Refined, bleached, deodorized palm oil adulteration screening using near infrared red spectroscopy.

Background: Detecting adulteration in refined bleached deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) is vital for ensuring food safety and maintaining consumer trust. Traditional detection methods, such as refractometry and other standard tests, often fail to identify the complex patterns of adulteration because they are generally designed to measure single basic parameters rather than multiple quality markers. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy emerges as a rapid and non-destructive alternative.

Potential for microbial plastic degradation via assimilation of non-carbon moieties in additives.

Additives such as stabilizers, plasticizers, and fillers are commonly used in relatively small amounts to enhance the structure of plastics. Notably, some of these additives, including moieties of compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, are essential for microbial proliferation. Most studies on plastic degradation have primarily focused on the potential of microorganisms to assimilate carbon from plastics to support their growth, a strategy that has yet to yield significant success.

Remediation of benzo[α]pyrene contaminated soil using iron naturally bearing in tropical soil: A new frontier in catalyst-free in soil remediation.

Nature iron is considered one of the promising catalysts in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) that are utilized for soil remediation from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, the existence of anions, cations, and organic matter in soils considered impurities that restricted the utilization of iron that was harnessed naturally in the soil matrix and reduced the catalytic performance. In this regard, tropical soil naturally containing iron and relatively poor with impurities was artificially contaminated with 100 mg/50 g benzo[α]pyrene (B[α]P) and remediated using a slurry phase reactor supported with persulfate (PS).

A sustainable method for oxidizing phenanthrene in tropical soil using natural iron as a catalyst in a slurry phase reactor with persulfate assistance.

The presence of impurities is a significant restriction to the use of natural iron minerals as catalysts in the advanced oxidation process (AOP), especially if applied for soil remediation. This study evaluated the catalytic activity of tropical soil, which has relatively low impurities and naturally contains iron, for the remediation of phenanthrene (PHE) contamination. The system showed good performance, and the best result was 81% PHE removal after 24 h under experimental conditions of pH 7, [PHE] = 300 mg/50 g soil, temperature 55 °C, air flow = 260 mL min, and [persulfate] = 20 mg kg, while the mineralization was 61%.

Advanced oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tropical soil: Self-catalytic utilization of natural iron contents in an oxygenation reactor supported with persulfate.

The catalysts derived from natural iron minerals in the advanced oxidation process offer several advantages. However, their utilization in soil remediation is restricted due to the presence of soil impurities, which can inhibit the catalytic activity of these minerals. The soils in tropical regions exhibit lower organic matter content, limited cation exchange capacity, and are non-saline, this enhances the efficiency of utilizing natural iron minerals from tropical soil as a catalyst.

Tropical soil remediation from pyrene: Release the power of natural iron content in soil for the efficient oxidant's activation.

Natural soil minerals often contain numerous impurities, resulting in comparatively lower catalytic activity. Tropical soils are viewed as poor from soil organic matter, cations, and anions, which are considered the main impurities in the soil that are restricted to utilizing natural minerals as a catalyst. In this regard, the dissolved iron and hematite crystals that presented naturally in tropical soil were evaluated to activate oxidants and degrade pyrene.

Adulteration Detection of Edible Bird's Nests Using Rapid Spectroscopic Techniques Coupled with Multi-Class Discriminant Analysis.

Edible bird's nests (EBNs) are vulnerable to adulteration due to their huge demand for traditional medicine and high market price. Presently, there are pressing needs to explore field-deployable rapid screening techniques to detect adulteration of EBNs. The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility of using a handheld near-infrared (VIS/SW-NIR) spectroscopic device for the determination of EBN authenticity against the benchmark performance of a benchtop mid-infrared (MIR) spectrometer.

Addressing the unfulfilled codex standard for honey for stingless bee honey through lyophilization.

Some studies have found that the nutritional values of stingless bee honey (SBH) may be similar if not more than normal honey, prompting the Malaysian government to promote it as a superfood. However, SBH does not fulfil the Codex Standard for Honey (CODEX STAN 12-19811) in terms of moisture content and the lack of protein to be analysed with Internal Standard Carbon Isotope Ratio Analysis (ISCIRA). Hence, a lyophilization process was introduced prior to stable carbon isotope analysis of SBH to address both of these issues.

Detecting adulteration of stingless bee honey using untargeted H NMR metabolomics with chemometrics.

As stingless bee honey (SBH) is gaining in popularity in the Malaysian market, it is now prone to adulteration. The higher price of SBH compared to floral honey has led to the use of unusual adulterants such as vinegar and even floral honey to mimic the unique taste and appearance of SBH. Since the current AOAC 998.

Sustainable Palm Oil-The Role of Screening and Advanced Analytical Techniques for Geographical Traceability and Authenticity Verification.

Palm oil production from oil palm ( Jacq.) is vital for the economy of Malaysia. As of late, sustainable production of palm oil has been a key focus due to demand by consumer groups, and important progress has been made in establishing standards that promote good agricultural practices that minimize impact on the environment.

Nitrate sources and processes in the surface water of a tropical reservoir by stable isotopes and mixing model.

Nitrate is one of the primary nutrients associated with sedimentation and fuels eutrophication in reservoir systems. In this study, water samples from Bukit Merah Reservoir (BMR) were analysed using a combination of water chemistry, water stable isotopes (δH-HO and δO-HO) and nitrate stable isotopes (δN-NO and δO-NO). The objective was to evaluate nitrate sources and processes in BMR, the oldest man-made reservoir in Malaysia.

Earthworms as plug flow reactors: a first-order kinetic study on the gut of the vermicomposting earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae.

Earthworms are commonly referred as environmental engineers and their guts are often compared with chemical reactors. However, modeling experiments to substantiate it are lacking. The aim of this study was to use established reactor models, particularly PFR, on the gut of the vermicomposting earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae to understand more on its digestion.

Variation of δH, δO & δC in crude palm oil from different regions in Malaysia: Potential of stable isotope signatures as a key traceability parameter.

A total of 33 crude palm oil samples were randomly collected from different regions in Malaysia. Stable carbon isotopic composition (δC) was determined using Flash 2000 elemental analyzer while hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions (δH and δO) were analyzed by Thermo Finnigan TC/EA, wherein both instruments were coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The bulk δH, δO and δC of the samples were analyzed by Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA).