Glucohealth: The potential of porang (Amorphophallus muelleri) acid hydrolysed glucomannan as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 interaction with ACE2

The novel SARS-CoV-2 that causing global pandemic COVID-19 known to enter the host cell using the hACE2 as cell receptor. SARS-CoV S1 protein cleaves the ACE2 receptor, then the S2 subunits facilitates the cell membrane fusion, the inhibition of S1-ACE2 interaction can help develop anti SARS-CoV-2 medication. Porang glucomannan is a polysaccharide known as immunomodulator but never reported as anti-virus by direct inhibition of viral entry. Glucohealth was developed to investigate its potential. Method: Glucohealth is a glucomannan hydrolysate (HGM) that made from porang (Amorphophallus muelleri). Hydrolysis was carried using HCl in different concentration (0.25N, 0.5N, 1N) then analyzed its inhibitor activity using ELISA kit. Result: Higher HCl concentration produced HGM with smaller average particle size and lower glucomannan content. However, ELISA studies showed that glucomannan, including its hydrolysates, have the potency to bind with S1 protein and inhibit the binding activity of S1-ACE2. Degraded glucomannan proven to have better bioactivity and able to interact with pathogen to inhibit its cell entry. This project should be a gateway for further biomedical study of glucomannan from Indonesia’s local tuber and new approach to produce more natural therapy against COVID-19.

Effect of temperature and duration of thermal pasteurization on polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme activity, total plate count (TPC), physicochemical and organoleptic properties of Cavendish banana fruit juice (Musa cavendishii)

This research aims to determine the effect of temperature and duration of thermal pasteurization process in Cavendish banana juice. Cavendish banana is an abundant cultivated banana that has not been used properly, which is a climacteric fruit that has increased ethylene production after harvesting. Cavendish bananas have great potential as fruit juice. Pasteurization was carried out at temperatures of 55, 60, 65, 70 and 75 ℃ for 5, 10, and 15 minutes. Pasteurization with higher temperature and time can increase the total dissolved sugar and viscosity as well as decrease the pH value and PPO enzyme activity. The reducing sugar content of Cavendish banana juice was determined using the DNSA method with the greatest value at 55 ℃ for 5 minutes, which is 9.53%. Meanwhile, the content of phenol and flavonoid was determined using the Krishnan and Sinija method. The highest value of phenol and flavonoid content at 60 ℃ for 5 minutes, was 0.1728 mg GAE/g and 0.1583 mg QE/g sample. Antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH method and the greatest percentage of inhibition at 60 ℃ for 5 minutes, which is 61.60%. Vitamin C levels were identified by the UV-Vis spectrophotometry method with the greatest value at 55 ℃ for 5 minutes, which is 1.1409 mg /100 g. The Total Plate Count (TPC) of Cavendish banana juice decreased after pasteurization with the smallest total number of bacteria at 75 ℃ for 15 minutes, with a value of 3.2×101 CFU/ml. Pasteurization process at 75 ℃ for 15 minutes can reduce the activity of PPO enzyme as much as 97%. In the organoleptic test, preferred level of Cavendish banana juice to all attributes of the average hedonic scale with the category of the likes.

Ultrasound homogenization of milk cream at low temperature

Ultrasonication has been identified as a particularly promising technology for homogenization of dairy products. Homogenization of cream, by reducing fat globule size, can be utilized to inhibit creaming. The homogenization of cream usually leads to increased viscosity. Cream with fat level greater than 17% cannot be homogenized with satisfactory results since conventional homogenization methods cause coalescence and mostly agglomeration. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of ultrasonication on milk cream (5-30% fat) and to study the phenomenon of formation of fat clusters during sonication (0.5-15 mins) at low temperature (2°C). The results showed that ultrasonication can reduce the fat globule size, although it resulted in the formation of fat clusters at short time (<1min), but at longer time, fat clusters can be broken. On the other hand, ultrasound homogenization tends to increase the viscosity of cream at various fat contents. Microstructure of solid phase showed that there was formation of double emulsions and partial fat coalescence. Ultrasound homogenization with the addition of SDS as small-molecule surfactant can prevent the formation of fat clusters. Fatty acid composition in solid phase shows that it consists of long-chain fatty acids in higher amount compared to that present in the liquid fraction. Whereas the concentration of short and medium chain fatty acids in the liquid phase was higher compared to that in solid phase. The utilization and optimization of ultrasound for cream homogenization has a potency to solve the limitation of conventional method (pressure homogenizer) which commonly used in dairy industry.

