Evidence is presented for the spontaneous formation of N-heterocyclic carbenes in ionic liquids based on 1,3-dialkyl substituted imidazolium cations.

The adsorption of surfactants from aqueous solutions in porous media is essential in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) from oil reservoirs. Surfactant loss that is due to adsorption by the reservoir rocks weakens the efficiency of the chemical slurry that is injected and decreases the oil-water interfacial tension (IFT). One of the ways to reduce the reduction is by using a sacrificial agent. This project will focus on utilizing the lignosulfonate (LS) from coconut husk as a sacrificial agent to reduce the surfactant adsorption. Lignin was extracted from coconut husk before sulfonated using sodium sulphite, Na ₂SO ₃ to form lignosulfonate. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to characterize the lignin and lignosulfonate and compare them with the commercial product. The batch experiment then conducted using a clay mineral of illite as the adsorbent. Two types of surfactants were studied; anionic (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-SDS) and non-ionic (4-octylphenol polyethoxylate-TX100). The amount of adsorbed surfactant was determined by measuring the surfactant critical micelle concentration (CMC) before and after the adsorption tests. The result in the batch experiment shows that LS reduced the surfactant adsorption on illite by about 54.2% for SDS and 42.6% for TX100. This showed that lignosulfonate has the potential as a sacrificial agent to minimize the surfactant adsorption, and agriculture waste like coconut husk can be utilized for this purpose.

Rice bran is a by-product of the rice milling process. It contains a high concentration of protein. Rice brans are frequently utilized as feed cattle, fertilizer, and fuel. However, their application as human nutrition supplements is uncommon, and the necessary process for this purpose is yet to be established, including the drying process. This study aims to evaluate the effect of the spray-drying parameters, the inlet temperature, inlet flowrate, and inlet air flowrate, on rice bran protein (RBP) powder and optimize it using response surface methodology (RSM). A thermal water-based extraction method was utilized prior to the drying process. The correlation between the spray-drying parameters, i.e., the inlet temperature (120 to 210 °C), feed flowrate (5 to 55%), and air flowrate (246 to 670 L/h), and the RBP yield were investigated. The quality of the RBP powder was evaluated based on acid amino profiling in the mixture through de novo peptide sequencing. The optimized operating conditions for the maximum yield of RBP powder (25.7 g RBP/100 g RRB) are 178 °C, feed flowrate of 25%, and air flowrate of 450 L/h. The main peptides that contribute to RBP powder protein are globulin and glutelin; meanwhile, prolamin is believed to degrade during the drying process. The process also produced protein sugar, helping to produce fine particles powder without the drying agent.

Mangifera indica L. (mango) of the Anacardiaceae family is a fruit with many phytochemicals that are extensively used in various traditional systems of medicine to prevent and treat various diseases. In Malaysia, harumanis is a local variety of mango widely cultivated in the northern region, namely Perlis. However, the drawback of this harumanis variety of mango is that research and information on its therapeutics are scarce and limited. Therefore, localized harumanis leaves were introduced to a series of pharmacognostic studies to provide critical details explaining harumanis as a potential therapeutic agent. Initially, the harumanis leaves were introduced to quality analysis tests, unveiling that the raw material used abided by proper post-harvesting protocols. Then, the harumanis leaves were extracted using ultrasonic aided extraction (UAE) with 100% methanol (13.73±0.24 %), 50% methanol (14.47±0.19 %), 100% ethanol (10.35±0.19 %), 50% ethanol (12.61±0.26 %), and distilled water (8.09±0.21 %). Next, the initial phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, and saponins in all extracts. Subsequently, the phenolic and flavonoid content were quantified with the 50% methanol extracts recorded the highest total phenolic content (5.76 ± 0.02 mg/g), 50% ethanol extracts had the highest total flavonoid content (4.38 ± 0.04 mg/g). Fingerprinting analysis via FTIR spectroscopy was used to identify phytochemicals confirming the presence of flavonoids and phenolics compounds in all extracts. The extracts were then introduced to a DPPH inhibition assay with the highest IC50 value obtained from 50% methanol with 75.2 ± 0.22 microgram per milliliter. Next, the antimicrobial capabilities were tested using a disc diffusion study on E. coli, B. subtilis, and Face normal flora showing that the methanolic extract has superior abilities in microbial inhibitions with the value recorded at 13mm, 22mm, and 14mm respectively. Overall, we obtained valuable pharmacognostic data on the harumanis leaves extracts as potential antioxidant and antimicrobial agents.

Rice bran, a by-product of rice milling, contains four protein types – albumin, globulin, prolamin, and glutelin – known for their hypoallergenic nature and nutritional advantages. To enhance rice bran's worth, its protein was isolated using deep eutectic solvent (DES). The influence of three operational factors (temperature, extraction time, and rice bran to DES ratio) on protein yield was evaluated post-conversion using three level factorial design. Optimal conditions at 80°C, 3 hours, and 1:5 rice bran to DES ratio yielded the highest extracted rice bran protein (RBP) at 17.49%. Temperature and solvent-to-sample ratio show the lowest p-value, indicating a significant effect on the RBP yield. The validation test shows an error of less than 5% between the experimental and the predicted value, showing the model can be used to predict the RBP yield. The RBP was then characterised using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Bradford Assays and SDS-PAGE electrophoresis to confirm the protein presence in rice bran powder. FTIR analysis showed the existence of amide I, amide II, aliphatic groups and amine or hydroxyl groups in the RBP. Furthermore, Bradford assays analysis indicated 23.89 ± 0.75% protein content in rice bran powder. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis shows the existence of Albumin and globulin in the RBP. In conclusion, a full three level factorial can be used to model and predict the optimal condition for protein extraction from rice bran using ChCl-Gly DES.