(MPOB Transfer of Technology)
Transparent soaps are a specialty product. They are also called glycerine soaps due to the incorporation of glycerine to confer transparency, enhance the appearance and ease the soap making process. Furthermore, it gives conditioning effects to the skin. ‘Transparent’ implies the property of light transmission without undue scattering, so that objects placed behind a transparent soap … Read more
Soap is the general name given to the products of the reaction between a fatty acid and an alkali. Fatty acids are obtained from triglycerides (fat or oil) of either animal or vegetable origin. In soap making, the fatty acids used are the C16-C18 and C12-C14 fractions as the soaps made from them have effi cient … Read more
Microemulsions are normally isotropic (clear), have very small droplets (~8-100 nm), low in viscosity and thermodynamically stable solutions. In contrast, the ordinary emulsions are milky white dispersions with higher viscosity, with droplets of >0.5 µm and only kinetically stable. Thus, the unique properties of microemulsions have generated great interest for use in high value products. Microemulsions … Read more
The productivity of conventional cultures in liquid media is limited due to the size of fl asks or shakers used. The MPOB Fast Transfer Technique (MoFaTT) (Tarmizi and Zaiton, 2005) allows cultures in less than 300 ml working volume of medium while the Two-in-One MPOB Simple Impeller (2-in-1 MoSLIM) and Simple Impeller with Fast Transfer Technique … Read more
There are various strategies that plants use in response to water deficit, they include: (1) avoidance of damaging water deficits; (2) stress-tolerance adaptations that enable the plant to continue functioning in spite of plant water deficits; and (3) mechanisms that enable the plant to optimize the use of water for dry matter production (Clifton-Brown and … Read more
The demand for mutton in this country has increased from 9160 t in 1993 to 15 570 t in 2003. Unfortunately, the production is far short of demand, with self-sufficiency of only 7% in 1993 and 8.4% in 2003. Imports to make up the deficit were valued at close to RM 90 million in 2003. Most … Read more
Yellow sugar cane (Saccharum offi cinarum) (Figure 1) is the most common variety grown in Malaysia. The main product from it is the juice. The juice is squeezed from the stems and drink fresh, usually served cold. The juice is also canned and commonly sold in restaurants and retail outlets throughout the country. Yellow sugar cane … Read more
Hill paddy (Oryzea sativa L.) (Figure 1) can be grown on wide range of soils, especially on sandy clay loam to clay loam. In general, it is grown in rain-fed areas, either on flat or sloping land. Although grown on dry land, it requires high moisture (rainfall of 250–200 mm per month) during its fi rst … Read more
Soyabean (Glysine max) (Figure 1) is a major source of protein for human and livestock. The average import of soyabean (broken and not broken) in 2002 to 2005 was 693 968 t yr-1 worth RM 719 991 178, mostly for livestock feed. The major human food products from soyabean are bean curd, soyabean drink and tempe. … Read more
Machinery and labour are the two major inputs in agriculture. Machines can be developed to help labour improve its productivity. There are two factors in maximizing profit, viz., increasing productivity and reducing cost. One way is to mechanize to improve productivity by reducing the labour required which can result in substantial cost saving. The Malaysian Palm … Read more