The valorization of neem leaves infused coconut oil at various concentrations for the production of natural liquid shampoo

The liquid shampoo is a product that is generally used to clean hair and scalp. The additional active ingredient used in the liquid shampoo is neem leaves which contain polyphenols that have antibacterial effects. Neem leaves extract was made by hot infusion method with coconut oil as a solvent. The purposes of this research were to find the best concentration of neem leaves infused oil for liquid shampoo material and compare the qualities of liquid shampoo with Indonesian National Standard (SNI) of Shampoo 06-2692-1992. The method of this research was a laboratory experiment with descriptive analysis. This research was conducted in five treatments. Concentration neem leaves infused oil for liquid shampoo materials were ratio between coconut oil and neem leaves in sample A = 720:0 (w/w); B = 720:22,5 (w/w); C = 720:30 (w/w); D = 720:45 (w/w); and E = 720:90 (w/w). The result showed that all of the shampoos met the SNI of Shampoo 06-2692-1992 according to organoleptic, moisture content, and pH. The best shampoo based on organoleptic observation was shampoo C (720:30 (w/w)) with a hedonic percentage of 40%, moisture content of 69.89%, pH 7.03, and specific gravity of 1.0223 g/g. The highest antibacterial activity against S. aureus was shampoo E (720:90 (w/w)) with an inhibition zone diameter was 9.5 mm. Shampoo with the highest antibacterial activity resulted from the highest addition of coconut oils infused Neem leaves. It proved that neem leaves were effective as an additive in making shampoo to boost its antimicrobial properties.

The effect of lesser yam tuber flour (Dioscorea esculenta) and cooking methods on meat analogue chemical and textural properties

The addition of carbohydrates on gluten meat analogue has the potency to improve texture, such as lesser yam flour. It can be processed by steaming and baking. This study aimed to determine, analyze, evaluate the effect of cooking methods (steaming and baking) and substitution of lesser yam tuber flour (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%) on the texture of meat analogue and chemical properties only for the best meat analogue. This study used Randomized Block Design, Nested Design of 3 replications with 2 factors, levels of lesser yam tuber flour nested in cooking methods. The texture of meat analogue was compared to beef texture. The results showed that the cooking method affected hardness and cohesiveness significantly. The substitution of lesser yam tuber flour significantly affected hardness, springiness, cohesiveness and chewability. The best steamed meat analogue was at 5% substitution level of lesser yam tuber flour, contain of 49.79% moisture content, 28.39% protein, 17.04% carbohydrates, 2.57% ash, 2.21% fat and red grayish color. The best baked meat analogue was at 0% substitution level of lesser yam tuber flour, contain of 48.64% moisture content, 29.87% protein, 16.89% carbohydrates, 2.60% ash, 2.00% fat and red grayish color. The steamed meat analogue was more similar to beef, than the baked meat analogue. This production of a meat analogue would be suitable as a simple household-scale meat substituent.

Determination of moisture diffusivity and activation energy on fixed bed drying of red pepper (Capsicum annum) on convective solar drying

Moisture diffusivity and activation energy are two important variables in a drying process to understand a certain product's drying behavior. This study aimed to determine the value of effective moisture diffusivity and the activation energy of red pepper in a conventional forced convective drying based on electricity (conventional convective drying/CCD) and forced convective drying based on solar energy (convective solar drying/CSD). The value of effective moisture diffusivity was determined using the equation, which refers to Fick’s second law. The Arrhenius equation determines the activation energy value as a model of the relationship of inverse temperature and the normal logarithmic value of effective moisture diffusivity. The results showed that the values of effective moisture diffusivity of CCD 70 °C were the highest. The regression analysis between the drying layers (X), and effective moisture diffusivity (Y) showed a polynomial pattern with a coefficient determination R2 value of 0.85 (CCD 70 °C), 0.81 (CCD 60 °C), 0.88 (CCD 50 °C), and 0.48 (CSD). (R2) The higher moisture diffusivity values in CCD indicated that the drying systems are more stable than CSD. The drying activation energy calculation showed that the value of CCD's activation energy was 36.36 kJ/mol.K, while the value of CSD's activation energy was 31.28 kJ/mol.K. Those results were consistent with the results of the previous studies.

