Fluctuation in fossil fuel prices and the increasing awareness of environmental degradation have prompted the search for alternatives from renewable energy sources. Biodiesel is the most efficient alternative to fossil fuel substitution because it can be properly modified for current diesel engines. It is a vegetable oil-based fuel with similar properties to petroleum diesel. Generally, biodiesel is a non-toxic, biodegradable, and highly efficient alternative for fossil fuel substitution. In Malaysia, oil palm is considered as the most valuable commodity crop and gives a high economic return to the country. However, the ethical challenge of food or fuel makes palm oil not an ideal feedstock for biodiesel production. Therefore, attention is shifted to non-edible feedstock like Jatropha curcas Linnaeus (Jatropha curcas L.). It is an inedible oil-bearing crop that can be processed into biodiesel. It has a high-seed yield that could be continually produced for up to 50 years. Furthermore, its utilization will have zero impact on food sources since the oil is poisonous for human and animal consumption. However, Jatropha biodiesel is still in its preliminary phase compared to palm oil-based biodiesel in Malaysia due to a lack of research and development. Therefore, this paper emphasizes the potential of Jatropha curcas as an eco-friendly biodiesel feedstock to promote socio-economic development and meet significantly growing energy demands even though the challenges for its implementation as a national biodiesel program might be longer.

To meet the need for food products to be safe and fresh, smart food packaging that can monitor and give information about the quality of packaged food has been developed. In this study, pH-sensitive films with sago starch and various anthocyanin concentrations of Brassica oleracea also known as red cabbage anthocyanin (RCA) at 8, 10, 12, and 14% (w/v) were manufactured using the solvent casting process. Investigation of the physicochemical, mechanical, thermal, and morphological characteristics of the films was performed and analysed. The response of these materials against pH changes was evaluated with buffers of different pH. When the films were exposed to a series of pH buffers (pH 3, 5, 9, 11, and 13), the RCA-associated films displayed a spectacular colour response. In addition, the ability of the starch matrix to overcome the leaching and release of anthocyanins was investigated. Higher concentrations of RCA can maintain the colour difference of films after being immersed in a series of buffer solutions ranging from acidic to basic conditions. Other than that, incorporating RCA extracts into the starch formulation increased the thickness whereas the water content, swelling degree, tensile strength, and elongation at break decreased as compared to films without RCA. The immobilisation of anthocyanin into the film was confirmed by the FTIR measurements. The surface patterns of films were heterogeneous and irregular due to the presence of RCA extract aggregates, which increased as the extract concentration enhanced. However, this would not affect the properties of films. An increase in thermal stability was noted for the anthocyanin-containing films at the final stage of degradation in TGA analysis. It is concluded that RCA and sago starch formulation has great potential to be explored for food packaging purposes.

Kitchen and food wastes discarded from the food related premises contributes to the high proportion of organic waste that end up in its landfill. The methane gas released during the dumping of food waste at the landfills is unsafe because the gas is flammable, and it is also a strong greenhouse gas. To tackle this problem, efforts are necessary to reduce the kitchen waste generated and to manage the disposal of waste sustainably. However, for this initiative to be successful, the owners and workers in food sector play an important role. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the practice, knowledge, and attitude of the food premises owners towards managing the kitchen and food waste in the district of Bintulu, Sarawak. Thus, a survey was conducted among 130 owners of randomly selected food premises. The collected data showed that food waste has the largest portion (46.7%) produced in Bintulu compared to other MSW such as plastic, paper, glass, metal, etc. Most respondents prefer to dump the food and kitchen wastes into garbage bins (79.2%) rather than composting (6.2%), donate, reuse, and recycle. This result proved the importance of building a biogas plant for kitchen and food waste since the respondents preferred to throw away the leftover food rather than composting the food. It will also help to propose appropriate treatment technologies to support the National Solid Waste Management (SWM) Policy and National Green Technology Policy for waste-to-wealth projects.