Pitaya commonly known as dragon fruit is very popular of its intense color, constituent minerals, vitamins, and antioxidant properties. In this study, physiochemical properties of whole pitaya fruit powder as influenced by 2 different maltodextrin concentrations (20 and 30%) and 4 different inlet temperatures (145, 155, 165, and 175 o C) were carried out. As inlet temperature increased moisture content and water activity decreased and this change was apparent at high concentration of maltodextrin. The best spray drying condition in relation to betacyanin content was 155 o C inlet temperature and 20% maltodextrin concentration. Concerning the flowability, all factors and their levels resulted in poor flowing powder. From nutritional point of view, pitaya fruit powder was found rich in protein, fat, ash, fiber, and antioxidant. This study indicated that the pitaya fruit powder produced from whole pitaya fruit has potential to use as natural coloring agent and a health supplement.

a Kenaf-derived cellulose (KDC)-filled poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites were prepared via melt blending and compression molding to improve the properties of PLA by introducing a natural cellulose that was chemically derived (chlorination and mercerization processes) from plant-based kenaf bast fibers. The effect of KDC content (0-60 wt.%) on the tensile elongation at the break point and during flexural and impact testing and on the water absorption and density of the composites was investigated, while the neat PLA polymer (without the addition of cellulose) served as a reference for the composites. The elongation at the break point of the composites was 9% on average, making it less elastic than the neat PLA. The flexural strength and modulus also increased by 36% and 54%, respectively. The impact strength of the composites was improved at KDC contents below 40 wt.%, but the impact strength was reduced above 40 wt.%. The composite containing the highest amount of KDC (60 wt.%) was denser than the neat PLA and had a water uptake of approximately 12%, which is notably low for a biocomposite system.

This study reports the tableting of whole fruit powder from pitaya and guava and their dissolution in relation to use as drink's tablets. Pulps of both fruits with peels and seeds were freeze-dried into powders with addition of 10% maltodextrin. The fruit powders, individually as well as in a binary mixture (1:1), were analyzed for material properties and were found to be poor in flow. Among the three powders, guava powder attained the lowest density during compaction and exhibited as a poor compressible powder. Mixed fruit tablets containing 1% effervescent agent eroded quite fast in all three types of solvents studied. However, the acidic solvent (0.1 N HCl) was found to be not suitable for erosion of tablets containing polyvinypolypyrrolidone (Kollidon CL). In terms of active ingredient release (antioxidant), Kollindon CL was found to be the best. In the case of color release (a⁎), the faster the erosion, the better was the color intensity irrespective of dissolution media. As drink tablets, the mixture containing 10% sugar was highly preferred by majority of panelists (80%). A month long storage study with the mixed fruit tablet formulation at room temperature showed good microbial stability.

No abstract

Geniotrigona thoracica (G. thoracica) stingless bee honey contained high moisture that can easily lead to fermentation process. The high moisture content of stingless bee honey could lead to unwanted fermentation and crystallization form. Hence, it will affect the quality of honey in terms of acidic taste and undesirable appearance. To make sure stingless bee honey meets the standard set by IHC, some methods have been carried out to reduce its moisture content. This study investigates the moisture reduction during storage of G. thoracica stingless bee honey in a clay pot. The G. thoracica honeys were stored in clay pot with the inner volume of 75.4cm 3 and glass bottle (as control) at 25˚C for 21 days. Physicochemical analysis of honey such as moisture content, total soluble solid, water activity, viscosity, pH, free acidity, electrical conductivity, colour (L*, a* and b*) and colour intensity were investigated during storage. The result obtained indicated that the honey stored in a clay pot was significantly reduced the moisture content from 28.03% to 16.51%. The water activity (a w ) of honey in a clay pot was also reduced from 0.779 to 0.601. The free acidity of honey stored in a glass bottle increased significantly compared to honey stored in a clay pot, which was initially 106.7meq/kg to 146.3meq/kg and 121.7meq/kg, respectively. In conclusion, the application of clay pot as a storage medium was capable to reduce water content and preserved the quality of honey from G. thoracica.

A Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer was used to investigate the effect of using different bleaching agents during the bleaching process on the functional group of cellulose obtained from Leucaena leucocephala pods. The spectra showed that fiber treated with 5 % sodium hypochlorite (NaCIO) showed a similar functional group with the commercial cellulose. Moreover, the chemical composition analysis and whiteness index showed that fiber treated with NaCIO produced 89.37 % cellulose. The whiteness index was 78.5 %, which was the highest. Therefore, these results are expected to provide insight into the potential of utilizing L. leucocephala pods as the alternative raw material for the isolation of cellulose, as the pods of these plants are underutilized.