Menara Perkebunan

Front Matter

2024-11-22T10:43:21+07:00

Back Matter

2024-11-22T11:17:01+07:00

Application of lactic acid bacteria to improve the food safety of sago starch

2024-07-12T14:32:28+07:00

Sago starch production in local industries is still carried out traditionally and uses poor-quality water. This production causes sago starch to be fermented spontaneously, resulting in sour sago and possibly contamination by pathogenic bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can produce lactic acid and are suitable for use as a starter. Adding LAB as a starter in sago starch fermentation is expected to reduce the number of pathogenic bacterial growths, thereby increasing food safety in sago starch. This research aimed to obtain LAB and evaluate their use in sago starch fermentation to improve food safety. LAB selection was conducted by testing the LAB tolerance ability to low pH and the adaptability of the LAB growth in sago starch. This study was carried out using and without a LAB liquid starter. The water source during the fermentation originated from drinking water and the sago starch industrial factory. The fermentation was carried out for ten days at room temperature with an observation every two days. The results showed that fermented sago starch using drinking water did not harbor E. coli, Salmonella, or Shigella bacterial contamination. In contrast, sago starch fermented using water from the factory harbored these bacterial contaminations. Adding LAB IL1 isolate as a starter in fermentation showed the ability to reduce the number of pathogenic bacteria in sago starch.

Optimization of the demineralization process of black soldier fly (Hemertia illucens) pupa shell maggot chitosan and the physicochemical characteristics

2024-07-30T12:34:58+07:00

Chitosan is a derivative compound of chitin that has undergone deacetylation. Chitosan has three stages of the manufacturing process, including demineralization, deproteinization, and deacetylation. Chitin is also found in the black soldier fly maggot pupae, but maggot pupae contain high minerals content that can affect the purity of the resulting chitosan. Therefore, demineralization treatment is necessary to remove minerals from maggot pupae shells. This study aims to optimize the demineralization process by finding the best type of acid solvent, the best incubation time, and combination treatments. The black soldier fly (BSF) maggot pupa shell was soaked using various formic acid, hydrochloric acid, and nitric acid solutions with incubation times of 60, 120, and 180 minutes. Chitosan characterization was carried out following SNI 7949:2022, including water content, ash content, nitrogen content, pH, deacetylation degree, characterization of functional groups with FT-IR, and as an antimicrobial comparison is formalin. The best demineralization treatment was obtained at 0.5 M nitric acid treatment with an incubation time of 120 minutes. The characterization of chitosan produced 7.81% water content, 0.56% ash content, 4.73% nitrogen content, pH 7.39, and 75.14% deacetylation degree. Characterization of groups on chitosan with FT-IR resulted in the absorption of O-H and N-H groups 3484 cm^-1and 3152 cm^-1; C-H 2877 cm^-1; and C=O 1653 cm^-1. The inhibitory power against E. coli of the BSF maggot pupa shells chitosan is better compared to chitosan standard but not better than formalin.

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from coconut leaf extract and their antifungal activity against Ganoderma boninense mycelia

2024-07-25T14:46:04+07:00

Basal stem rot disease caused by Ganoderma is a major problem in palm cultivation in Indonesia, so an appropriate solution is needed to overcome this problem. One of the solutions that can be applied is through silver nanoparticles. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles can use coconut leaves as a source of flavonoids. Flavonoids are one of the phenolic compounds that are widely used in the process of synthesizing silver nanoparticles. Flavonoid compounds have a hydroxyl group (OH), which can be reduced by donating electrons to the Ag⁺ ion from AgNO₃ to Ag⁰. This research aims to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using coconut leaf water extract and its assessment as an antifungal for Ganoderma boninense. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by mixing coconut leaf extract in 1 mM of AgNO₃ solution with a ratio of 1:9 (v/v). The concentrations of coconut leaf water extract were 1% and 3% with a heating temperature of 60°C. Silver nanoparticles were characterized using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer, PSA, FTIR, TEM, and SEM-EDS. The AgNPs had a maximum wavelength of 430 nm, with morphologies like a ball, triangle, and square, a mass percentage of Ag of 51.77%, smallest particle size of 63.29 nm, PdI value of 0.3361, and a zeta potential of -16.98 mV. The FTIR spectra show that the functional group that plays a role in the reduction process is the –OH group. The antifungal activity assay produced the highest percentage of colony growth inhibition (68.37%) at a concentration of 4.9 ppm in the 10-day incubation.

