Comparative Analyses on Synthetic Membranes for Artificial Blood Feeding of Aedes aegypti using Digital Thermo Mosquito Blood Feeder (DITMOF)

The use of live animal to blood feeding mosquito colony is proven to be expensive and inconvenient. As an alternative, artificial feeding (AF) is used to rear mosquito colony. The use of synthetic membrane in AF provided a more convenient method as compared to natural membrane which require extensive preparation. In this study, three synthetic membranes were compared (Parafilm-M, Polytetrafluoroethylene tape or PTFE tape and collagen sausage casing) to blood feeding Aedes aegypti. The membranes were incorporated with our in-house developed device named as Digital Thermo Mosquito Blood Feeder (DITMOF) to heat cattle blood for mosquito feeding. Results showed that PTFE tape recorded the highest blood feeding rate (95.00% ± 1.67%) with significant mean difference (p <0.001) as compared to both Parafilm-M (72.00% ± 2.60%) and collagen sausage casing (71.50% ± 3.50%). However, there was no difference in term of fecundity for mosquito feed with all three membranes tested (p=0.292). In conclusion, PTFE tape should be considered as the preferred membrane to blood feeding Ae. aegypti. Furthermore, this artificial blood feeding system, DITMOF successfully feed Ae. aegypti conveniently and effectively, thus should be further tested to feed other mosquito species.

Converting Durian-Based Traditional Dessert into Ready-To-Eat Durian Stick through Sausage Technology Application

Durian known as the King of Fruit is a prominent, common native Southeast Asian fruit and very popular among the local Malaysians. Nowadays, there are various types of durian-based products available in the market such as ice-cream, cakes, chips, chocolate bars, and pre-mixed powders. There are also traditional dessert products produced using fresh durian filling such as ‘dodol’, ‘lempuk’ and ‘bingka’. However, as time goes on, traditional desserts are increasingly forgotten. The aim of this study was to diversify durian-based products into Ready-To-Eat (RTE) durian stick. The stick production technique began with the process of grinding the durian paste, mixing the ingredients, stuffing the mixture into the sausage casing, steaming the mixture and chilling the RTE durian stick. Next, the firmness and moisture content of the RTE durian stick production were also analyzed. Apart from that, sensory evaluation is conducted to determine the consumer acceptance of the RTE durian stick that has been produced. Based on the results obtained, the best firmness for this RTE durian stick is 10.42 N. The value of the moisture content obtained is high, which is between 52.05% to 61.89%. The overall acceptability of RTE durian stick resulted 3.7 out of its full score which is 5. For the RTE durian stick, where the RTE durian stick was satisfactory to the panellists, the overall acceptability showed a score of 74%. In conclusion, this method can be used to increase the added value and uniqueness of the RTE durian-based stick produced, however, improvements such as product formulations and freezing methods to extend the product’s shelf life is necessary for the future to produce better RTE dessert products. The RTE durian stick has potential to be commercialized for local and international markets based on the overall acceptability in terms of the texture, appearance, smell and taste.

Evaluation of different methods to prevent Penicillium nordicum growth on and ochratoxin A production in country-style sausages

Penicillium nordicum is the main ochratoxin A (OTA)-producing fungal species isolated from artisanal sausages of different areas of Italy and other European countries. P. nordicum grows on and produces OTA in the sausage casing, thereby posing a health risk to Italian consumers, who commonly eat both the meat and casing of artisanal sausages. Different methods have been proposed to eliminate OTA and P. nordicum on the casings, including brushing, brushing and washing, the use of fungal starter cultures (Penicillium nalgiovense) and gaseous ozone. The aim of this study was to compare these methods with regard to eliminating the risk of OTA contamination in sausages. Three concentrations of gaseous ozone were assessed, i.e. 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mg/l. Only 1.5 mg/l prevented P. nordicum growth and production of OTA in sausages without influencing the physicochemical parameters and the sensory characteristic of the products. Application of this gaseous ozone concentration was then compared to the other methods, i.e. brushing, brushing and washing, a one-step starter culture of P. nalgiovense (inoculation after casing) and a two-step starter culture (inoculation after both casing and drying). The results obtained showed that only the use of gaseous ozone and a two-step starter culture of P. nalgiovense achieved complete inhibition of P. nordicum growth and OTA production. However, sensory analysis of the treated sausages showed that the use of starter cultures was the best method.

An alternate technique for isolation of Toxocara canis excretory-secretory antigens

The aim of the present study was to test the effectiveness of a sausage-casing membrane for dialysis of Toxocara excretory-secretory antigens (TES). The protein concentrated by the tested membrane was compared with that obtained using a Sigma commercial membrane, as were the protein fractions found by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Standard positive and negative serum samples were evaluated in an ELISA immunoassay, and equivalent data were obtained in all steps, indicating that the sausage-casing membrane is efficient, besides being less expensive to process.