Morphometry of Lipid Bodies in Embryo, Kernel and Mesocarp of Oil Palm: Its Relationship to Yield

Oil palm drupe which has thick fleshy mesocarp contains rich oil, where storage of oil in it can make up to 80% of its dry mass [1]. Ongoing research interest in oil palms has been focused on the mechanisms of oil production in oil palm drupes, while investigation on the ultrastructural morphometry of its oil storage entity, namely lipid body, has received limited attention. By employing microscopy techniques, this study investigated the morphometric of lipid bodies in the mesocarp, kernel and embryo of oil palms drupes at 22 week-after-anthesis (WAA). This study also investigated the relationship between the size of lipid bodies and oil yield of oil palms at the same state of maturity (22 WAA). The structural arrangements of lipid bodies were found to be different among embryo, kernel and mesocarp of oil palms. It was also found that the size of lipid bodies of mesocarp of oil palms was larger compared to other crops. Lipid bodies in both embryo and mesocarp were statistically shown to be larger in low oil-yielding palms.

New photo-thermal-synthesized polymer for self-compacting concrete to increase productivity, minimize pollution, and eliminate steam curing in precast concrete

The objective in this study is to apply the sustainable chemistry and photo-thermal synthesis technology to produce the sustainable eco-superplasticiser for the sustainable high performance SCC concrete especially in hot tropical countries. A photo-thermal synthesized eco-superplasticiser (PSES) was produced by using photo-thermal catalyst in a solar chemical reactor. In this preliminary study, an unique high early strength of SCC concrete has been successfully produced by imposing an unique proportion of the photo-thermal-synthesized eco-Superplasticiser (PSES), local fly ash, sand and aggregate. The SCC concrete is preliminary tried in the precast concrete product to produce the complicated geometries as Tunnel segment, U-shape beam, and Box girder which have the critical reinforcement and thin section concrete. Surprisingly, this SCC provide the benefits as eliminating steaming energy, increased productivity, and minimize pollution. These unique properties of sustainable SCC concrete can not be achieved by the convention concrete by using ligno, naphthalene and melamine base superplasticiser. The synthesized sustainable eco-superplasticiser is a perfect choice to fully utilized the renewable energy and improve the concrete working environment.

Assessment of Genetic Diversity of NIFOR Oil Palm Main Breeding Parent Genotypes Using Microsatellite Markers

The genetic diversity among 15 NIFOR breeding parents was assessed using 10 microsatellite markers. A high genetic diversity was observed with a total of 64 alleles including 23 rare alleles or alleles at frequencies less than 0.05. The NIFOR tenera parents recorded the highest number of rare alleles. The average observed heterozygosity and mean gene diversity across all parental groups were 0.6889 and 0.7029, respectively. Higher genetic diversity was detected among the NIFOR dura and tenera parents compared to that of the Deli dura parents in absolute terms. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 87% of the total variation (p < 0.001) observed was due to differences among parents. Rogers’ genetic distance ranged from 0.2988 to 0.8000 (mean = 0.5570). The dendrogram constructed on the basis of Rogers’ genetic distance clustered the parents in three groups. They generally clustered in heterotic manner rather than by geographic origins. The groupings obtained through PCoA confirmed the results obtained by cluster analysis. The results obtained are strong assets for NIFOR breeding programme.

Bioguided Fractionation and Purification of Natural Bioactives Obtained from<i>Alpinia conchigera</i>Water Extract with Melanin Inhibition Activity

Crude extracts of Alpinia conchigera a species from the Malaysian Ginger (Zingiberaceae) family and its fractions obtained from various extraction methods were assayed for melanogenesis inhibition activity and cell viability. The crude extract obtained from the ethanolic extraction and the super critical fluid extraction did not exhibit significant melanin inhibition activity and was shown to be toxic to the melanocyte cells in comparison to the water extract. The crude aqueous extracts displayed melanin inhibition of 96.38 ± 1.60% and cell viability 109.90 ± 8.32% at a concentration of 500 μg/mL. Bioassay guided fractionation was performed on the water extracts to isolate the active compounds. The actives were identified as trans-cinnamaldehyde and chavicol glucopyranoside with both compound showing potent anti-melanogenesis activity. At 4.9 μg/ml, both trans-cinnamaldehyde and chavicol glucopyranoside gave 85% inhibition of melanin formation in vitro with 77% and 97% cell viability respectively. In comparison, kojic acid, a known skin lightening agent showed 90.0% inhibition at 100 μg/mL. The bioactive composition comprising the extract, active fraction, purified compounds or mixture thereof of Alpinia conchigera may be used for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications, particularly for the purposes of reducing skin pigmentation.