Cloning and expression study of sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) sucrose transporter gene (SoSUT4)

2024-08-06T09:17:21+07:00

Sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) is a vital commodity for global sugar production and biomass generation, with sucrose being the primary sugar accumulated predominantly in the stem. The sucrose transporter protein is essential in facilitating sucrose transport across cells and over long distances within plants, from source to sink tissues. This study focused on the cloning and expression analysis of the SoSUT4 gene in the Bululawang sugarcane variety. A partial coding sequence of SoSUT4, comprising 802 nucleotides and encoding a 267-amino acid protein, was successfully cloned and sequenced. Sequence analysis revealed that the SoSUT4 protein shares high similarity with other SUT4 proteins in monocotyledonous plants, particularly with Saccharum spontaneum and Saccharum hybrid. Bioinformatics predictions indicated that the SoSUT4 protein is localized to the plasma membrane and contains six transmembrane helices. Gene expression analysis further demonstrated that SoSUT4 expression was significantly higher in the middle internodes of the stem compared to the youngest midsection of the leaves. This expression pattern correlates with higher sucrose accumulation in the stem, as reflected by elevated Brix levels in the stem (19.61%) compared to the leaves (19.48%). This finding suggests that SoSUT4 is essential for sucrose translocation to the stem, which serves as the primary storage site for sugar. The study provides valuable insights into the SoSUT gene family in sugarcane, particularly highlighting the role of SoSUT4 in sugar transport and accumulation. Future research should further investigate the underlying mechanisms of SoSUT4 and related genes to enhance our understanding of their impact on sugarcane yield, with potential applications for genetic engineering aimed at improving crop productivity.

[Keywords: brix, relative expression, SoSUT4]

Callus induction and regeneration of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. Zambli through somatic embryogenesis from four layers of young leaves explant

2024-08-05T15:04:14+07:00

The Zambli variety of date palm shows potential for cultivation in tropical regions, as its fruits are edible during the Rutab stage. However, large-scale production of Zambli seedlings presents a significant challenge. In vitro propagation offers a solution for producing large quantities of clonal planting material. This study focuses on inducing callus formation from the four-layered shoot tips of young leaves and regenerating these calli into plantlets through somatic embryogenesis. Explants were cultured on a modified MS medium with 10, 50, or 100 mg L^-1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), combined with 1 or 3 mg L^-1N6-(2-isopentenyl)adenine (2-iP). Embryo maturation was performed on the same medium without 2,4-D, while a hormone-free medium was used for plantlet regeneration. The results indicated that the highest callus induction occurred from the younger leaf layer (layer 1) in the medium containing 100 mg L^-1 2,4-D and 1 mg L^-1 2-iP, achieving a callus formation rate of 82.3%. Successful callus induction was achieved from the first, second, and third layers of young leaves. Somatic embryo maturation and plantlet regeneration were also completed, producing vigorous, well-rooted plantlets. Additionally, the development of date palm cv. Zambli in vitro culture through somatic embryogenesis was confirmed through histological analysis.

