During Covid-19 era, it is important for the society to sustain their food security, as well as wealth. Opportunities can be seen by upcycling the seeds from King of Fruits, Durian. Durian seed is an agricultural waste material with abundant sources of minerals, vitamins, protein and polysaccharide compounds. In this study, gum from durian seeds was extracted using aqueous method and its physical propertiesrelated to emulsifying properties were determined in comparison with commercial guar gum. The properties of the extracted durian seed gum (DSG) and commercial guar gum (GG) evaluated were colours, solubility, water holding capacity (WHC), and oil holding capacity (OHC).

The push for modernisation in agriculture involves food-based plants as a buffer for more profitable returns. In Malaysia, the second widest cash-crop plantation is for sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.), occupying 3, 623 hectares of agricultural land. Furthermore, its haulms are discarded as waste. There are limited studies on the macronutrients of sweet potato stalk, stem and leaves, collectively known as the haulm. This study investigates the proximate nutritional composition of fresh and pasteurised sweet potato haulm juice powders (SPHJPs). The pasteurisation process has significantly reduced carbohydrate content (39.33 g/100g dry weight (dw)) and increased mineral content (13.24 g/100g dw) compared with fresh SPHJP (p<0.05). The fresh and pasteurised SPHJP had a minimum percentage of protein (35.23 g/100g dw), fibre (7.72 g/100g dw) and fat (2.42 g/100g dw), revealing that the haulm from sweet potato has the potential to be transformed into a sustainable source of nutrients and as an innovative plant-based protein. The current information is crucial in imparting dietary recommendations on utilising sweet potato haulm as part of human or animal diet. Future studies that emphasise on the micronutrient and antinutrient contents of the haulm are recommended

Modernization of agro-food sector through the application of innovation and technologies is one of the new directions envisioned from the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry (MOA). This involves food-based plant being grown as a buffer for better profit returns. In every harvest of sweet potato’s root (Ipomoea batatas L.), the rest of the plant parts (stems, leaves, and stalks) which is collectively called “haulm” will be leaved behind on the field. Haulm is a potential source of chloroplasts that contain high nutrients and phytochemicals. In the present study, proximate analysis, water activity and colour analysis of chloroplast-rich fraction (CRF) from sweet potato haulm treated with conventional pasteurisation (CP), steam pasteurisation (SP) and water blanching (WB) were performed. The different treatments on sweet potato haulm significantly affect the crude fat and ash content in the CRF with values ranged between 1.99-3.86% and 12.82-13.67%, respectively. There was no significant difference measured in water activity for all treated CRF. Total colour difference between CRF from CP and SP was the lowest (ΔE 2.88) while total colour difference between CRF from CP and WB, and CRF from SP and WB were higher with values of ΔE 8.93 and 7.31, respectively. Hence, the colour difference was easily distinguish with naked eye for CRF from WB compared to CRF from CP and SP. This study offers a sustainable source of nutrients, and alternative usage of agriculture waste in the circular economy by upcycling the essential nutrients in the haulm.