous using 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Inhibition of Fusarium sp. CID124 fungal biomass in the de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe Broth (MRSB) was significantly greater (P ≤ 0.05) by cells of P. pentosaceus (97.43%) compared to inhibition of Fusarium sp. CID124 fungal biomass by Cell Free Supernatant (CFS) of Lb.

The sugary drink boba milk tea has seen its popularity surge in recent years. However, the overwhelmingly trending boba milk tea is categorised as a sugar-sweetened beverage due to its high sugar content. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the sugar content of four brands of boba milk tea drinks (brand A, B, C, and D) available around Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The physico-chemical characteristics of each brand were evaluated comprising the pH level, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), conductivity value, and liquid density. In addition, the glucose content in the liquid milk and boba pearls were determined using the glucometer and gravimetric analysis, which were then used to estimate the total glucose content in the boba milk tea samples. Based on the results, there were significant differences between the pH value and glucose content (p < 0.05). The pH of brand A recorded the highest value of 8.23 ± 0.03 (slightly alkaline) compared to other brands. The liquid milk of Brand A also exhibited the highest glucose content value and the highest density value (p < 0.05) with a value of 23.4 ± 0.5 mmol/L and 1030 g/L, respectively. However, brand D possessed the highest TDS content and conductivity with values of 1912 ± 36 ppm and 3825 ± 71 µS, respectively. Meanwhile, the highest glucose content in the liquid milk and boba pearls were 23.4 ± 0.5 mmol/L (brand A) and 18.1 ± 0.4 (brand B), respectively. Overall, the study estimated that brand B has the highest total glucose content (38.6 ± 0.1 mmol/L) due to the significant glucose content from the boba pearls. Surprisingly, the overall glucose content in boba milk tea (milk tea solution and boba pearl) was approximately from 2- to 5-fold more than the recommended daily sugar (glucose) intake of 8.33 mmol/L (equivalent to 50 g/day) by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Malaysia. The lack of preventive measures to curb the overconsumption of boba milk tea would cause a long-term adverse health effect on individuals and increase the rate of patients suffering from diabetic-related diseases and other non-communicable diseases (NCD). An intervention is required instantaneously from a public health perspective to regulate the consumption of sweetened and flavored beverages that is limitless added to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) without strict regulations.

In recent years, overwhelming studies have recognized the excellent functional and nutritional properties of green leafy vegetables that can be gained through a proper human diet. Among the vegetables studied, Spinacia oleracea Linn. or commonly known as spinach is widely being acknowledged for having a diverse range of nutritional composition and bioactive phytochemical compounds. Spinach, which is grouped under the Amaranthaceae family, contains various beneficial effects owing to their nutritional compositions, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibre, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive constituents that are directly linked to various bio-functional properties. The valuable bio-constituent of polyphenols that exist in spinach contributes to its effective antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Therefore, the antioxidant from spinach extract is a promising source of natural antioxidants to replace the harmful effect of synthetic antioxidants. Moreover, it can inhibit cellular oxidative damage, increase storage stability, and restrict the growth of a wide range of pathogenic bacteria, which offers a huge prospect for potential food application. The main attention of this review was to highlight the effective antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of phytochemical compounds in spinach extract. Additionally, this review provided a comprehensive description of the wide range of food applications with regards to the use of spinach extract

Banana is one of the popular fruits among consumers due to their excellent nutritional value. However, banana peel, the fruit’s main secondary product or a significant by-product in banana processing, is generally abandoned and discarded as waste. Banana peels are rich in nutritional content such as protein, carbohydrates, fat, moisture, and ash contents. They are also high in bioactive compounds such as phenolic (flavonoids) and various types of carotenoids (lutein, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene). Phenolic compounds effectively protect the human body against various diseases, specifically oxidative stress-related diseases. Due to all the advantages of banana peels, plenty of potential utilization could be explored, including citric acid production by Aspergillus niger, traditional medicine, foods, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as dietary incorporation. Thus, this paper discussed the nutritional contents and bioactive compounds of banana peel and their potential utilization as food additives, supplements, and pharmaceuticals. This could then help to minimize the number of agro-solid waste disposal from the food industry by processing the waste into value-added products.

Keropok lekoris a famous fish-based traditional food from Terengganu, Malaysia. Due to the progressive cultivation activity of oyster mushrooms in Malaysia and their high nutritional values, theywere selected to be incorporated in keropok lekorformulations to replace a partial percentage of fish flesh. In this study, the determination of nutritional composition and physicalas well asevaluation of sensory acceptability of oyster mushroom-containing keropok lekorwere carried out. Three formulations of keropok lekorwith different ratios of fish flesh to oyster mushroom were prepared as follows: control (100:0), sample A (75:25), and sample B (50:50). In terms of nutritional composition, the results found that the value of ash, moisture, and carbohydrate contents of keropok lekorwith oyster mushroom substitutions were significantly higher (P<0.05) than control keropok lekor. However, the experimental keropok lekor(sample A and sample B) had significantly lower (P<0.05) protein and fat contents than the control sample. The highest value of hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness of the control sample (100% fish flesh) was obtained in comparison to keropok lekorsubstituted with oyster mushroom. In the context of colour, the value of L*(whiteness) increasedby substitutingoyster mushroomsinto keropok lekorformulations due to the light colour of the mushroom. The 9-point hedonic scale test indicated that consumers’ preferences for experimental keropok lekor(sample A and sample B) were significantly (P<0.05) higher scoresas compared to the control sample in terms of texture, taste, and overall acceptance. In contrast, appearance, colour, and aroma attributes obtained lower scores. The findings also suggested that replacing fish flesh withoyster mushrooms in keropok lekorhas great potential to be commercialized in the market and represented as a new variety of keropok lekorin thefood industry.