Optimization of fulvic acids production from oil palm empty fruit bunches using microwave extractor

2024-11-12T20:33:35+07:00

Fulvic acid (FA) derives from a non-renewable source, Shilajit, known as highly commercial values for its benefit for human health. Fulvic acid can also be extracted from materials such as coal, lignite, and peat. Extraction methods of FA generally use solid acids and bases, ion exchange chromatography, and their combinations. However, these methods cause corrosion, low purity, and environmental pollution. The FA extraction using organic solvents is common, but low yielded, and many organic solvents are toxic. Therefore, an effective way to separate organic solvents from FA must be determined. This research aims to extract the FA from renewable biomass, namely oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB), using a microwave extractor combined with hydrogen peroxide. The advantage of using a microwave is its quick and efficient extraction process. Hydrogen peroxide is an environmentally friendly solvent that can be converted into water and oxygen. Fulvic acid extraction was optimized using expert design with the Response Surface Methodology method with optimization of four 4 factors (H₂O₂ concentration and volume, reaction time, and microwave power). The extracted FA was then characterized using FTIR, H-NMR, and Fluorescennce spectroscopy. The highest FA concentration namely 24.716%, was obtained using H₂O₂ at a concentration of 30.46% with a volume of 137.4139 mL, reaction time of 9.384 minutes, and microwave power of 351.39 W. Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy peaks at 3213 cm^-1, 2935.47 cm^-1, and 2825.13 cm^-1 in the OPEFB-FA sample indicate existence of FA. The fluorescent emission intensity ratio between 450/500 nm wavelengths of OPEFB-FA was 0.719.

Characterization and morphological development of oil palm transformed-callus on modified culture media

2024-09-26T14:12:02+07:00

Genome editing through cisgenesis develops into scientific breakthroughs in accelerating oil palm breeding programs. However, one remaining problem is the low success of transformed-calli regeneration, while its scientific explanation is still underexplored. This study aimed to characterize and regenerate transformed-calli using various amino acids and antioxidants. Transformed callus that did not regenerate (un-regenerated transformed callus or UTC) after the transformation process was taken, then T-DNA integration was detected using the NPTII gene. Furthermore, the UTC was divided into four types based on morphological characteristics. The four types of UTCs were regenerated on media enriched with glutamine (for Type-1 callus), cysteine and putrescine (for Type-2 callus), and a combination of cysteine and ascorbic acid (for Type-3 and Type-4 callus). The research results obtained NPTII successfully amplified with a band size of 700bp. The results showed that on Type-1 callus, enrichment media with 10 mg L^-1 L-glutamine could induce the formation of new nodular structures on UTC Type-1. On Type-2, media enriched with 5 mg L^-1L-cysteine + 20 mg L^-1 putrescine increased the density of callus structures. Media enriched with 25 mg L^-1 ascorbic acid + 25 mg L^-1 L-cysteine could prevent the spread of brown callus on Type-3 callus, while Type-4 callus did not show any response and became dry. Our new findings will facilitate the basic research and unregenerated transformed callus and morphological callus development behavior in oil palm.

Synthesis of bio-hydrocarbons pentadecane from crude palm oil (CPO) using recombinant E.coli produced fatty acid photodecarboxylase From Chlorella variabilis

2024-09-12T15:23:55+07:00

Exploration of natural resources, particularly fossil fuels, is necessary given the sharp rise in energy demand across a wide range of industries. The risk of unpredictable fuel costs, rising pollution, and climate change is elevated as a result of that specific event. In order to address the problem of danger originating from present conventional fuel, it is crucial to use renewable energy that is regarded as sustainable and safe. In the future, bio-hydrocarbons are one energy source that is expected to be used as fuel. In both biological and non-biological processes, biohydrocarbons—hydrocarbons originating from biomass—can be created. Employing the Chlorella variabilis Fatty Acid Photodecarboxylase (CvFAP) enzyme from E. coli recombinant is a remarkable recent technique for producing bio-hydrocarbons. This enzyme has the ability to change free fatty acids, according to extensive studies when induced by blue light and accompanied by the addition of substrates. This study has confirmed the success of producing bio-hydrocarbons in the form of pentadecane with a selectivity of 16.44%. This experiment also indicated that several substantial components are needed in the bio-hydrocarbon synthesis process to obtain an optimal result. The components are the use of TB growth media, the selection of a protein concentration of 1777.5 l ppm, activation time for 3 hours, and the preference for substrate type in the form of 50% CPO.