Effect of hydrogen peroxide treatment on the concentration of volatile compound in coriander seeds oil

Coriander seeds essential oil have shown some remarkable biological properties and health benefits. The coriander seeds used in Indonesia are imported and also treated with hydrogen peroxide before reaching consumers. Hydrogen peroxide is known to be a strong oxidizer, but so far, there has been no information that explains its effects on the essential oil composition and concentration in coriander seed. This study aims to determine the effect of using hydrogen peroxide and the drying method on the composition of essential oils in coriander seeds. Yield and volatile oil compounds were measured, and the results were compared between the hydrogen peroxide concentration (0,35 and 50% ) and drying method (mechanical drying (50 ℃) and room temperature drying). GC-MS analysis detected linalool as the most common volatile constituent in all treatments. The highest concentration of linalool compounds (70.16%) was found in seeds without hydrogen peroxide (0%) treatment combined with mechanical drying, followed by without hydrogen peroxide (0% H2O2) combined with room drying (23.74%), then by 35% hydrogen peroxide combined with room drying (18.71%), 35% hydrogen peroxidecombined with mechanical drying (18.84%), 50% hydrogen peroxide combined with room drying (22.18%) and by 50% hydrogen peroxide combined with mechanical drying (15.45%). Therefore, the yield was clearly affected only by hydrogen peroxide treatment where no hydrogen peroxide treatment gave the highest yield. The drying method did not have any significant effect on yield.

The influence of roselle-based wedang uwuh (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) on SOD (superoxide dismutase) and MDA (malondialdehyde) of cigarette smoke-exposed rat

Cigarette smoke is the leading cause of several respiratory diseases because it contains high free radical compounds. These free radical compounds can be neutralized with antioxidants obtained from natural ingredients such as roselle. Roselle contains various bioactive compounds and consumes in the form of infusion. Mixing roselle with various herbs as wedang uwuh can increase the antioxidant content. Wedang uwuh is a beverage consisting of various combinations of herbs such as sappan wood, cloves, and cinnamon. This study aims to analyze levels of MDA and SOD in rats exposed to cigarette smoke and given wedang uwuh. This research was conducted on 30 white male Wistar rats that divided into six groups- P0 (normal control), P1 (roselle-based wedang uwuh), P2 (commercial wedang uwuh), P3 (smoke control), P4 (smoke + roselle-based wedang uwuh), P5 (smoke + commercial wedang uwuh). The dose of wedang uwuh is 2.7 ml/kg BW, and the dose of exposure to cigarette smoke is one cigarette for 5 minutes for 30 days. The differences between each group were analyzed using the one way ANOVA test and HSD advanced test. Statistical results showed that giving roselle-based wedang uwuh (P4) significantly reduced MDA levels and increased SOD than the smoke control group (P3). Roselle-based wedang uwuh reduce the MDA levels and increase SOD better than commercial wedang uwuh.

Patulin-producing mold, toxicological, biosynthesis, and molecular detection of patulin

Mycotoxin is one of the food safety problems that raise concern because of its negative health impact and significant economic losses. Patulin is the most common mycotoxin found in fruits and its products like apple, orange, grape, pear, etc. There are 167 species reported to produce patulin; Penicillium expansum is the major patulin producer among those fungi species. Patulin is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans, but some studies showed the toxicities of patulin. Patulin has a broad spectrum of toxicity such as acute toxicity, sub-acute toxicity, genotoxicity, embryotoxicity and teratogenicity, carcinogenicity, and immunotoxicity. There are several ways to detect mycotoxins, such as HPLC, TLC, ELISA, and PCR. The popular way to detect mycotoxin molecularly is PCR because of its sensitivity and specificity. To detect patulin molecularly require proper selection of target gene. Therefore, the biosynthesis of patulin, its influencing gene, and its underlying factor needs to be understood.

Biotoilizer automatic system prototype : automatic fertilization system integrated with bio-toilet based on Internet of Things (IOT)

Human urine is one of the primary wastes in urban areas, which has not been maximally processed and utilized until now. Human urine can be processed into biofertilizer with special processing procedures to minimize the negative impact of using urine as fertilizer and avoid odor, dirt, and contamination of pathogenic bacteria in the processing process. This prototype aims to design a Biotoilizer Automatic System with processing human urine into a biofertilizer and an automatic fertilization system. This system is equipped with a DC water pump, pH sensor, YL-69 sensor, ultrasonic sensor, real-time clock (RTC) NodeMCU microcontroller, and Arduino Uno. The method used in this research is an experimental method by designing technical designs and making prototypes of an Internet of Things (IoT) based automatic fertilization system that utilizes solar panels and is integrated with Bio toilets and designing software. The system's test results can process urine into a biofertilizer and fertilize automatically 95% based on regulated conditions and can be monitored with an application via a smartphone