Whey protein isolate (WPI) was hydrolysed to whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) using alcalase produced by Bacillus licheniformis at 65℃ for 3 hrs with an enzyme-to-substrate ratio of 1:50. The WPI and WPH were then conjugated with lactose via Maillard reaction by heating the solution at 95°C for different heating time which were 0 hr, 1 hr, 2 hrs, 3 hrs and 4 hrs. The objectives of this study were to characterise the physicochemical properties (pH value, browning intensity, degree of glycation and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) of conjugation of WPI and WPH with lactose and to analyse the antioxidant activity of WPI and WPH after conjugation with lactose. The pH value and degree of glycation of WPH-Lactose for all different heating times was higher compared to WPI-Lactose. The antioxidant activity of WPH-Lactose conjugate was higher compared to WPI-Lactose conjugate as shown in the analysis of ABTS+ radical scavenging activity which was 2.37% for WPI-Lactose and 12.68% for WPH-Lactose that have been heated for 4 hrs. However, the antioxidant activity of WPH was high even though without the conjugation with lactose. Hence, findings showed that WPH can be used as a potential ingredient for encapsulating bioactive compounds due to its high antioxidant activity.

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) is native to the Polynesian and recognized in the tropical and subtropical countries as a sustainable crop with feasible commercial applications. It has been reported that the interest in developing noni plant as a novel source of bioactive compounds are increasing by the day. This review describes the safety, nutritional values, and the properties of noni seed oil (NSO) with potential industrial uses. In particular, the bioactive compounds, anti-nutrients, antioxidant activity, and IC50 values of noni seed and the chemical composition of NSO are also described. NSO has high contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids, total phytosterols and tocopherols that could be better choices for patients with high cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases. Extracts of noni seed have been shown to possess bioactive compounds that exhibit antioxidant, anti-mutagenic, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, and anti-carcinogenic properties. Bioactive compound-rich noni fruit seed could be a potential source of functional foods. Moreover, noni seeds could be a valuable new source of vegetable oil because of its nutritional properties and non-toxic nature along with the increasing supply of seeds as by-products from noni juice industry. Comprehensive studies are needed on NSO to explore more potential product development. Moreover, further study is needed on the development of nutraceutical food products from noni seed by-products.

The processing of banana into clarified juice provides an alternative in the beverages market, but further exploration of the related processing is required. Hence, this study investigated the pre-treatment effect during the membrane-based process on the flux behaviour, fouling mechanism and banana juice quality attributes. Observation on juice viscosity was done after the crude banana juice was pre-treated with 0.1 – 0.5% pectinase. Both pectinase-treated and untreated banana juices were then subjected to an ultrafiltration process using a 100 kDa dead-end polyethersulfone membrane to clarify the juice. This study found a 50-55% viscosity reduction of the banana juice after the pre-treatment, with no significant difference in terms of the pectinase concentrations. Pre-treatment of the banana juice prior to ultrafiltration also have improved the permeate flux by 65.5% compared to the untreated sample. Based on the fitting of several fouling models, cake layer formation on the entire surface of the membrane was identified as the main cause of the membrane fouling and flux deterioration. The ultrafiltration process has significantly improved the juice turbidity, total soluble solid and colour, at a stable pH, indicating the success of the clarification process.

The application of pre-treatment on oilseeds prior to extraction process may exert undesirable impact towards the quality of oils as well as microstructures of seed. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of three drying methods on the microstructures of rambutan seeds and its effects on physicochemical properties of rambutan seed fat (RSF). The fats that being pre-treated with three different drying methods showed shrinkage or alteration of porous structure in terms of size, shape, and diameter. The differences between the RSF pre-treated with oven-, freeze-, and cabinet drying RSF were in fatty acids (oleic and arachidic acids), and free fatty acid (1.56–1.80 mg KOH/g fat). From the results obtained, the useful information regarding to the effects of pre-treatment on RSF, which is a potent ingredient to be used as a cocoa butter substitute in the formulation of chocolate in the confectionery industries. Moreover, the outcomes of this work able to provide information for better grasp about the correlation of drying methods and quality of RSFs, as well as its applications in other food industries.

The objective of this study was to optimize the extraction of oil from pre-dried roselle seeds using response surface methodology (RSM). We also determined the oxidative stability of oil extracted from oven and freeze-dried roselle seed in terms of iodine value (IV), free fatty acid (FFA) value, peroxide value (PV), P-anisidine and total oxidation values (TOTOX value). The RSM was designated based on the central composite design with the usage of three optimum parameters ranged from 8 to 16 g of sample weight, 250-350 mL of solvent volume, and 6-8 h of extraction time. The highest oil yielded from roselle seed using the optimization process was 22.11% with the parameters at sample weight of 14.4 g, solvent volume of 329.70 mL, and extraction time of 7.6 h. Besides, the oil extracted from the oven dried roselle seed had the values of 89.04, 2.11, 4.13, 3.76 and 12.03 for IV, FFA, PV, P-anisidine, and TOTOX values, respectively. While for the oil extracted from freeze-dried roselle seed showed IV of 90.31, FFA of 1.64, PV of 2.47, P-anisidine value of 3.48, and TOTOX value of 8.42. PV and TOTOX values showed significant differences whereas; IV, FFA, and P-anisidine values showed no significant differences between the oven and freeze-dried roselle seed oils.

The pre‐treatment of oilseeds prior to extraction process may affect oil yield and quality. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two drying methods on rambutan seed fat (RSF) yield and their oxidative stability, physicochemical properties, and crystal morphology. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used in the optimisation and investigation of the effects of three process conditions: seed weight (g), extraction time (min), and solvent volume (ml) on RSF yield. Under optimal conditions, a maximum RSF yield of 44.14% was obtained. The differences between RSF pre‐treated with oven‐drying and RSF with freeze‐drying methods in slip melting point (38.3°C to 39.7°C), free fatty acid (3.13 to 3.50 mg KOH/g fat), peroxide value (1.04 to 1.67 meq of O2/kg of fat), p‐anisidine value (1.10 to 1.56), and total oxidation value (4.21 to 5.67) were significant (p < 0.05). Both fats showed needle‐like shaped crystals. Our results provide useful information in the pre‐treatment of RSF, which has potential to be used as blending component with palm oil for cocoa butter equivalent formulation in chocolate and confectionery industries.