Structured lipid is a type of modified form of lipid that is “fabricated” with the purpose to improve the nutritional and functional properties of conventional fats and oils derived from animal and plant sources. Such healthier choice of lipid received escalating attention from the public for its capability to manage the rising prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Of which, medium-chain triacylglycerol (MCT) and medium-and long-chain triacylglycerol (MLCT) are the few examples of the “new generation” custom-made healthful lipids which are mainly composed of medium chain fatty acid (MCFA). MCT is made up exclusively of MCFA whereas MLCT contains a mixture of MCFA and long chain fatty acid (LCFA), respectively. Attributed by the unique metabolism of MCFA which is rapidly metabolized by the body, MCFA and MCT showed to acquire multiple physiological and functional properties in managing and reversing certain health disorders. Several chemically or enzymatically oils and fats modification processes catalyzed by a biological or chemical catalyst such as acidolysis, interesterification and esterification are adopted to synthesis MCT and MLCT. With their purported health benefits, MCT and MLCT are widely being used as nutraceutical in food and pharmaceutical sectors. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review on MCT and MLCT, with an emphasis on the basic understanding of its structures, properties, unique metabolism; the current status of the touted health benefits; latest routes of production; its up-to-date applications in the different food systems; relevant patents filed and its drawbacks

Various food formulations widely utilized solid fats to provide specific textural properties and sensory attributes. Partially hydrogenated oil was commonly used as solid fat before being banned by FDA recently because of the existence of trans fats. Oleogels, semi‐solid gel typically prepared from liquid vegetable oil and food‐grade oleogelators, is developed as an alternative for solid fats that is free of trans fat and low in saturated fats. Oleogels are prepared via indirect or direct oleogelation technology by which the liquid oil is entrapped in a three‐dimensional network with the aid of low molecular weight oleogelators (LMOGs) and high molecular weight oleogelators (HMOGs). Oleogels received tremendous attention from food scientists to be used in various food applications, particularly high‐fat products such as comminuted meat, chocolates, ice cream, shortening and margarine and even as a deep‐frying medium. They satisfy not only the current trends of consumers for healthy food products (free of trans fat and low in saturated fat) but also provide viscoelastic solid‐ and gel‐ like properties to structure high fat food products. More importantly, recent studies showed that oleogels tend to be metabolized differently from conventional fats and oils giving them an additional advantage in improving the nutritional value of high‐fat foods. Therefore, this review aims to provide an overview that captures the latest studies on oleogels from their production via direct dispersion and indirect dispersion methods, processing conditions that influence the physical properties, metabolism and health attributes as well as recent application in food products.

Insect-based food or ingredients have received tremendous attention worldwide because of their potential to ensure food and nutrition security, mitigating the reliance on land-dependent agricultural products. Indeed, insect-farming has low environmental impacts with reduced land, water and energy input. More importantly, insects are rich in high quality proteins and fats. They are also excellent sources of minerals, vitamins and bioactive compounds. Insect-based lipids are intriguing because they may contain high levels of unsaturated fatty acids particularly linoleic and α-linolenic acids. Besides, the insect-based lipids also show a considerable amount of bioactive components such as tocols, sterols and carotenoids. However, their fatty acid compositions and the nutritional values may vary depending on species, feed composition, developmental stage, geographical locations, and extraction techniques. Therefore, the present article aims to provide a comprehensive review on the fatty acid composition, the minor bioactive constituents and the physicochemical properties of fats and oils derived from insects of different orders (Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera and Diptera). The various parameters affecting the nutritional compositions of the insect-based lipids will also be highlighted. These information will definitely provide a detailed insight on the potential applications of these fats in various food systems based on their unique properties.

The eating of fresh and minimally processed vegetables is getting popular among Malaysians. This trend poses an increased risk of food poisoning associated with the consumption of fresh produce contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. Salmonellosis is a foodborne disease caused by several non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica serovars, predominantly serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp., S. enterica serovar Enteritidis and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium in fresh leafy vegetables such as cabbages (n = 40), lettuces (n = 20), and fruit vegetables such as tomatoes (n = 40), carrots (n = 40) and cucumbers (n = 40), which were sold by three different hypermarkets and a wet market in Kampar, Perak, Malaysia. The study was performed over a period of 13 months (January 2018 to January 2019). A combination of most probable number-multiplex polymerase chain reaction (MPN-mPCR) method was used to quantify the concentrations of Salmonella spp., S. enterica serovar Enteritidis and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium in the examined samples. The results of this study demonstrated that of the vegetables tested, tomatoes, carrots and lettuces were not contaminated by Salmonella spp., S. enterica serovar Enteritidis and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium. However, the presence of Salmonella spp. was detected in 3.3% of cabbages from the hypermarket, with estimated microbial loads ranging from <3.0 MPN/g to 15.0 MPN/g. On the other hand, S. enterica serovar Typhimurium was detected in 10.0% of the cucumbers from hypermarkets and 20% of them from the wet market. Their microbial loads were ranging from 1,100 MPN/g. This indicated that cabbages and cucumbers could be the potential sources of salmonellosis. Therefore, the monitoring of food safety and hygienic practices should be strictly enforced by relevant government agencies to avoid potential poisoning by foodborne pathogens.

Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the process variables namely packed bed height (cm) and flow rates (ml/min) on diacylglycerol (DAG) production via partial hydrolysis of palm oil using immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase in packed bed reactor (PBR). Quadratic models were successfully developed for both DAG _(y) and unhydrolyzed triacylglycerol ( _(un) TAG) with determination coefficient ( R ² ) of 0.9931 and 0.9986, respectively coupled with insignificant lack of fit ( p > 0.05). Optimal conditions for DAG synthesis were evaluated to be 10 cm packed bed height and 3.8 ml/min flow rate. Immobilized enzyme can be reused up to 10 times without significant changes in enzymatic activity. The partial hydrolysis under studied was found to be mass transfer-controlled.